In this episode, I’m doing something a little uncomfortable… I’m speaking anyway. Lately, my spasmodic dysphonia has been giving me trouble and I also can’t let it get me down…

If you’ve ever felt like you needed to “fix” something about yourself before you could fully show up: your voice, your confidence, your clarity, this conversation is for you.

Today also happens to be World Voice Day, and I’m sharing more about my personal journey with spasmodic dysphonia… including a recent step I’ve taken that honestly feels both exciting and scary.

But this episode isn’t just about my voice.

It’s about:

• What happens when your identity shifts in ways you didn’t choose
• The connection between healing, creativity, and self-expression
• And what it actually looks like to reclaim your voice on your terms

I also share a story from a recent client inside The Art of Becoming, and what it took for her to finally prioritize herself.

Because whether it’s your literal voice… or your inner voice, life doesn’t come back by waiting.

Tune in here

Connect with Clarissa:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard
• May 11th FREE Activate Your Creative Voice Masterclass: Email ACTIVATE to clarissa@clarissastudio.com and I’ll get you registered!
• SAVE THE DATE: June 6th ALTA Arts Fair at The Fraternal Order of Eagles #719, 455 E Woodbury Rd, Altadena, CA 91001

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In this episode of Painting Your Path™ I sit down with Courage: actor, activist, and community organizer to explore what it means to find home, rebuild after devastation, and keep showing up for your community.

Courage shares how an unexpected Facebook ad, a cross-town bus ride, and a deep sense of grief led them from downtown LA to Altadena, where they discovered the kind of small-town community they didn’t know they were missing. They open up about living through the Eaton Fire, why their home’s survival felt like a miracle, and how that moment propelled them into intense community organizing in the fire’s aftermath.

You’ll hear about the heart behind projects like the Altadena Community Recovery Calendar, support networks for fire survivors, and why Courage chose “resistance” as their word of the year.

Tune in here (via YouTube)

Connect with Courage:

• Courage’s Altadena Central Info Hub: couragetheactor.com/altadena
• Altadena Community Recovery Calendar: altadenacalendar.org

Connect with Clarissa:

• April 11th Women’s Retreat in Pasadena, CA. Email the word “BLOOM” to clarissa@clarissastudio.com for more details or to sign up.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard
• SAVE THE DATE: June 6th ALTA Arts Fair at The Fraternal Order of Eagles #719, 455 E Woodbury Rd, Altadena, CA 91001

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This episode is a real-time check-in.

Not the polished version. The honest one.

As we close out the first quarter of the year and step into spring, it’s a natural moment to pause and ask:

Am I actually doing the things that matter to me?

In this solo episode, I’m reflecting on:

• what I followed through on—and what I didn’t
• how easy it is to disconnect from the things that bring us back to ourselves
• the tension between waiting until we feel “ready” and actually starting

I also share a powerful insight from The Artist’s Way that shifted how I’m thinking about support, creativity, and trying to figure everything out on my own.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, questioning your next step, or feeling slightly out of sync with yourself… this episode will meet you there.

Listen now and take a moment to reset before the next quarter begins.

Connect with Clarissa:

• April 11th Women’s Retreat in Pasadena, CA. Email the word “BLOOM” to clarissa@clarissastudio.com for more details or to sign up.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard

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Spring is here. It’s the perfect time for renewal and planting seeds for the year. But nothing changes or grows unless you do something about it.

In this episode, I’m talking about what renewal actually requires (hint: it’s not waiting for the perfect time), and why so many of us stay stuck even when we feel the pull to move.

If you’ve been circling an idea, second-guessing yourself, or telling yourself “later”… this one’s for you.

I also share a simple question to help you take your next step, and an invitation to join me for the Spring Creative Reset on April 11 in Pasadena.

Connect with Clarissa:

• April 11th Women’s Retreat in Pasadena, CA. Email the word “BLOOM” to clarissa@clarissastudio.com for more details or to sign up
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard

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In this episode of Painting Your Path™, I sit down with Nadia Paredes: art therapist, former president of the American Art Therapy Association, immigrant, mom, and community mental health leader with Project HOPE.

After losing her son’s school in the Eaton fire, Nadia’s personal and professional worlds collided, leading her back into disaster mental health and community care. She shares how art, creativity, and community can help us navigate grief, shock, and long-term recovery.

Tune in to hear how Nadia thinks about healing after a crisis, what it really looks like a year later, and why she believes we are always “becoming.”

In This Episode, We Touch On:

• Nadia’s story of losing her son’s school to the fire and how it reshaped her sense of community
• Her journey back to disaster mental health work after years in other clinical roles
• What art therapy actually is—and how it differs from “therapeutic art” or creative self-care
• The mission of Project HOPE and how they’re supporting communities in crisis (including the Eaton fire response)
• The idea of vicarious trauma for people working closely with survivors and communities
• Simple micro-breaks and self-regulation tools to support your nervous system during stressful times

📺Watch on YouTube: Tune in here

Connect with Nadia:

• Project HOPE website: https://www.projecthope.org
• Project HOPE’s Mental Health Toolkit: https://www.projecthope.org/reports-resources/e-poster/quick-reset-mental-health-pocket-toolkit/
• CA for the Arts Therapy Session with Nadia: https://youtu.be/OyMb0Xj4_78?si=II-p1ehnRlJfKezQ
• Pasadena Village Hope to Healing program: https://www.pasadenavillage.org/events/4367-hope--healing-supper-club

Connect with Clarissa:

• March 26th Free Virtual ArtfulRx (Paint with me session)
• April 11th Women’s Retreat in Pasadena, CA. Email the word “BLOOM” to clarissa@clarissastudio.com for more details.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard

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Spring is starting to show up here in Southern California.

Little hints - hotter temps, longer evenings, small buds appearing on branches that looked completely bare just weeks ago.

It always reminds me of something important: nature doesn’t wait for perfect conditions before it begins again.

In this episode, I share a reflection on rebuilding, not just in our communities, but within ourselves.

After a difficult year and a season of loss for many in Altadena and surrounding communities, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it actually takes to start again.

Not the polished version of starting over.

The real one.

I also share a few honest reflections from women who recently joined The Art of Becoming, and what finally moved them from waiting… to beginning.

If you’re ready to really start 2026 (March is my January!), this conversation might meet you exactly where you are.

Inside this episode, I explore:

• waiting for the perfect moment
• the reconnective power of creativity can
• what matters more than big plans

And I’ll leave you with a question I’ve been sitting with as we move into spring.

Because sometimes the most powerful beginnings are the quiet ones.

🎧 Tune in and see what resonates.

Connect with Clarissa:

• March 14 In-Person Art + Nature Mixed Media Class at Buzzworthy Beverages (Claremont, CA)
• March 26th Free Virtual ArtfulRx (Paint with me session)
• April 11th Women’s Retreat in Pasadena, CA. Email the word “BLOOM” to clarissa@clarissastudio.com for more details.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard

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This Season 5 episode of Painting Your Path™ continues our focus on the Eaton and Palisades fire survivors and the grassroots communities and organizations that have held us through it.

Today, I’m joined by Kelly Etter — retired dancer, singer, actress, former Rockette, longtime Altadena resident, Eaton fire survivor, and Pilates + nervous system mentor.

In this conversation, we explore:

• What it really looks like to rebuild your life, home, and work after losing so much in the fires
• Why feeling safe in your own body is foundational to any kind of recovery
• Simple nervous system practices that can help you regulate, soften anxiety, and release tension (no special equipment required)
• The unexpected ways the Altadena community has grown closer, more creative, and more resilient since the fire
• How to give yourself grace when you’re not “as far along” as you think you should be

Plus, she’s offering a free 6-minute nervous system practice to help you tame neck tension and come back to yourself.

🎧 Listen now to hear:

• The moment Kelly realized her work with the body meant something very different after the fire
• The tiny daily rituals that are helping her move through grief and into quiet resilience
• How you can begin to “paint your path,” even when you can’t see the whole picture yet

Connect with Kelly:

• Get Kelly’s free gift: Tame Your Neck Tension in Under 6 Minutes
• Website: https://kellyetter.weebly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterwithkellyetter/
• Programs: https://programs.kellyetter.com/reclaim-your-body-reclaim-your-life-short-landing-page

Connect with Clarissa:

• March 14 In-Person Art + Nature Mixed Media Class at Buzzworthy Beverages (Claremont, CA)
• March 26th Free Virtual ArtfulRx (Paint with me session)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art
• Self-Paced Vision Board Workshop: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/visionboard

Support the show

“Not ready.”

I hear it all the time.

This week, I’m unpacking what we really mean when we say that, especially when it comes to creative work, big ideas, and becoming the next version of ourselves.

We’re talking about time, energy, hope… and the quiet ways fear disguises itself as responsibility.

This episode is honest. Grounded. And maybe a little uncomfortable.

If you’ve been waiting for clarity or confidence before you begin, press play.

Connect with Clarissa:

• FREE 3-day audio series: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/theartofbecoming-freeaudioseries
• The Art of Becoming Program: https://fromemployee2entrepreneur.live/artofbecoming2026
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarissacastilloramsey.art

Support the show