You might know Karen O'Leary as Officer O'Leary from the wildly hilarious television show Wellington Paranormal, but we know her as our friend and as a creative heavy-hitter across platforms and projects.

Karen started her working life as an early childhood educator and calls herself an "accidental actress." Um, yay for an amazing accident!

In this episode, we get to the heart of Karen's giant heart and her propensity to say "Yes!" to things that might seem scary or unknown - knowing that, no matter what, when you try new things and remain curious, you also gather stories, experience, and learn new skills.

How wonderful life is while people like Karen are in the world. We know you'll enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

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Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

How we present ourselves to the world is wrapped up in everything we do, share, and try. What we're known for, how we look, our social media profiles, and the groups we're a part of - all equal up to a vision of who we think we are and would like to be perceived. The fun thing about who we think we are is that we often believe ourselves to be who others see us as. Wild, right? In this episode, we work through different ways of presenting who you are on stage, whether you're an artist performing music or a keynote speaker speaking to a corporate crowd. From how to hold your body to where your line of vision should be to the basics of proper preparation preventing poor performance - we've got you. Grab your morning cuppa Joe, buckle up, and take notes! This is Presenting You.
Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives! "No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

Perlina Lau is one of the kindest, funniest, and most talented storytellers on the planet.

In this episode, we take a bite out of how Perlina has built a successful career in media, television, film, radio, and beyond. We also ask the deep questions around representation, creating safe spaces for truly authentic storytelling, and talk a little bit of shit along the way because why the heck not!? Sit down, grab a snack or a quad-shot latte, and enjoy this conversation with Perlina. We sure did! Follow us on Instagram and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives! "No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

We've all felt it before. The sinking feeling that you're not good enough. That existential dread of walking into a situation or room or job, or project where your internal monologue is shouting at you, "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"   

The idea of imposter syndrome is one that almost every woman in a creative or professional field has heard of and assigned to herself at one time or another.   But how is this "syndrome" defined, and WHO even came up with it?   

Strangely enough (ahem, not strange at all), the idea itself is made up and was substantiated in very biased conditions decades ago.   

In this episode, we review one of Havard Business Review's most popular articles, which states that maybe, just maybe, imposter syndrome doesn't exist the way we think it does.   

We also look at reframing how we see ourselves and touch on Brene Brown's conversation with the article's authors.   If you've ever felt like an imposter at home or work, listen up. This conversation is a goodie.  

Follow us on Instagram and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!  

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

Alice Soper and her trusty roving-hairbrush-microphone, with which she tells the stories of wāhine sportspeople the world needs to hear, are forces to be reckoned with.  

Alice is all about fair play in life, sports, representation, media equity, storytelling, and beyond, whether on or off the field. In this episode, we dig deep to see what drives Alice to be as vocal, proactive, passionate, and equitable as she is.  

Her ability to bring attention to fundamental changes needed in the hallowed halls of professional sports and grassroots organizations even has us ready to lace up our boots (cleats, for non-Kiwi listeners) and play a full game beside her. Well, as long as there are snacks and great banter. Which, of course, there will be!

Follow us on Instagram and share your engaged, kind feedback! Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

Therapy. If you're lucky enough to have access to it or to have experienced it in a way that has helped you, then you know how important introspection, self-love, and a journey of self-improvement are to figuring out how to live your life on your terms.  

In this episode, we kick into high gear in our review of Stutz, a documentary centered around therapist Phil Stutz having candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill.   

In the documentary, Stutz explores his early life experiences and a unique, visual model of therapy that both he and Jonah want to share with others - specifically folks who don't have access to expensive and healing therapy.  

As you'll hear in this episode, we took away completely different lessons while being enthralled by the simplistic storytelling techniques used to tell the overarching story of Jonah and Phil - one of love, trust, and kindness between men.  As you listen, take the time to think about your journey and how the people who've helped you along the way deserve their flowers.  

Follow us on Instagram and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!  

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

Language matters. It is the vehicle for stories that teach us about the world and helps us define our place. It is a bridge between ideologies, emotions, cultures, and art. It is also the hard cement of the cultural foundations upon which our modern world has been built.  

Packed within language is power, love, bias, class structure, assumptions, dreams, and law. So, what happens when only one group (eg, men) are the keepers of language?  

Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams reveals a lost narrative hidden between the lines of a history written by men - and the power of that written history to elevate or repress the people it intentionally does not represent.

 As she grows up, the book's protagonist, Esme, realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so, she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.  

In this episode, we review this lyrical, beautiful book - and give our two cents (and then some) on the power of unpacking language and allowing the words we use to truly bring our diverse life experiences to the fore.  

Grab a copy of The Dictionary of Lost Words and tell us your thoughts! Also, we'd love to know: what is the most powerful use of language you can think of?   

Follow us on Instagram and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! 

Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!  

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.

Some people just seem to have it all. They've got the house, the car, the boat, the job, the perfect relationship, and the trophy case full of awards.   

Society, in general, seems to tell us that if our life is going to matter, we need to accumulate things, people, and power. We're taught to define success by the stuff we have over how we feel. And maybe this is why so many of us feel lost and unfulfilled no matter how many metrics we tick off of the LifeSuccessList™️.  

As we know, everything is made up, so in this episode, we work to define what success has meant in the past, means now, and could mean on our terms. Join us and start drafting your evolving definition of success in your life, too.  Your life. Your terms.  

Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/aidandabetpodcast and share your engaged, kind feedback with us both! 

Also, as always, please subscribe, like, share, and tell all your friends about AID AND ABET if you think they'd love a good 'ol fizz up in their creative lives!  

"No bullshit, all love..."

Produced by Cassie Roma and Vanessa McGowan. Music "Big City Women" by Tattletale Saints.