This conversation explores the journey of self-awareness, authenticity, and personal growth, emphasiSing open dialogue, reflection, and integration. It touches on frameworks like Crucial Conversations, astrology, and Spiral Dynamics to understand oneself and others, including how consciousness develops through different levels and the shadows present at each stage. A central theme is the interplay of masculinity and femininity, and how rigid, binary thinking around gender roles—particularly within societal and spiritual contexts—can create suffering, limit expression, and trigger deep frustration. The discussion also examines the tension between deep thinking and action, the pitfalls of performative spirituality, and the liberation that comes from embracing vulnerability, being seen, and prioritising authenticity over validation. Ultimately, it underscores that growth is a daily practice of small, courageous steps toward alignment, connection, and integrated understanding of both self and others.

ABOUT ASHLEIGH BOEHM

Ashleigh Boehm is currently re‑imagining how she works with women, bringing fresh approaches to her holistic transformation, NLP coaching, and eating‑psychology expertise. Follow her on Instagram to stay updated as she rolls out the next evolution of her programs. She has a background in nutrition and over 12 years in fitness and mindset work, Ashleigh has guided women through breaking free from perfectionism, external validation, and dieting. Her prior signature work explores masculinity, femininity, self‑trust, and shadow integration, helping women reclaim their voice, embody authenticity, and express their true worth both internally and externally. Using tools from Crucial Conversations, Spiral Dynamics, and astrology, she equips her clients for the daily practice of courageous, aligned action. 

CONNECT with ASHLEIGH

https://www.instagram.com/iamashleighboehm/

LINKS MENTIONED

Zach Bush Authenticity Reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ1rgIVRqBy/?hl=en
SPRIAL DYNAMICS: https://www.youtube.com/@ActualizedOrg/search?query=spiral%20dynamics

EP 39 - Authenticity, Shadows & Astrology:  Self & Other Exploration with Ashleigh Boehm

"Outcasts In the Shadows" is an alternative pop-rock song for anyone who’s ever felt unseen, unheard, or unloved for being who they truly are.
It begins in quiet reflection and builds into a powerful, defiant roar — a journey from pain and isolation to self-acceptance and strength.
This song tells a story of being cast aside yet choosing to rise anyway, and its message is: Never compromise on who you are...always live your truth! 

💬 “You can bury us deep, but our hearts will rise.”

This song is for the misunderstood, the misfits, and the ones who refused to disappear.

 


Outcasts In the Shadows

"Why Don’t You Go Touch Yourself?" is an indie-rock slap to the face of performative morality — a tongue-in-cheek anthem for anyone tired of being judged by people who don’t know how to look in their own mirror. Mixing punk sarcasm, dreamy introspection, and drum-and-bass chaos, the track spins between playful rebellion and quiet truth.

It’s a whispered confession wrapped in a scream: a song about hypocrisy, projection, and self-love — the uncomfortable kind that starts when you stop policing everyone else. Underneath its teasing hook and frantic pulse, there’s a reminder that healing starts inward.

It’s messy, honest, and a little holy in its blasphemy.
For the sinners who meditate, the saints who rage, and everyone caught somewhere between.

Why Don’t You Go Touch Yourself?

This song conveys a futuristic and socially conscious anthem that blends sharp lyrical critique with an epic, cinematic soundscape. The structure moves from an atmospheric introduction to explosive choruses and a dramatic bridge, mirroring the tension between illusion and awakening. It feels like a call for authenticity in a world drowning in vanity and falsehood. Profound studies are transmitted through the modes of thought of Socrates and Plato, enriched by the intersecting reflections of Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein, and Carl Sagan...

Waking

In this episode of “We Published Beloved!”, Deesha Dyer shares her remarkable journey from community organizing to working in the White House, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in storytelling from her book "Undiplomatic." She discusses the challenges of navigating the publishing industry as a Black woman, the significance of community support, and the impact of politics on personal narratives. Deesha encourages aspiring writers to embrace their unique stories, seek guidance, and give themselves grace as they navigate their own paths in writing and identity.

S1E8 - Deesha Dyer | We Published, Beloved! Podcast

Drop the mask and let's go slow. 🎭

This acoustic country track, "The Parts We Play," dives into the anxiety and exhaustion of trying to present an idealised, flawless self when first meeting a potential love. We all have that checklist, those measured laughs, and the carefully chosen lines... but what happens when the weight of that perfect act becomes too much?

Built on acoustic guitars and sincere vocals, this song is an honest plea for authenticity in modern romance. It reminds us that true connection isn't found in the "highlight reel" or the versions we've rehearsed, but in the "quiet flaws that make the whole picture clearer." The message is simple: You can't skip chapters to the end.

If you're tired of running on empty and ready to trade the applause for the things you've never said, this one's for you. Let's skip the perfect script and meet each other from the start—the heart and the dark.

LYRICS
[Verse 1 - The Setup/Strategy]
We begin the conversation, checklist in hand,
Scanning for clues to help shape our plan.
Every laugh is measured, our hypnotic play,
The smiles and attention may need more work one day.

[Chorus - The Takeaway/Warning]
We keep reading from the perfect script,
Acting out the parts we've chosen to play.
But the weight of this flawless act
Is guaranteed to break one day.
You can't skip chapters to the end,
True love is found in the unpolished friend.
So drop the mask, and let's go slow,
I need the most real version of the person I might know.

[Verse 2 - The Strain/Actor's Fatigue]
We’re running on empty, performing the scene,
Repeating the lines of who we think we've been.
It takes all my focus to stop my lips from slipping,
But the weight of this perfect role starts to be crippling.

[Chorus - The Takeaway/Warning]
We keep reading from the perfect script,
Acting out the parts we've chosen to play.
But the weight of this flawless act
Is guaranteed to break one day.
You can't skip chapters to the end,
True love is found in the unpolished friend.
So drop the mask, and let's go slow,
I need the most real version of the person I might know.

[Bridge - The Plea for Reality]
I don't need your highlight reel, the version you rehearsed,
I need the tangled mind, the moment you feel worst.
Because the love we’re chasing isn't found in a perfect mirror,
It's in the quiet flaws that make the whole picture clearer.
So show me the mistakes, the secrets kept beneath the bed,
Let's trade the applause for the things we've never said.

[Outro - The Resolution]
Yeah, let's start over, let's go back and try again...
It's better if we meet each other,
Meet each other from the start,
Not the characters we portray...
Just the real us, the heart and the dark...
Meet each other from the start...

The Parts We Play

This song is about an artist who rebels against external control, rejects hollow fame, and rediscovers her  authentic passion guided by someone who really supports her. Love is always around the corner.

Call Me

“Wu Wei, Not Woo Woo” is a spoken reflection on the subtle art of non-doing — the quiet shift from forcing life to trusting the deeper current that moves through us. This piece explores the difference between automatic reaction and genuine response, the dissolution of identity, and the surprising ease that arises when we allow life to act through us rather than trying to control it. A meditation on receptivity, trust, and the naturalness of effortless action.

🎧 Best listened to with headphones.
🌿 Part of an ongoing exploration of presence, availability, and the living field.

'Wu Wei' not 'Woo Woo'

BOYJACKED explores the pressures we inherit, the games we’re taught to play, and the power to step outside the script.
------
LYRICS:
------
We were wild with no agenda
bare feet on the cul-de-sac
didn’t ask our bodies questions
never judged what we lacked

No posture too perfect
No angles to defend—
just summers stretching open
with no message to send

But something in the bloodstream
started singing like a fuse
a slow electric warning
of a want I didn’t choose
didn’t chase the feeling
didn’t plan the shift—
but someone walked by
and the whole room tipped…

I got boyjacked
but I’m intact
I know the game 
and how things get stacked

Nature pulls the strings
while the world reacts—
yeah, I got boyjacked
but I’m intact

Then came the lashes
the lace, the sparkle traps—
stories telling niñas
how to edit all their maps

Bought a dress made for a princess
trained my walk for some parade
dreamed of weddings like the movies
and the roles we’re told to play

They don’t tell the younger hearts
that those fantasies mislead—
that no boy can match a script
written for a plastic dream
so we bend ourselves in shapes
that were never built to last
trying hard to win attention
from the gaze as it goes past

It’s not me, it’s not him—
it’s the culture we were cast
a billion-dollar engine
selling futures made of glass

I got boyjacked
but I’m intact

I know the game 
and how things get stacked
heart off track
mind fights back—
yeah, I got boyjacked
but I’m intact

Boys are caught inside it too
taught to chase what they’re shown
taught desire is a mission
and affection is a throne

They think they’re steering instinct
but they're passengers as well —
same machine that built our pressures
tightens armor on the fell

We’re all running in the maze
no one warned us we were in —
learning craving is a current
not a measure of a win

I’m not trashing the boys
they were raised in the spin
same script
same myth
same chase to win

We were taught 
the attraction was a compass to trust
but the world wrote the map 
with a bias and a crust
so I step out the frame
let the truth come through—
it’s a system, not a person
that told me what to do

Rewrite the want, reclaim the track—
yeah, I feel the pull, but I pull back

Let the want wash over
Let the instinct have its say
but know the cost
and know your worth
and choose your path anyway

Love’s a force of nature —
Culture twists it for the play

but when you see the wires
you don’t move the same way...

I got boyjacked
but I’m intact
I know the game 
and how things get stacked

Feel the pull
but push back—
see the script
redraw that—
know your name
know your track

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

Boyjacked, but intact
Boyjacked, but intact

Boyjacked

We know the game
We know the act
And we walk it —

with our power back.

----------------




BOYJACKED

When the "mask comes off in the night time", the raw truth is revealed. This is the Inner Truth admitting its apathetic honesty ("to tell you the truth, I don't care" ) and confronting the Ego for caring only about image "up on the screen".

What You Say?

Switching from journaling to poetry and now lyrics for songs. A natural evolution for my experiences and reflections. Turning experiences, emotions, events and reflections into lyrics is a therapeutic process for me. My career path has given me a keen interest in human and social psychology, both in myself and others, which is reflected in some of my themes.

Raw and real conversations on courage, consciousness and leadership.

The publishing world is overwhelmingly white and the stories that we read reflect that reality. Because of this long-time trend, many new and upcoming Black and queer authors often feel shut out and excluded from the publishing process.

This podcast demystifies the publishing process with a focus on first-time Black and queer authors.

MICCORE is an experimental artist and songwriter blending alternative rock, pop, and indie sounds through digital creation (using Suno and Audacity for the most part). Each song is an emotional journey inspired by my inner world — pushing the edge of what modern music can be.
I'm a published poet, who's been writing for the past 45 years (started as a young child).  Producing the songs I write using both AI and manual sound editing has finally allowed me to share my creativity, emotions, life experiences and memories in sound-form with the world.
https://miccore.bandcamp.com/follow_me

E N G L I S H :
Merely an existence in a (vast) universe woven by vibrating strings. I have always created the lyrics, but never shared them in song format — well, now, I decided to share them.
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P O R T U G U Ê S　B R A S I L E I R O :
Meramente uma existência em um (vasto) universo tecido por cordas vibrantes. Sempre criei as letras, mas nunca compartilhei em formato de canção — bom, agora, decidi compartilhá-las.
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日本語:
ただ、振動する弦に満ちた（広大な）宇宙の中の一存在。いつも歌詞は作ってきましたが、曲としては一度も共有したことがありませんでした。――でも、今はそれを共有することに決めました。はい、私は完全に歌詞を作ります。— 私は勉強しています。あ~~ (^ - ^) 学んでいます. ww
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E S P A Ñ O L :
Meramente una existencia en un (vasto) universo tejido por cuerdas vibrantes. Siempre he creado las letras, pero nunca las he compartido en formato de canción — bueno, ahora he decidido compartirlas.

Anbid Zaman is a queer activist and artist whose work rises from a life marked by displacement, resistance, and the insistence on living fully even when the world tries to deny that possibility. Born in Bangladesh and shaped by grassroots queer organizing from a young age, they grew into their voice through community struggle — learning early that courage isn’t an act, but a daily discipline.

Their journey from danger to refuge transformed them without erasing their origins. Living in Germany, Anbid continues to work at the intersections of identity, migration, and liberation, supporting queer people who face violence and navigating the complexities of chosen family, safety, and belonging. Their activism is guided by deep commitments: justice without compromise, solidarity across borders, and an unshakeable belief that marginalised voices should be heard not with pity, but with respect.

These values spill directly into their music. Anbid’s sound blends testimonial storytelling, emotional minimalism, and atmospheric layers shaped by memory — the quiet of hiding, the noise of protest, the ache of leaving, the thrill of surviving. Each track carries the weight of lived experience and the brightness of hope that refuses to die. Their art is not just expression; it is continuation, resistance, and a reminder that stories carry power long before the world acknowledges them.

I'm just trying to give my perspective of the world through my music, i hope you enjoy.

SINCERE IMPOSTER is an intimate collection of artists exploring a curious mixture of New Wave, Dance, EDM, Folk Rock, Metal, Art Pop, Electro, Dreamwave, and Experimental World Pop. Collectively, this is known as QUIRKPOP — music that pushes the creative limits of traditional pop.

Expect an unpredictable journey through sound, emotion, and humor, where genres collide and pop bends in strange new ways. Each song is conceived, composed, and performed with total sincerity, whether it’s built from voices, instruments, software, or hybrid experimentation. The focus is on the music itself: if it resonates, it resonates. No explanation required.

SINCERE IMPOSTER is curated by two musicians, both living within the same body, sharing a singular existence. They identify as Danielle & Dave. They are both psychologically and musically confused, yet extremely and unapologetically sincere.

Influences range from Weird Al and Nathan Fielder to David Lynch, Rosalia, Monatik, Atarashii Gakko!, Rammstein, T-Pain, and T-Swift. 

Danielle & Dave’s favorite inventions include the vacuum and the peach pitter. Their father is simply known as Vessel… who may be an entity or a god.


New tracks tagged #authenticity