In this episode of Inquire Within, I'm joined by Natalie Patterson. Natalie can best be identified as a teaching artist and poet.

Over the last 18 years, Natalie has crafted time-tested approaches to fostering cultures of growth, curiosity, compassion, and integrity. She was the first female producer and host of the nation’s largest poetry venue, The Poetry Lounge, the president of Sister Support, a non-profit committed to women, and recently, she completed a year-long residency teaching poetry as a healing art to youth who are incarcerated.

In 2019, Natalie accepted a position with "Art with Impact" as a worship facilitator for movies for mental health and as a teaching artist at Spark, one of Los Angeles’ oldest and most respected art and activism organizations. Natalie is known for her integrity, passion, social activism, and her ability to work with people of all ages, genders, races, and cultures by showing up fully and inviting folks to remember that who they are is enough.

In this episode, we explore many of these topics and more. And as always, we will be sharing a journaling prompt at the end of the episode inspired by our conversation, to encourage you to Inquire Within.

What we discuss:

Natalie’s Poem

When is the last time you felt misaligned with an audience?

How do we balance our identities with our human stories?

Learning how to check in with yourself

Are there practices to check in with yourself?

Why is it important for us to have and maintain integrity in our lives?

Do you have any recent examples of when your integrity was tested?

What advice do you have for others keeping their integrity in a society that encourages losing it?

How does poetry help you take care of yourself?

Beautiful Body by Natalie Patterson

Poems at different stages of life

What advice do you have for fueling your passion?

How events in our lives add up

Learning to be honest with ourselves instead of hitting rock bottom

Instagram

@natalieispoetry

Website

natalieispoetry.com