I'm sad to say this is the final episode of Conjuring Up Courage. After three years of podcasting, I'm hanging up my headphones (at least for now). In this episode, I talk about that decision, share how my three-month hiatus went, and explain how to keep up with me and my work moving forward. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/134. Thank you for listening all this time. This show wouldn't have been possible without every person who tuned in week after week. Queerly yours, Shohreh ..read more

I've made the difficult decision to put both the podcast and my business as a whole on hiatus for at least the next three months. In this solo episode, I explain why I'm taking a break and what you can expect from me going forward. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/133.  In case this ends up being the final episode of Conjuring Up Courage, I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been a fan of the show. It's been an honor to grace your headphones, car stereos, office speaker ..read more

Jad Jaber is the founder of Marginalized Majority, a non-profit focused on Global South queerness, mental health, and community support. In this episode, Jad and I discussed their experiences as a queer Arab person forced to immigrate from their homeland, intergenerational trauma and healing, the impact of white supremacy in the queer community, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/132. CW: Mentions of specific instances of homophobia, violence against queer folks, and racism ..read more

If you've been waiting for the tea on my romantic life, I am finally serving it up piping hot. In this episode, I've joined forces with my girlfriend, Jessie, to answer listener questions about our relationship and give some advice. Tune in to learn more about our love story, how we communicate, how to know when you've found "the one," and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/131.  ..read more

Your friendly neighborhood Girl Gang has returned to the pod to discuss our experiences with getting older. The three of us chatted about wrinkles, gray hair, alcohol,  memory loss, having less fucks to give, and more in our usual chaotic fashion. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/130 ..read more

Reverend Maureen Cotton, the coach and officiant behind The Soulful Wedding, is on a mission to revive the understanding that a wedding is a powerful and transformative rite of passage. In this episode, Maureen and I discussed intention as a magic ingredient for wedding planning, how to balance the needs of the couple getting married with the needs of the guests attending the wedding, where to draw inspiration from for non-religious ceremonies, the unique joy of queer weddings, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/129 ..read more

It turns out that when you get divorced and come out as gay in your early thirties, people tend to be pretty curious about it. So in this solo episode, I'm answering the question that's been on everyone's minds: "But how did you not know you were gay?" You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/128 ..read more

I have been internet and IRL friends with therapist and social worker Amanda Pouncy-Ross for years, and something I love about our friendship is the variety of topics we weave together in our conversations. This episode is no different as we discuss abolition on an individual and societal level, the role of creativity in collective liberation, the concept of and need for chosen family, and plenty more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/127.  ..read more

 After space, time, and a whole lot of healing, I’m revisiting my divorce and some of the most important lessons I learned from it in this solo episode. If I had to go through hell, y’all might as well glean some of the wisdom I gained in the experience. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/126. The show notes also include a free, downloadable Divorce Survival Guide with tools and exercises for folks going through divorces and break-ups ..read more

Queer Dating Coach, Ariella Serur, is on a mission to disrupt traditional dating advice and transform the dating pool into one folks enthusiastically want to jump into. In this episode, we discussed some of the unique challenges queer people face when dating, how to shift your mindset around expectations and success while dating, what makes for a great profile on dating apps, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/125 ..read more