Act with Alina

08/09/2021

Welcome to season TWO! We’re kicking it off with an awesome new episode. 😎

As I’ve learned more about the importance of pronouns, I’ve started including them in more areas of my life - Zoom, email signatures, LinkedIn, Instagram and more. I’ve received a fair amount of questions about WHY I include my pronouns so why not do a whole episode about them? I invited my friend Ari Farrell onto the podcast to discuss their journey, why pronouns are important, and how important it is to stay curious and open to ways of life that may be different from your own. I hope you enjoy this marvelous episode!

06/02/2021

Wishing you all a HAPPY PRIDE MONTH today! My friend, expert question-asker and former podcast guest, Andrea Parrish, asked the question, “What does Pride mean to you?” on her Instagram stories today and it really got me thinking.

To me, pride means embracing your authentic and true self. To honor your experiences both past and present because NO ONE and I mean NO ONE can bring the brilliant, beautiful and badass individuality into this world that you can. You are all so loved and so perfectly YOU.

Today, and all month long, I honor the amazing and authentic contributions of our LGBTQIA+ communities around the world. 🌎

So now I’ll repeat the question in hopes you’ll share too - what does Pride mean to you? 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

05/17/2021

How does adoption work?
What makes a successful foster care experience?
How do you raise a child that is a different race than you?
How do you navigate relationships with bio parents?

We talk about all of this and more in today’s episode with Jon & Krista Maroni! I am entirely obsessed with this family and am THRILLED to have them as guests on the podcast.

Also, can we talk about how flipping cute their daughter Mila Rose is? She’s simply the best!

I can’t wait for you to listen to this episode. Make sure to share & review while you’re there! (Available on Apple, Google, Spotify & more).

05/16/2021

I struggle with anxiety & depression.

These two lovebirds often go hand-in-hand for me. Walking me through the ebbs & flows of life.

With consistent counseling, trial & error (and then finally success) with medication, constant introspection and surrounding myself with an unyielding support system, I now feel like they don’t rule my life anymore.

Please don’t get me wrong though, I still experience depressive flare-ups and anxiety; they will most likely walk with me throughout my entire life. But I now know that they don’t get to be in the drivers seat; they don’t get to make decisions for me.

So here’s my goal after struggling with my own mental health over the years…

I want to normalize having these conversations. Yeah I like a good surface conversation about clothes, animals or what you’re doing this weekend, but I LOVE conversations about what truly motivates you in life, what you’re passionate about, what you struggle with, and how you cope with your constantly evolving story.

So as you move through whatever struggles you might be going through, please read, re-read, and re-read once more the following statements:

We are all in this together.
Leaning on loved ones doesn’t mean you aren’t strong, independent and a badass.
Growth comes from learning from our experiences and from others, lean into this feeling & allow yourself to understand it.
Please know you’re not alone in your emotions, in your thoughts, in your feelings.
You WILL be okay.
You are loved exactly as you are.
I’ll say this again because I strongly believe it’s worth repeating; we are all in this together.

05/09/2021

Today we celebrate...

Adopted moms
Biological moms
Step moms
Aunties
Sisters
Friends
Pet moms
Soon-to-be moms
And many, many more who hope to one day witness being a mother, too.💛

Thank you for your support, wisdom, sacrifice, and deep, deep love. You are examples of true beauty and power.

Happy Mothers Day!

05/02/2021

26 was one helluva year, and I’m excited to know the best is yet to come. 💛 Thank you all for following this passion project of mine and listening every other week to our meaningful conversations. I am beyond grateful. 😍😭😍😭😍

04/24/2021

Have you been following along the Earth Week challenge? Today is everything but the kitchen sink day aka make anything that’s imaginable! Utilize your existing ingredients to make a yummy stir fry, soup, scramble or sandwich! The world is your oyster…

Design by

04/23/2021

A Day of Silence.

The GLSEN Day of Silence is a national student-led demonstration where LGBTQIA students & allies all around the country take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQIA people in schools. Every April, students go through the school day without speaking, ending the day with Breaking the Silence rallies and events to share their experiences during the protest and bring attention to ways their schools and communities can become more inclusive. This information and more can be found directly at www.glsen.org/day-of-silence

Today we lift up and celebrate these brave actions and voices.

04/22/2021

Swipe for 5 helpful tips to live a sustainable life DAILY! Save and share your favorite ones!

04/22/2021

HAPPY EARTH DAY ACTIVISTS! Check out today’s shorter BONUS episode with former guest and environmental activist, Jen Power, for ways you can celebrate today and make it the start of something new.

Have you wanted to do more for the earth but weren’t sure where to start? All of us have something in mind we could start with, even if it’s small! Reusable bags, bar soaps, slow fashion/thrifting, meatless Mondays and more. In this episode we urge you to start with one thing and commit for an entire week to start your journey towards lasting change. Let’s celebrate this incredible planet we all call home!

Don’t forget, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfecting, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” Anne Marie Bonneau

Listen & subscribe wherever you normally get your podcasts or directly on my website www.actwithalina.com

04/21/2021

Who’s ready for EARTH DAY tomorrow!? Not only is there a BONUS episode coming out with Jen Power but she also inspired me to create a week-long earth day challenge! Each day we’ll be focusing on a small, sustainable action revolving around FOOD/DRINKS - something we can all relate to.

Screenshot and bookmark/save this image and share to your stories if you’d like to participate with us! I’ll be posting on my stories every day with check-ins.

Happy Earth Day Eve!

04/19/2021

In light of the recent mass shootings in Atlanta, former guest Melody and I thought it was important to have a meaningful follow-up conversation to our episode on an Asian American Experience through COVID-19.

Melody vulnerably shares how the recent spa shootings of Asian women affect her, why it's important to discuss the oversexualization of Asian women and how we can support our Asian friends, family and communities right now. I hope you come away from this episode feeling more compassion and care, I know I sure did.

Listen, subscribe & review wherever you normally get your podcasts or directly at www.actwithalina.com!

04/10/2021

Recorded an episode with my cutest podcast guest yet😍😍😍😍

Thanks for having us Speak Spokane!

04/05/2021

I think we can all agree that our appreciation for teachers increased 10-fold last year as we witnessed the drastic change from entirely in-person learning to entirely at-home learning. Adapting to new teaching styles and figuring out how to engage both virtual and in-person students became the norm for many teachers including Cheney High School teacher, Kiki Ortega.

Tune in to this weeks episode where we peek into a teacher’s experience through COVID-19 and learn how we can better support our teachers, schools and students.

Listen to this episode and more wherever you normally get your podcasts (Apple, Google Play, Spotify & more!). Don’t forget to subscribe and review while you’re there.

03/24/2021

New review got me like 😍😍😍 thank you thank you thank you for listening and learning with me.

Have you listened to the newest episode that went live YESTERDAY? If not, check it out wherever you find your podcasts - it’s awesome!

03/22/2021

The newest episode is NOW LIVE with the amazing Kate Burke. She talks about the radical changes she experienced with her health & wellbeing over the past few years and how she is navigating through becoming sober & discovering endometriosis. You don’t want to miss this one! I loved having a conversation with Kate and am honored she came onto the podcast to share her story.

And as always, don’t forget to subscribe & review the Act with Alina Podcast - each guest and I put a lot of heart & soul into each episode. 💛

Happy listening!

03/21/2021

New episode airing TOMORROW with Kate Burke all about her unique journey towards health & wellness, including becoming sober and discovering endometriosis. You don’t want to miss this episode - make sure you’ve subscribed wherever you normally get your podcasts so you get a notification when it goes LIVE!

We’ll see you tomorrow, dear ones. 🧡

Design by Mack Lloyd Photography

03/14/2021

This week I got my first COVID vaccine and this is about how I feel about it! Cheers to hope, health & happiness!

📸: Mack Lloyd Photography

03/08/2021

Love can be tricky, can’t it?

In this week’s episode, I talk with my friend Amber about her experience getting divorced at 24, helpful tips for how to support someone going through a difficult time like this, navigating the dating scene afterwards, and how she knew she’d found a great match in her now husband, Josh! I hope you enjoy listening and don’t forget to give her a follow at Liberated Ladies!

03/06/2021

A very happy Saturday to you all! The next episode comes out first thing on Monday - not sure what to expect? Hear from one of my regular listeners to find out. 😍 ⬇️⬇️⬇️

03/03/2021

This was a very interesting video Aren Murcar sent me about the vaccine process. What are your thoughts? Are you planning to get the vaccine?

Why some Covid-19 vaccines were developed faster than any vaccine ever.Subscribe and turn on notifications (🔔 ) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/...

03/02/2021

What’s one thing you can realistically do to reduce your waste? Here are a few idea starters, drop yours below if you have a good one too!

- Towels instead of paper towel
- Bidet instead of so much TP
- Shampoo & conditioner bars
- Bar soap or Blue Land products instead of single use soap bottles
- BYOWB aka bring your own water bottle (wherever you go!)
- Reusable bags instead of plastic (and buying new ones every time you shop doesn’t count! lol)
- Buy reusable cloth napkins and pack them with utensils for your lunch!

There are LOADS more but those are a few I’m taking into action. What are some of your low-waste replacements?

03/01/2021

I came across this awesome article that our local Habitat for Humanity recently shared regarding affordable housing. The author asks the question, “what kind of community do we want to be?” and lists 10 ways to talk about affordable housing in the context of building community, including reframing “affordable housing” to “mixed-income housing”. I highly recommend this read!

How we can help elected officials promote genuine community by ensuring inclusive, mixed-income housing.

02/28/2021

Thank you Mack Lloyd Photography for sharing the love and making this adorable post for my podcast!

For those who haven’t listened, there are 11 episodes ready for your listening with guests covering topics from gentrification to polyamory. Let’s learn new things together! Listen & subscribe today. 😍

02/26/2021

This Black History Month I wanted to highlight the incredible books I’ve read by black authors!

Today’s book highlight - Born a Crime by Trevor Noah!

A humbling reminder that I grew up in an incredibly privileged world. Trevor talks in deep detail about the raw experiences he had growing up in South Africa as mixed-race individual. He describes the scary, crazy, intense, beautiful, joyful, vulnerable experiences and feelings he had growing up during Apartheid. I listened to this book because Trevor Noah’s voice is so awesome. I HIGHLY recommend this read!

02/24/2021

A helpful list of resources created by this week’s guest, Alethea, on how we as allies can ACT for our black friends, family and communities!

Design by Mack Lloyd Photography

02/22/2021

Tune in to this week’s episode with Alethea Sharea Dumas all about how cultivating a growth mindset helps us understand and advocate for others, the importance of EQUITY to ensure everyone receives equal opportunities and how to be a better ally to our BIPOC communities! Part of activism is listening, learning and growing!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the new episode on Spotify, Apple or Google podcasts! You can also listen directly on my website www.actwithalina.com

02/21/2021

Attended The BodCon today and it was full of new opportunities to learn from diverse individuals that helped me remember that we are all so much more than our bodies AND our bodies are god damn BEAUTIFUL.

Drop a compliment about YOURSELF in the comments below!

Design by Mack Lloyd Photography

02/20/2021

Thank you so much for those of you who recently took the time to leave reviews on the Apple Podcasts app! The more we share these important topics lifting other’s voices up, the more we all learn and grow TOGETHER!

Design by

02/18/2021

So what exactly is the Act with Alina Podcast all about?

Sparked by the injustices I’ve learned about and seen, especially in 2020, I felt deeply called to create a safe space for people to learn and grow through other’s experiences.

Each episode covers a different topic within the overarching theme of activism. I’ve had meaningful conversations with local city planners, non-profit workers, self-employed individuals and more on topics ranging from gentrification to polyamory.

You’ll learn some, you’ll laugh some, and you’ll probably disagree with some. But that’s why we’re here, to discover how we can be better allies for each other even within our own differences. We can’t do better until we know better!

Head over to wherever you listen to your podcasts (Spotify, Apple, Google), have a listen and don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there! Cheers🍷

📸 & design by Mack Lloyd Photography

02/15/2021

This Black History Month I wanted to highlight the incredible books I’ve read by black authors!

This week’s highlight is ‘Hood Feminism’ by Mikki Kendall.

As a feminist, this book WOKE ME UP. Modern-day feminism revolves around white women and their rights and Mikki reminds us that we cannot be feminists without also fighting just as hard for our black and brown sisters! She breaks it down topic-by-topic, on how feminism needs a shift in mindset. How can we demand equality when our black and brown sisters face injustices like starvation, brutality, lack of access to education, and more? If you want to be a better feminist (yes, you too men!), READ THIS BOOK!

02/13/2021

BTS at Speak Spokane with Juan & Jonathan recording the most recent episode- Being Q***r, representation & intersectionality! Have you listened yet? Listen & subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast App, Google Podcast App or directly at www.actwithalina.com

📸: Mack Lloyd Photography

02/10/2021

In honor of Black History Month I’ll be highlighting books that I’ve simply LOVED reading written by incredible black authors every single week!

Today’s book highlight - Becoming by Michelle Obama!

Okay, yes I love the Obamas so this was an immediate sell for me. But beyond that, Michelle talks about her life growing up in Chicago, her career, community service, her and Barack’s love story, her challenges balancing work and being a mother to Malia and Sasha while Barack was working on his campaigns and eventually, as President in the White House. It’s a deeply personal memoir that made me feel closer to Michelle. I didn’t know this was possible but I genuinely adore her even more. I listened to this one because Michelle’s voice is simply delightful and is so easy to listen to. YOUR TURN!

02/08/2021

This is a very special episode not only because the guests are incredible but also because we recorded live at Speak Spokane!

In this week’s conversation I chat with the lovely Juan & Jonathan (aka Juanathan) all about growing up in the q***r community, coming out to yourself, representation, the intersectionality of being latino & gay and how to talk to younger generations as we raise them.

When I listened back to this episode there were so many times where I was nodding my head in agreement and felt so moved by what Juan & Jonathan had to say. Pop on over to wherever you normally listen to your podcasts (Spotify, Google, Apple) and have a listen! Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there. 😉

Image & design by Mack Lloyd Photography!

***rcommunity

02/07/2021

New episode coming tomorrow with Juan & Jonathan on being q***r, representation & intersectionality! You don’t want to miss it. 😍 Make sure you’ve subscribed on your podcast app (Spotify, Apple, Google) or listen tomorrow directly at www.actwithalina.com! You could even write a review while you’re there if ya want. 😜

Episode recorded at Speak Spokane!

Design & photo by Mack Lloyd Photography.

02/07/2021

The new episode coming out on Monday is extra special because it was recorded at Speak Spokane! Between their recording equipment and Mack Lloyd Photography’s mad photography skills, my guests and I felt spoiled. 😍 I can’t wait to share it with everyone - make sure you subscribe to Act with Alina wherever you normally listen to your podcasts to catch this week’s episode!

02/06/2021

Y’all have loved this week’s episode with Jen Power and I am right there with you - I never knew talking about waste management could be so interesting to learn about! Jen frames things in a new way that have actually rocked my world when it comes to how I view waste in general. If you haven’t listened yet, I guarantee you’ll find new ways to be a more intentional consumer. And don’t fret, we’ll have Jen on the podcast again soon! 😍

You can find this episode wherever you listen to your podcasts at - Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts & more!

Design by: Mack Lloyd Photography

02/04/2021

When I started this podcast in October my goal was to create a brave space for meaningful conversations with different guests every week. The feedback I’ve received has been SO moving and by lifting other’s voices, experiences and passions up, I feel we’ve all learned and grown. Help me continue sharing this work by sharing with your friends and family!

I have a few personal goals for this Instagram account that I’d love your help with! Pop over to my stories to see how you can easily share this account with others. 💛

02/03/2021

This Black History Month I’ll be highlighting books every week that I’ve simply LOVED reading written by incredible black authors.

Today’s book highlight - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett!

Wow – what a riveting read! I couldn’t put this book down, I just had to find out what happens next. This book tells the story of twin sisters growing up in a small, southern black community in the 1950’s. After running away from their home, one sister breaks apart from the other and the two live very different lives. One grows up and identifies as a black woman, the other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Many years later their daughters' stories intersect and well…I don’t want to give too much away 😉

This was a riveting book that looks at the issues of race throughout history and how a person’s past can shape a person’s decisions, desires and expectations. You can find this at any of our local bookstores like Auntie's Bookstore or Wishing Tree Books!

02/01/2021

Okay this was one of my favorite podcasts to record because this topic fuels my soul! I talk with Environmental Activist, Jen Power, about waste management, why recycling isn’t enough, how our garbage produces harmful emissions, and how corporations poor business decisions leave the consumers in charge of literally cleaning up after them.

Not only that, but Jen also provides actionable ways you can help prevent climate change and be a more intentional consumer!

Check out this kickass episode on your Apple/Google Podcast app, Spotify or directly at www.actwithalina.com! I hope you love it.