In this episode, Minessa shares her journey of decolonization, the importance of community, and how embracing creativity and authenticity can lead to personal and societal transformation. I love how Minessa’s brain works and how they connect the dots of life!

Achievement can hide conditioning, burnout, and self-betrayal. If you’re a high-performing person who feels successful on paper but still feels stuck, this one might resonate!

Connect with us:

Subscribe to Minessa’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@minessa.konecky

Follow Minessa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minessam

Connect with Minessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minessakonecky

Connect with Ciara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaragogan13/

Follow Stumbling Through Growth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumblingthroughgrowth/

Work with Ciara (Coaching) - https://calendly.com/ciara-upliftinclusion/uplift-30-minute-call

Ciara's Inclusion Coaching & Consulting - Uplift Inclusion: https://www.upliftinclusion.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to support it.

Follow & Subscribe: Hit follow so you never miss an episode.

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star rating to help others find us.

Share: who do you know who needs to hear this conversation? Text this episode link to them.

Thanks so much!

Key Topics

• Minessa shares: that joy is not a luxury but a necessity, and that even in painful conditions, people can find small threads back to themselves.
• We discuss: dismantling internal capitalism, including leaving a high-earning business model that no longer aligned with Minessa’s values.
• Minessa shares: how decolonization, redistribution, and anti-oppression work changed the way they think about money, privilege, and responsibility.
• We discuss: creativity as a form of problem-solving and self-acceptance—not just visual art—and how art helps Minessa process emotion.
• Minessa shares: why relationships can be seasonal, including their reconciliation with their sister after time apart.
• We discuss: the importance of telling people what they mean to you while they are still here.

Takeaways

Everyone can contribute in their own way, no matter how small.

Unlearning societal rules is essential to personal freedom.

Creativity is a form of problem-solving and self-expression.

Planting seeds today benefits future generations.

Authenticity and self-love are revolutionary acts.

Ciara Gogan sits down with Minessa for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, trauma, decolonization, creativity, and what it means to build a gentler life while living inside oppressive systems. Minessa shares how they moved from survival mode and assimilation toward deeper self-awareness, and why joy, boundaries, and specificity matter in healing and in public work.

Connect with us:

Subscribe to Minessa’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@minessa.konecky

Follow Minessa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minessam

Connect with Minessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minessakonecky

Connect with Ciara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaragogan13/

Follow Stumbling Through Growth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumblingthroughgrowth/

Work with Ciara (Coaching) - https://calendly.com/ciara-upliftinclusion/uplift-30-minute-call

Ciara's Inclusion Coaching & Consulting - Uplift Inclusion: https://www.upliftinclusion.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to support it.

Follow & Subscribe: Hit follow so you never miss an episode.

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star rating to help others find us.

Share: who do you know who needs to hear this conversation? Text this episode link to them.

Thanks so much!

Key Topics

In this episode: Minessa explains their core shift from “what I do” to “who I am becoming,” describing identity as something that can calcify if it is never questioned.

We discuss: how colonialism, capitalism, racism, and the patriarchy shape self-worth, and why unlearning those systems is lifelong work rather than a one-time breakthrough.

Minessa shares: a story about growing up in Pakistan, moving to the US in their twenties, and realizing how deeply assimilation had shaped their sense of belonging.

We discuss: trauma, including war trauma and childhood experiences, and how those experiences can be part of a person without becoming their whole identity.

Minessa shares: how a difficult period in 2018 became a major turning point in their healing.

We discuss: the difference between carrying trauma and using a stage or platform to process it, especially in speaking, coaching, and teaching settings.

Action items

• Notice where you may be confusing survival, trauma, or conditioning with your identity.
• Identify one small “drop in the pond” you can make, rather than trying to do everything.
• Tell one person, while they are still here, what they have meant to you.
• Check whether your words are reinforcing what you want or what you are trying to escape.
• Spend time in your body in a way that feels accessible, whether through movement, nature, or rest.

Award-winning filmmaker Julie Rubio joins Ciara Gogan for an honest conversation about the hidden history of artist Tamara de Lempicka, the power of documentary filmmaking, and finding the courage to tell stories that have been overlooked. Julie shares how personal hardship shaped her empathy and resilience, how a film-set crisis unexpectedly pushed her into directing, and why she kept fighting to bring The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka and the Art of Survival to audiences. Years of archival research uncovered new evidence about Lempicka’s identity and heritage, challenging the familiar myths around the Art Deco artist and revealing a story of survival, creativity, and self-determination. The conversation also explores how researching Lempicka helped Julie better understand and embrace her own bisexuality, why representation matters, and how women filmmakers navigate persistent barriers in the industry. Julie reflects on protecting your peace, using art to foster empathy, speaking up for others, and finding joy in the middle of difficult times.

In this episode:

• Julie’s passion for overlooked stories and the people behind them
• Growing up with a mother experiencing mental illness—and learning empathy, independence, and compassion
• Why asking “What happened to you?” can be more powerful than asking “What’s wrong with you?”
• The moment Julie stepped into directing when her first film was at risk
• The lesson that you don’t have to know everything before you begin
• The archival research behind The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka and the Art of Survival
• How Julie’s documentary challenges misconceptions about Tamara de Lempicka
• The realities of independent filmmaking, including funding barriers and discrimination
• How Lempicka’s story helped Julie embrace her bisexuality
• Representation, identity, and the importance of seeing yourself reflected in art
• Setting boundaries, protecting your peace, and making room for joy
• Julie’s thoughts on AI, creative work, and who gets a seat at the table
• Why stories, community, and collective action can help create a more equitable world

Connect with Julie & Ciara:

Julie's full bio: https://www.julierubiofilms.com/about

"The True Story of Tamara De Lempicka & the Art of Survival": https://www.tamaradoc.com/

Follow the documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamaradelempickadoc/

Follow the documentary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590479550049

Connect with Ciara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaragogan13/

Follow Stumbling Through Growth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumblingthroughgrowth/

Ciara's Inclusion Coaching & Consulting - Uplift Inclusion: https://www.upliftinclusion.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to support it

Follow & Subscribe: Hit follow so you never miss an episode.

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star rating to help others find us.

Share: Who do you know who needs to hear this conversation? Text this episode link to them.

Thanks so much! Ciara xo