Empowered Podcasting Conference 2

Hey friends — I’m back from an incredible weekend, and I couldn’t wait to share what unfolded. In this episode, I reflect on my experience attending and speaking at the Empowered Podcasting 2.0 conference — and let me just say, it was next level. From deep conversations and spiritual moments to unexpected connections and soul-level friendships, this weekend was one for the books.

I talk about what it was like to speak on a panel for the first time, how I chose to share from the heart, and what happened when I did. You’ll hear about powerful moments with fellow podcasters, the aura insight that left me speechless, and a conversation with a man navigating his own healing journey. This one is all about truth, community, and the transformational power of showing up as your full, authentic self.

Episode Highlights:

[0:22] - Why I skipped last week’s episode and where I’ve been
 [0:56] - Behind the scenes of the Empowered Podcasting 2.0 conference
 [1:44] - Meeting online friends IRL and how quickly bonds form
 [2:59] - What it means to be in a room full of podcasters and why it felt so special
 [3:33] - Speaking on the panel — from divorce to healing and transformation
 [5:00] - Receiving unexpected support and validation after sharing my story
 [6:22] - A powerful aura reading and what it revealed about my energy
 [7:12] - Unexpected deep conversations and spiritual connections
 [8:13] - Chatting with a man exploring healing through psychedelics
 [9:27] - Why I don’t listen to other podcasts — staying grounded in my own voice
 [10:47] - Gratitude for my producer, new friends, and this unforgettable experience
 [11:50] - How to reach me, share your stories, and get involved with the show 

Links & Resources:

Be sure to follow, share, and leave a comment if this show resonates with you! Send me a message at podpage.com/themusicoflife to share your experiences, or to leave a comment. I'd love to feature it in a future episode.

Transcript

Unknown: 0:02

Hi everyone, and welcome to the music of Life. I'm your host. Karen Portnoy, before I get into this episode, please comment, ask questions, share some of your experiences, and don't forget to subscribe. Hi everyone. I just wanted to say sorry for skipping last week. I had some major technical issues, and also I was getting ready to travel this past weekend, and now that I'm back from this weekend, I just wanted to share what this weekend was all about. My producer put on a conference last year called empowered podcasting. Number one was the first ever, and it was a great success. I wasn't there last year because I wasn't podcasting yet, but it was, it was so successful that he did it again this year. And so this was number two. And now that I'm officially podcasting, I was thrilled to be able to go there this this time, and I was even invited to be a speaker on a panel of four, me being one of them. And so that was exciting, and it was a very special experience for me. So I got there Thursday night. The conference started Friday morning, and it ran all day Friday and all day Saturday, I met so many great people, some people I knew, but didn't ever meet them before in person, but I've had interactions with them, or I've seen them just on different chats and groups and rooms and all of that. So it was great to meet all these people in person and make connections. And some people I just hit it off right from the beginning. And it was, it was a really special journey, I have to say it. Some people think that if you're not like exuberant and bubbly and so enthusiastic and showing that you're having a great time, that they think you're not. That's always been a misrepresentation of me, because I'm one of those people that just takes it all in, and I'm just observing and surveilling and just kind of a fly on the wall until I kind of get the way of the land, and I kind of see people's energy and and figure it out for myself. So I kind of keyed into some people that I thought would be a good fit for me, and it turned out I was right. So, you know, I just made some really, really special friendships. And I don't know when you're just in such close quarters with people for a very, very condensed amount of time, it's very easy to get close really quick. You know, because we're all podcasters, it's like we have so much in common, so much to talk about. There's so much support and community, and it was really, really amazing to just be a part of it. So when it came time to speak on my panel, it was, you know, I never script my episodes. I never script what I'm going to say. And this was no different. I really just intended on speaking from my heart, speaking authentically, and kind of like whatever came out was meant to come out, and that's, that was my approach to it. And, you know, of course, I started to tell somewhat of my story about my divorce and and then I just kind of morphed into my healing, because really and truly, I don't want to come across as a victim. I was a victim during the time of my divorce and and those three years, but since then, you know, part of, well, I would say the last, I don't know, I think the last two years was when I really, I think I'd mentioned this before, was really when I started my healing journey, and the past 14 months since, and, you know, I'd rather focus on that, because, God, there was such a transformation that I went through, and it took a long, long time, and it's so much freaking hard work. It was the hardest work of my life. But, you know, it was so worth it, because who I am now and where I am in my life and where I'm headed, and I just it's worth it. It's worth every tear. It's worth every scream. It's worth every you know, punching pillows and just screaming it. I mean, it was all worth it, and so much so that, you know, after I finished speaking, you know, people came up to me and commended me on my brain. Free and courage for speaking my truth and being so open about it, you know, very supportive just about how important what I'm saying is to people out there who are going through something similar, which is my whole intention for doing this anyway. And the amazing thing one this one woman that I met on my first night there, and we just connected immediately. And she's so sweet and funny, and we just had a lot to talk about, and she came over to me, I guess it was later that night, and she said to me, she's also very spiritual, and we connected on that level as well. And she's able to see auras. And she said to me, I saw your aura while you were standing up there, and it was so bright and powerful. She's like it was very yellow, you know, around my head and my upper body. And she said it was so vibrant and almost like vibrating that it was just amazing for her to see that. And then she said, and then it turned into the color green, which represents the heart chakra. The yellow was representative of solar plexus chakra and and the solar plexus is really about your power. Marc, so it was, it was very interesting how she was able to see that, and then, you know, I was able to recognize the connection between speaking my truth and my power and and also speaking from my heart. So that was kind of validating to know that that was confirmation, I guess. So that was cool, and I don't know it was. It was really amazing, because you You never know what kinds of conversations you're going to have with people you just meet. You know nothing about them. You know nothing about their their background, their story, their you know what brought them to be a podcaster, and all of a sudden it was just, you know, you connect with people. I believe, I truly believe, that you connect with people for a reason, and you never know what that reason is until time goes on, and then it kind of makes sense. So I was talking to this guy. I didn't even know his name, and he was asking about my podcast. So I was telling him about it, and he was really intrigued about healing, because, you know, he had some major childhood wounds and traumas from his past and and he was trying to reconcile it, and I, I didn't hear the entire thing because, like, music was so loud, and people were talking so loud, but he was talking about how he basically gave up all of his material possessions. He went out to California. He was living in the desert or the mountains or something like that. And you know, he was on mushrooms and ashwagandha. Is that how you say it? And then I think he said ketamine also. But, you know, he was trying to alter his state of consciousness so that he could process some of this stuff. And clearly it wasn't working. So, you know, he was, he kind of went off everything and came back to reality. So he was kind of picking my brain about healing and what that looked like for me, and he I could see on his face, and just in his energy, that he was really intrigued. He was really kind of taking in what I was saying, and I could see he was kind of processing it and maybe relating it somehow to his own experience. So, you know, he was asking questions, and I explained things to him, and he really got it and understood, and he was so appreciative at the end and I just found people like that, who who were open and receptive to what I had to say. And I don't know It's not like I say the same things to everyone. It's just whatever comes to me is like I know is the right thing to say at that moment. Marc, so anyway, there were some really cool podcasts that people were talking about, and a few other speakers that got up and were talking about what they do. And it's so interesting, because I've always said that, you know, look, I know a lot of people listen to a lot of different podcasts, and that's great. People always ask me what podcasts I listen to, and the truth is, I don't listen to other podcasts. And the reason being is that I just don't want the distraction, because I'm. Not invested in what other people do or say or think or feel or act or you know, it's it's not my bag anymore. So I I'm very true to myself, and I'm very true to what I say and speak about on this podcast, and I don't want to be influenced by other people, whether they're doing great or not. And, you know, once I kind of move on to something else in this podcast, maybe I'll entertain other podcasts, but I just, I don't want the distractions, like I said, you know, I kind of have blinders on. I'm very focused about what I'm trying to accomplish here, and I just don't want to be influenced by others, so that's how I feel about that. So I'm still having technical difficulty right now. I hope the audio turns out okay on this episode, because I really wanted to just share what this experience was like at this conference this week, my producer did a phenomenal job with his team. His wife was there, who I finally got to meet, and she's one of my newest closest friends for the weekend, you know, and beyond, obviously, but we just really connected very quickly. And I was so thrilled to meet her, I was just, I don't know it was such a special weekend, and I will it will go down as a very important weekend for me to, you know, the the first time speaking in front of a crowd. And, you know, I'm glad that it turned out the way that it did, and I'm looking forward to seeing the video played back. So I'll let you know. I think that's all for today, so I'm going to wrap it up right now, but thank you for listening, and I'll see you in the next one. Please join me every Thursday for a new episode. You can reach my website@podpage.com slash the music of life. Feel free to leave your email address. You can also leave a voicemail and share any kinds of stories or experiences or anything that you'd like to talk about. I promise I will keep you anonymous, but I assure you that whatever experiences or stories you leave for me, you are not alone, and I would love to share that with other people who are also going through similar things. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you in the next episode. You.