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The Art of Connection

The Art of Connection

by Tatyana McKenzie

Visual Arts Entrepreneurship

Season 1

22. Redefining Success

In this episode, Yana explores the inherited scripts we follow, including the paths of career and home that many adopt before they are old enough to question them. She shares her personal journey of ticking every box only to find her life force energy leaking, and the unexpected liberation she discovered when her world cracked open and allowed her to begin again. It is a story of moving from doggy paddling through time to being truly submerged in the beauty of the present. This episode is an invitation to redefine success by how it feels within your own body and nervous system rather than how it looks from the outside. Drawing on the parable of the fisherman, Yana explores how we often strive for a future freedom that is already within reach and discusses using envy as a compass to point toward our truest desires. A tender reminder to trade what you want for what you truly need, prioritising time, presence, and the courage to design a life that feels nourishing to live inside.

21. The Art of Becoming with Kim Cousins

In this special cross-podcast episode, Yana is joined by parenting mentor and registered nurse Kim Cousins, host of the Baby It’s You podcast. Together they explore Yana’s unfolding journey as a woman, mother, and creator — from the early shaping of her identity to building Oak and Haven, a much-loved community store in Melbourne’s east. The conversation moves through creative expression as a pathway to self-discovery, the impact of diagnosis and self-acceptance, and the ways motherhood can both crack us open and invite us into deeper truth. Kim and Yana also speak candidly about mental health, pregnancy, self-care, relationships, and how our own upbringing inevitably shapes the way we mother. At the heart of the conversation is Yana’s newest project, Blood to Bone magazine — a printed publication honouring women’s lived stories, creativity, and wisdom across the seasons of maidenhood, motherhood, and matriarchy. This is an honest conversation about becoming, shedding old identities, telling the truth in partnership, and choosing empowerment even when it feels uncomfortable.

20. Blood to Bone Introduction

In this episode, Yana returns to the microphone to introduce a project that has been over a year in the making: Blood to Bone magazine. After a brief hiatus from recording, she shares the vision behind this new print publication designed to hold women's stories with reverence, clarity, and without judgment. Yana discusses the "drop-in" moment of inspiration that led to this venture and her commitment to creating a physical home for the raw, unfiltered voices of womanhood. From the metaphor of ceramics to the importance of preserving human expression, this episode is an invitation to join a growing community archive. You do not need to be a professional writer or have a large platform to contribute. If you have a lived experience of womanhood, your voice is welcome here. Submissions Close: March 23rd at 11:59 PM (or until the 100-page limit is reached). Submit at: bloodtobonemagazine.com.au. Follow the Journey: @bloodtobonemagazine on Instagram.

19. Celebrating the Last 12 Months and My Personal Success

In this episode, Yana reflects on two years of Oak & Haven and what success truly means beyond numbers and productivity. She shares the quiet wins that shaped the past year; sustained energy, mental wellbeing, present motherhood and creative expansion, and invites you to pause and honour your own journey. A reminder that success can be spacious, nourishing and deeply human.

18. Exploring Connections in the Creative Cupboard with Yaz Del Mar Part 2

In Part 2 of a conversation recorded in 2023, we return to where we left off with Yaz Del Mar of Tiny Cupboard Creatives. This episode explores creativity as a lifeline through change. We reflect on art as a place of safety, self-trust, and resilience, and on the natural cycles of destruction, maintenance, and creation that shape our lives. Yaz shares openly about navigating separation, cancer survivorship, single motherhood, neurodivergence, and building a creative life that remains aligned and regenerative. This is a conversation about choosing yourself, staying in motion, and letting art carry you home, again and again. ✨ Find out more about Yaz and her work here: @tiny_cupboard_creatives / tinycupboardcreatives.com.au

17. Bringing Ease & Joy to Christmas

In this episode, Yana invites you into a gentler and more grounded approach to the holiday season. From her cosy “car office,” she reflects on the unseen labour women often carry at Christmas and offers tender, practical ways to return to presence, equity and joy. She explores how to ease the mental load, ask for support, honour your limits and reshape traditions so they feel aligned with your values. Through stories from her early years of motherhood to the more balanced home life she has created today, Yana shares six guiding principles for a softer and more spacious December. This episode is an invitation to reclaim Christmas on your own terms, with clarity, nourishment, community and a greater sense of being rather than doing.

16. Creating from the Void

In this gentle solo episode, Yana reflects on the void; the quiet space before something exists, where ideas rest in the dark soil of possibility. She shares how Oak and Haven grew from a personal longing for connection during early motherhood, a time marked by isolation, anxiety, and a deep need for community and softness. This episode is an invitation to notice what is missing in your life and to trust the first spark of an idea before there is proof. Yana explores how creation begins in places of unmet need, how tending to a vision transforms the creator as much as the creation, and how what we make for ourselves can ripple outward to nourish others. A tender reminder to listen closely to what is calling you, to hold emerging ideas lightly, and to let them unfold in their own time.

15. The Grit and the Glow: The 3 Hardest and 3 Best Parts of Business

In this solo episode, Yana offers an honest look at the realities of running a heart-led business. She speaks to the parts we celebrate and the parts we often keep to ourselves. Yana explores three of the hardest aspects of business: juggling multiple roles, dealing with uncertainty, and experiencing the loneliness that can come with leading something of your own. She then turns to the three things that make it all worthwhile: creative freedom, meaningful connection with community, and the personal growth that naturally unfolds along the way. This episode is a warm reminder that business is a mix of grit and glow, and that no one is walking this path alone.

14. Ask Me Anything & A Life Update

In this solo episode, Yana reflects on the fullness and chaos of life, learning to “let it be hard” instead of resisting it. She answers listener questions about imposter syndrome, self-forgiveness, and knowing when it’s time to start anew; sharing her own journey of leaving teaching, rebuilding life, and returning to what feels true. A gentle reminder that growth often lives in the messy middle, and that softness can exist alongside strength.

13. Learning to Fly with Sophie Spencer

In this episode of The Art of Connection, Yana sits down with women’s embodiment photographer Sophie Spencer for a conversation that began before the podcast itself had even taken shape; a story of creative trust and saying yes before knowing how it will unfold. Sophie shares her journey from photographing pizzas to capturing the essence of women through intimate portraiture; a transformation born from her own path of self-discovery and courage. Together, Yana and Sophie explore what it means to be seen, to come home to the body, and to honour womanhood as art. They talk about the birth of Sophie’s Wholesome Women’s Weekends, the power of female connection, and the symbolism of black cockatoos; a shared reminder of freedom and transformation. From laughter to tears mid-flight, Sophie’s story is a reminder that creativity and courage take flight when we trust our timing and believe in our wings. ✨ Find out more about Sophie and her work here: @brandingbysophie_ / sophiespencer.com.au

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