Première Personne with Brune Smith
Communities born out of someone saying, "here's what I've been through."
Hi, I'm Brune Smith, and I'm fascinated with how telling vulnerable stories sparks instant, meaningful connection. How do we create collective spaces that foster deep listening, belonging and positive change? As an international storytelling producer, I have a couple of ideas, but I want to hear from other people on this. Every month, I interview amazing humans from different fields and cultures, who have a unique experience with first-person stories and their transformative power at an individual and collective level.
Welcome to the community! brunesmith.substack.com
Free Class on Self-Publishing (With Replay)
Hey everyone,
This Wednesday, I'm teaching a free masterclass on Self-Publishing.
I want you to share your voice and publish your book without waiting for anyone else's permission. Magic is on the other side. ✨
Register for free and receive the limited-time replay:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/self-publishing-for-empaths-tickets-696581693597
Kate Connolly: On Small "t" Trauma and Learning To Fly
Kate Connolly is the author of Learning To Fly, a recently published nonfiction book where she talks about how exposure to 'small t' traumas (interferences with one's sense of psychological safety) are more common than we realize, and this can ultimately lead to destructive coping mechanisms and behaviours.
In this book she shares her experiences, as well as her (continued) healing journey: what this has been like and how it has helped her to go from surviving, to thriving.
Kate Connolly believe
Mark Lovett: Organizing a TEDx Inside Prison
What happens when inmates are given their voices back?
Out of all the TEDx events Mark Lovett has organized in his career, the one inside prison was the most transformational. Both for him, and for the inmates and attendees in the room. Through his company Storytelling with Impact, Mark Lovett is now a Speaker Coach and Storytelling Workshop Facilitator.
Get in touch with Mark on LinkedIn.
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Mentoned in this episode:
📘 TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, by Chris J. Ander
Domi Shoemaker: Corporeal Writing
Domi J. Shoemaker is a gender-free writer who lives near Portland, Oregon. Domi has quite simply changed my writing life, and they just might change yours.
Domi spent several years with Tom Spanbauer's Dangerous Writers, and started the quarterly reading series, Burnt Tongue in 2012, just before snatching a gig with Lidia Yuknavitch for the launch of Dora: A Headcase. While finishing an MFA in Writing from Pacific University in 2015, Lidia asked Domi to help create the Corporeal Writing Seasonal
Tomorrow, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 2 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Today, a book from 1934 provides key insights for my epic quest from 10-year chronic-pain sufferer to sciatica-free hiker. It’s called Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande (special thanks to Lyn for recommending it!). —PS: if you have a book project that always seems to end up on the back burner, check out my writing + self-publishing program called « Write Your Book, Already » 👉 https://experiencenarrative.com
In 3 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Emotional exhaustion before the start. I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 4 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
In 4 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Turns out, MarieKondo-ing the sh*t out of my house makes the pain go away.
Literally.
So today, I uncovered a new tool for my hike.
Anyone else soothe their nervous system by organizing, color-coding, folding, sorting, rearranging?
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 4 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real
In 5 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Today though, I am not sciatica-free. But I'm seeing a glimpse of freedom.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 5 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already.
Salika Peucelle: Healing As Social Responsibility
- Trigger warnings: mental health, addiction, suicidal ideation. -
Salika Peucelle's job title is Expert on Resilience and Mental Fitness in Times of Crisis, but she prefers defining herself as someone who tries to elevate people, in all areas of her life.
In this episode, we discover how she shifted from 18 years of incredible hardship, to what she calls her "second" or "bonus" life.
Salika talks about the social responsibility of healing, and the political standpoint from which she helps peopl
In 7 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
The healing conundrum: what I focus on expands, and yet, in order to get free from pain, I absolutely need to look the pain in the eye. Until... I don't.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 7 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Alre
In 8 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Exercising in spite of lower back pain to strengthen my core muscles, + a 4-hour walk in the Belgian forest, one week before the 10-day hike in the Spanish Pyrenees.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 8 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Yo
In 9 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
I don't have time to hurt anymore.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 9 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already.
In 10 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
"Ouch, but yay": my sciatica is back, but my anxiety has decreased substantially. Here's how I'm dealing with this little flare-up.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 10 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already.
In 11 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Physiotherapy sessions: DONE.
How does one let go of control and move into ease?
I don't know yet, but I am willing to have an open mind and welcome an answer when it is ready to come to me.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 11 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual pr
In 12 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
- Content warning: mention of sexual assault with no depiction -
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." Ugh...
Today, I am looking at the more abstract side of things, and bringing together themes of life force, protection from harm, and freedom.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 12 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for
In 13 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Chronic pain slowly but surely structures a life.
We find community through it, and create around and from it.
To survive and then to live, we become artists.
And so, letting go of chronic pain after 10 years can feel like big loss. Like betrayal, even.
The gain we crave when we say we want to be free from pain seems impossible to dream up, because it's never been experienced before.
It is The Great Unknown.
It brings up questions of worthiness.
Letting go of chronic pain looks like having no o
In 14 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
The first few days of a difficult challenge you set for yourself can be exciting, thrilling even. And then... the real work begins.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 14 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already. https://experienc
In 15 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Free access to a gym on a silver platter 2 weeks before the hike, plus, nipping old thought patterns in the bud.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 15 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already. https://experiencenarrative.com
In 16 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
First strength-training physiotherapy session (because I am finally pain-free!), plus, a shoutout to my friend Devan.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 16 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Your Book, Already. https://experiencenarrative.com
In 17 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
-Content warning: grief, suicide, sexual assault.-
Cheryl Strayed's book Tiny Beautiful Things was just made into a TV show. And I'm so mad. Because I can't watch it.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 17 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
PS: Write Yo
In 18 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Do you ever feel like your surroundings are a blatant reflection of what's happening in your life/mind/body? They're doing construction work on the sidewalk by my house.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 18 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
Write an
In 19 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Today, a hypnotherapy session DELIVERED.
Then, I walked around pain-free as if on a cloud.
Will it last?
I mean, I know it will, but I'll pretend the future is uncertain.
Happy summer solstice :)
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 19 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritua
In 20 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
Brené Brown says, "Joy is the most vulnerable emotion we experience. And if you cannot tolerate joy, what you do is you start dress rehearsing tragedy."
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 20 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
Write and Self-Publish Your
In 21 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
I don't need to have all the answers in order to heal.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 21 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
Write and Self-Publish your book THIS YEAR:
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 22 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
What does it mean to be in a relationship with one's body?
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 22 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
And... I decided to get free from chronic pain... for good.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 23 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 23 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 24 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
-- Content warning: sexual assault, suicide. --
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 24 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 25 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 25 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
https://experiencenarrative.com
In 26 days, I will be sciatica-free and hike the Camino.
I've had chronic pain in my lower back for 10 years, and am currently recovering from a sciatica.
⛰️ In 26 days, I am hiking a portion of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, sciatica-free.
This is my real-time physical, mental and spiritual prep.
-Brune
https://experiencenarrative.com
Margot Leitman: True Stories On Stage
Chatting with Margot Leitman was a dream come true. Margot is an award-winning storyteller, best-selling author, speaker and teacher originally from New Jersey who now resides in LA.
A leading expert in the growing field of storytelling, Leitman has written two books on the subject: the best-selling, Long Story Short- the Only Storytelling Guide You'll Ever Need and her latest What’s Your Story? A Workbook For the Storyteller in All of Us. She also wrote a comedic memoir, Gawky…Tales of an Extr
Devan Sandiford: "The Silence We Carry"
Roxane Gay said of today's guest that he "is an excellent writer who will be endlessly interesting to his readers."
Devan Sandiford is a Brooklyn-based writer, an award-winning storyteller, and the author of the forthcoming Memoir—currently titled—The Silence We Carry: Confessions of the Six-year-old Father. His stories have been featured in The Washington Post, The Moth Radio Hour and Podcast, Speak Up Storytelling, and many other outlets. One of his stories is part of "Bodies of Stories", a co
Mai Hua, Part Two: Accessing & Unpacking Anger
Mai Hua lets us in on what moved her to document men challenging the patriarchal model of masculinity, how she accessed her anger after 40 years of life, and what came out of filming a group therapy retreat for her and her husband Jerry Hyde's mini-series, "After Anger".
Watch Mai Hua's documentaries and mini-series:
Make Me A Man ("What happens when men challenge the patriarchal model of masculinity")
The Rivers (An intimate journey into Mai Hua's matriarchal family story)
After Anger (How do
Minisode: 3 Books on Creativity
✌️I wanna know YOUR favorite books on creativity: share them with me here using the contact form, and I'll share them in a future episode!
✍️
I believe the world needs your words.
I help people write their narrative nonfiction books and essays.
Book your free writing coaching consult with me to start writing, keep writing and/or get to that finish line in a way that feels like YOU.
📚
Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way
Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist, Show Your Wo
Filmmaker Mai Hua, Part One: Transmission & Filming Her Lineage of Women
When Mai Hua started documenting her dying grandmother returning from Vietnam, what actually unfolded became a paradigm-shifting movie that has been seen in 82 countries.
"Les Rivières (The Rivers) is an intimate journey into my matriarchal family story. It took me 6 years to accomplish this family archeology."
In this first part of our conversation, Mai talks about: how real life takes us beyond the threshold of our imagination, the vulnerability dynamics behind her choice to expose her family,
Episode 1: Brune's Story
Content warning: mental health, suicide, terrorism.
🗣️ I decided to launch the podcast with an episode that sets the stage with my story - context for who I am and how I came to champion creators of brave spaces for first-person storytelling (aka my future guests on the podcast). I was 31 when my life was shattered, and 34 when an evening at a brewery in Toronto changed... everything. Here is my story.
📗 "Bodies of Stories: 20 Vulnerable Stories Told Live Online" https://www.amazon.com/Bodies-
Introducing: Première Personne
How do we create collective spaces that foster deep listening, belonging and positive change? How might you be transformed by telling a story from your lived experience? International storytelling producer Brune Smith interviews fascinating humans from different fields and cultures, who have a unique experience with first-person stories and their transformative power at an individual and collective level.
Welcome to the community!
-Brune
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Première Personne is produced by Brune