Special Live Episode & Performance with Emma Rose

In this intimate live episode recorded in Boulder, Colorado, host Ashley Wick sits down with 26-year-old indie-folk artist Emma Rose for a soulful, humorous conversation about creativity and resilience. Emma opens up about growing up with touring folk musician parents, her journey from playing bass in other bands to leading her own project, Sound of Honey, and the bold choice to leave the breakout bluegrass band Big Richard at its peak.

They explore the struggles of breaking through in a competitive industry, the addictive pull of constant digital connection, and the pressure to keep producing in a culture that prizes speed and visibility. Emma shares candid reflections on reclaiming the freedom to create without comparison, embracing rest, and reconnecting with her inner artist.

For creatives who feel the pressure to always be “on,” Emma’s story is a powerful invitation to slow down, tune out the noise, and come home to your own creative voice.

Stay tuned for a rare, live performance of Emma’s beloved and unreleased songs.

Chapters:
01:43 Introducing Emma Rose: A Talented Musician
03:06 Emma's Musical Journey and Family Background
05:36 Choosing Music: A Personal Decision
09:52 High School Challenges and Musical Growth
19:18 COVID-19: A Time for Reflection
21:13 The Rise and Success of Big Richard
23:30 The Rise and Fall of Big Richard
24:09 Trusting Your Gut and Making Hard Decisions
24:47 The Struggles of Life on the Road
27:22 The Impact of Social Media on Self-Worth
28:59 Navigating the Music Industry
33:12 Balancing Creativity and Spirituality
36:31 The Practice of Being an Artist
39:54 Finding Flow and Overcoming Stagnation
43:35 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Links:

Emma Rose

Big Richard Band

Sound of Honey

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way / Morning Pages Tool

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

With thanks to…
Jamie and Davis at Stone Cottage Studios for hosting and producing this special live episode, and to our sponsors Plantgem, Low Rider, Boulder Wine Merchant, Suerte Tequila, and Little Saints for making the evening extra special.

Ashley Links:

Finding The Current Within Retreat: https://peggymarkel.com/adventures/finding-the-current-within/

Ashley Wick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleywick

The Ingenius Life Workshop: https://www.ingenius.life

Take The Leap Course: https://www.taketheleapwomen.com/

Sign up for Ashley’s newsletter for free coaching reflections, tools and news: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/643399411150f24bd562b5f5

Podcast artwork by George Bangs. Photography by Cary Jobe

This podcast is made possible thanks to our amazing partner Plantgem. Get 20% off your order when you use the code IMAGINE.

Some life changes are quiet pivots. Others require a full leap—one where you lose everything but trust that something truer will rise in its place.

Renée Rosillo is a Latina trans woman, technologist, and community builder who’s taken more than one of those leaps. She began her career at the UN, championing global youth initiatives, and went on to cofound multiple start-ups—including Prism, an open banking platform used across Latin America, and FounderFamilia, now the largest network of Latina venture-backed founders. Today, she’s building AO Labs, where they’re developing AI that learns like humans do—with empathy at the core.

But Renée’s most powerful leap wasn’t professional—it was personal.

After selling one of her companies, she finally slowed down. In that quiet, she realized she was living out of alignment with who she truly was. Facing long-buried gender dysphoria, she made the brave decision to leave everything behind: her wife, her child, her home, and her company.

This final episode of Season 1 is a conversation about identity, reinvention, and what it takes to build a beautiful life—and a world—that reflects the truth of who we are. Renée’s story is full of grace, hope, and the kind of clarity that only comes from risking it all.

Chapters:

Links:

Website: https://reneerosillo.com/

Twitter @reneerosillo

Instagram 0xrerosillo

Linkedin @rrrosillo

Newsletter Subscribe here

https://www.joinprism.xyz/

https://www.founderfamilia.com/

https://www.aolabs.ai/

Ashley Links:

Finding The Current Within Retreat: https://peggymarkel.com/adventures/finding-the-current-within/

Ashley Wick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleywick

The Ingenius Life Workshop: https://www.ingenius.life

Take The Leap Course: https://www.taketheleapwomen.com/

Sign up for Ashley’s newsletter for free coaching reflections, tools and news: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/643399411150f24bd562b5f5

Podcast artwork by George Bangs. Photography by Cary Jobe

This podcast is made possible thanks to our amazing partner Plantgem. Get 20% off your order when you use the code IMAGINE.

In this episode of The Imaginals, host Ashley Wick sits down with Christine Carter, Ph.D. — sociologist, coach, and author of The Sweet Spot, Raising Happiness, and The New Adolescence. For over 25 years, she’s been a guiding voice in the science of well-being, helping shape UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and bringing insights to stages like TED and The Oprah Show.

Christine spent her career studying happiness, purpose, and the conditions that allow us to truly thrive- gaining knowledge and skills that would prepare her for what she later called her “summer of hell.” In a single season, Christine was diagnosed with breast cancer, lost her mother, her best friend from college, a cousin she considered a brother, and her beloved dog. She was being asked to live everything she’d taught — to find stillness in chaos, clarity in grief, and purpose in the face of deep loss.

Christine comes from a long line of anxious women, and like so many of us, she’s made a life’s work of teaching what she needs to know. In this tender and humorous conversation, they discuss perfectionism, why purpose ( not happiness ) is one of the strongest predictors of well-being, and how it’s possible to be happy amidst profound pain.. This episode is an offering for anyone finding their way through anxiety or loss.

Chapters:

01:27 Guest Introduction: Christine Carter
01:51 Christine's Journey Through Personal Loss
04:40 The Dinner Table Epiphany
09:45 Purpose vs. Happiness
15:02 Arthur Brooks' Insights on Happiness
16:53 Christine's Personal Growth and Overcoming Anxiety
19:10 Overcoming Anxiety: Key Strategies
20:09 The Role of Meditation and Cognitive Practices
22:26 Embracing Emotional Acceptance
23:27 The Impact of Menopause on Anxiety
26:44 Perfectionism and Connection
29:17 Navigating Loss and Grief
35:42 Acceptance Practice and Final Thoughts

Links:

Christine Carter Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

Acceptance Meditation

Ashley Links:

Finding The Current Within Retreat: https://peggymarkel.com/adventures/finding-the-current-within/

Ashley Wick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleywick

The Ingenius Life Workshop: https://www.ingenius.life

Take The Leap Course: https://www.taketheleapwomen.com/

Sign up for Ashley’s newsletter for free coaching reflections, tools and news: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/643399411150f24bd562b5f5

Podcast artwork by George Bangs. Photography by Cary Jobe

This podcast is made possible thanks to our amazing partner Plantgem. Get 20% off your order when you use the code IMAGINE.