Ep 158 Mansi Makes on Motherhood and Gratitude
The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
Release Date: 01/11/2024
The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
What if your creativity wasn’t just a talent—but a calling? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with artist Casey Alvarez, a Missouri-based painter, entrepreneur, and former Christian counselor who has built a thriving creative business rooted in faith, color, and purpose. From painting large European-style armoires on her farm in the Ozarks to shipping her work to 46 states, Casey shares how she transformed her love of creativity into a meaningful and sustainable career. But this conversation goes deeper than art. Casey opens up about: • How her...
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What if your greatest creative superpower wasn’t talent—but vulnerability? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods, Dionne sits down with groundbreaking portrait artist ShenShen210 for a conversation that moves from freight trains and graffiti culture to faith, purpose, and the courage to fully embody who you were created to be. Growing up in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Shen began painting at just 15 years old—eventually becoming known as one of the first female freight train graffiti artists on the West Coast. At a time when the street art world was...
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What happens when calm strategy meets courageous vision? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Erin Schlarb, founder of Hemlock Strategy and Design and the strategic guide behind many of Dionne’s most successful launches, websites, and digital expansions. Erin works as more than a website designer — she is a thoughtful partner to creatives, artists, and small business owners who want clarity, integrity, and confidence in their digital presence. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, she serves with intention, helping clients understand what...
info_outlineThe Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Michelle Allen, the artist and creative force behind the globally recognized brand Allen Designs, for a heartfelt conversation about building a creative life by design. From the unexpected way cat clocks changed her life and career, to her love of list-making, bike riding, and creative structure, Michelle shares how motivation evolves over time—and what it really looks like to let go when burnout creeps in. Together, Dionne and Michelle explore the tension between discipline and play, productivity and rest, and how...
info_outlineThe Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Dallas-based abstract artist and photographer Andie Hamilton, the creative force behind Andie in Color. As a young girl, Andie dreamed of becoming a photographer and fashion designer. Today, she is fully embracing every layer of her creative life—using bold color, expressive abstraction, and intuitive storytelling to shift spaces, spark emotion, and encourage women to be seen. In this honest and motivating conversation, Dionne and Andie talk about the journey from imagining a creative life to actively living one. Andie...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods is joined by Saskatchewan-based artist Michele Rogers, whose powerful portrait work honors Indigenous First Nations women and reflects her Métis heritage through stories of strength, memory, and generational resilience. Michele’s paintings give visual voice to grandmothers, granddaughters, and female warriors—women whose lives and legacies shape cultural identity. Her work is deeply intuitive and emotionally layered, rooted in storytelling rather than surface aesthetics. Through her art, Michele explores what it means to remember,...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, host Dionne Woods sits down with Swedish mixed media artist Jenny Grant, whose imaginative art and creative philosophy celebrate the magic found in the mess. Known for her layered, tactile, and intuitive painting style, Jenny empowers artists around the world to embrace imperfection, trust the process, and rediscover the pure joy of creating. Once a physicist specializing in Optronics, she traded formulas for freedom — turning her lifelong curiosity into a thriving creative career built on courage and play. Through her global Café Flow – The...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, host Dionne Woods sits down with Juliette Crane, a full-time artist, author, and founder of The School of Happy Painting. Known for her whimsical abstract portraits, layered mixed-media techniques, and signature owls, Juliette has spent more than 15 years helping artists paint fearlessly and reconnect with joy in their creative process. After losing her job in 2009, Juliette rediscovered her purpose through painting — blending abstract and figurative elements to explore storytelling, emotion, and the beauty of imperfection. Her intuitive art...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with multi-disciplinary artist and Turquoise Iris Journal curator BJ Massa of Junk’d Up — a one-of-a-kind creative whose imagination knows no limits. Known for her surrealist face art, whimsical furniture, and intricate assemblage pieces crafted from vintage finds, BJ has spent a lifetime transforming forgotten objects into storytelling art. But as she reveals, motivation doesn’t always come easily...it’s something she builds. Dionne and BJ unpack the truth about self-motivation, creative discipline, and the...
info_outlineThe Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, I’m joined by Porsha Chalmers - the artist, healer, and visionary behind The Silver Bohemian. Porsha’s story begins in a small rural town in Georgia, where she grew up as the oldest of four, daughter to farmers, and learned to create anything with her hands from a young age. After high school, she enlisted in the Marine Corps and served six years, a season that strengthened her courage and shaped the resilience she carries into every part of her life. It was there she met her husband, began building a family, and set the foundation for her...
info_outlineMansi is a creativity facilitator guiding women to let go fully, to embrace wholeheartedly, to feel deeply and to paint freely. Mansi encourages women to acknowledge the pressures of the day-to-day and say “not now” when they’re creating art. She helps women see themselves in a new light, love themselves for the unique beings they are, and appreciate the perspective they bring to their art as a result of their own life experiences.
Mansi deeply believes that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and creates a safe space for tears, squeals, laughter, anger, frustration and love. She gives women permission to feel it all, so they can express themselves in their art authentically.
Mansi’s mission is to help women learn to give themselves the same grace and kindness they routinely extend to others; to re-aquaint them with the power that resides within; to equip them with tools to create and live more purposefully; and most of all to rediscover their three-year-old-uninhibited selves.
Mansi’s work doesn’t follow trends nor can be boxed into a niche. Her free-spirited creations are filled with bright colors, abstract florals and joyful patterns. She believes art has the power to heal humanity, one person at a time, and has been handing out “gratitude tags,” which are essentially mini mixed-media panels, to community members for almost 5 years. These bucket-fillers are the perfect size for artistic experiments and are vehicles of joy, empathy and kindness all rolled into one.