I’ve always been drawn to beauty - the kind that stops me in my tracks - whether it’s in nature, art, or a fleeting moment of connection. But in this episode, I turn that lens inward and ask a more difficult question: why has it been so hard for me to see that same beauty in myself?

As I reflect on self-acceptance, compliments I’ve brushed aside, and a surprising moment of confidence at a recent gathering, I begin to understand that inner beauty isn’t something I find. It’s something I allow. It asks me to see all of who I am with a little more honesty and a lot more love. I’m learning, slowly, to soften toward myself, to let the good in, and to believe that the beauty I so easily recognize in others might just live in me too.

Now That You Ask is a podcast that looks at topics that range from death to desire, and from wondrous to downright whacky. Join host, Akasha Halsey as she takes listeners on a journey through her writing and experience with life’s most persistent questions.

Thank you for listening!

Listen to more episodes like this and subscribe to updates at https://nowthatyouaskpodcast.com

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to “get used to what I didn’t expect, ”especially now, when the unexpected seems to show up daily in the smallest and most persistent ways. In this episode, I reflect on everything from fading multitasking skills to ever-changing technology, and the strange new reality of talking to AI instead of a human being. Some of it works beautifully. Some of it leaves me completely undone.

What I’m beginning to understand is that this “art” isn’t about mastering change once and for all. It’s about meeting it again and again, with as much patience and humor as I can muster. Not always gracefully, and certainly not perfectly, but with a willingness to keep trying. If I can stay open, ask for help, and maybe even laugh along the way, then perhaps the unexpected isn’t something to fear… but something I’m still learning how to live with ... and occasionally, even enjoy.

Now That You Ask is a podcast that looks at topics that range from death to desire, and from wondrous to downright whacky. Join host, Akasha Halsey as she takes listeners on a journey through her writing and experience with life’s most persistent questions.

Thank you for listening!

Listen to more episodes like this and subscribe to updates at https://nowthatyouaskpodcast.com

I’ve come to realize that being an introvert doesn’t always look the way people expect. From the outside, I can seem fully engaged and chatting, laughing, showing up with energy, but what most people don’t see is the quiet retreat that follows. In this episode, I reflect on my need to step back, to be alone, and to recharge in order to return to the world as my best self.

As I explore the push and pull between my social side and my need for solitude, I begin to understand that honoring my own rhythms isn’t something to explain away. It’s something to respect. Friendship, connection, and presence all matter deeply to me, but so does space, silence, and the freedom to simply be. This is my way of finding balance, even if it doesn’t always look like it from the outside.

Now That You Ask is a podcast that looks at topics that range from death to desire, and from wondrous to downright whacky. Join host, Akasha Halsey as she takes listeners on a journey through her writing and experience with life’s most persistent questions.

Thank you for listening!

Listen to more episodes like this and subscribe to updates at https://nowthatyouaskpodcast.com