You Can't Avoid Your Pain Forever | Gianna Shamone

You’re Not Creatively Stuck — You’re Waiting to Be Rescued

Have you ever felt like your dream was on pause because you were waiting for someone to choose you?In this deeply honest episode of Is There More?, filmmaker Maris Lidaka opens up about what it takes to build a creative life when no one is coming to hand you the opportunity.After graduating film school, Maris spent years believing he needed the perfect budget, the right permission, or the big break before he could make the work he was meant to make. But after losing his father, moving to LA, struggling to find his footing, and eventually cleaning houses just to get by, he had a wake-up call: if this was what life looked like while waiting, he might as well start creating.We talk about grief, identity, perfectionism, filmmaking, the pressure to be “ready,” and the dangerous trap so many artists fall into — waiting to be rescued instead of making the dang thing.Maris also shares the story behind his upcoming feature film, Concrete River, about a homeless music producer with synesthesia trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, and how that story grew from real discoveries in his own life.If you’ve ever felt stuck, behind, under-resourced, or like your creative life can’t begin until someone finally picks you, this conversation will remind you that completion is better than perfection — and that your career won’t start itself. Blended Future Project: https://blendedfutureproject.com/ [https://blendedfutureproject.com/] Maris Lidika Substack: https://marislidaka.substack.com/ [⁠https://marislidaka.substack.com/⁠] Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/istheremoreworld [https://www.instagram.com/istheremoreworld] Megan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganatully [https://www.instagram.com/meganatully]

How to Find Yourself After Getting Lost in a Relationship

Have you ever completely lost your identity while trying to keep a relationship together? In this deeply personal episode of Is There More?, relationship coach Cait Starling opens up about her journey of finding herself after years of chronic people-pleasing, surviving infidelity, and navigating a heartbreaking divorce. Married at just 18 and thrust into the heavy role of a constant caretaker, Cait spent her twenties prioritizing everyone else's needs above her own before finally hitting rock bottom. We dive deep into overcoming emotional disconnection, healing from profound family grief, and navigating the confusing world of dating after marriage. If you've ever felt lonely in a partnership or struggled to set healthy boundaries, this conversation will inspire you to stop abandoning yourself and finally reclaim your true identity. 🔗 Important Links & Resources:☕ Sponsor: Get 10% off your first purchase of Texas Tea!👉 Visit: https://texastea.com [https://texastea.com] (Use Code: MEG10)Connect with Megan & Is There More?:📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/istheremoreworld [https://www.instagram.com/istheremoreworld]If this episode resonated with you, please hit the LIKE button, leave a COMMENT with your biggest takeaway, and SHARE this video with someone who might need to hear it. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and turn on the notification bell for more conversations about healing, relationships, and mental health!

Could Your Art Cost You Your Relationship? | Michael Glover Smith on Hekla

In this episode of Is There More?, Megan A Tully sits down with filmmaker, author, and history of cinema professor Michael Glover Smith to talk about his new indie film Hekla, premiering in Los Angeles at Dances With Films this month! Get your tickets here: https://danceswithfilms.com/2026-hekla/ [https://danceswithfilms.com/2026-hekla/]What starts as a conversation about independent filmmaking becomes a much deeper exploration of art, relationships, divorce, creative identity, and the emotional cost of being an artist.Michael opens up about how Hekla was shaped by his own life — including his divorce, the death and rebirth of identity after a long relationship, and the question so many creative people quietly carry:Can you fully devote yourself to your art without losing the person you love?We talk about the making of Hekla, micro-budget filmmaking, directing actors, collaborating with Elizabeth Stam, giving up creative control, using pain in performance, and what happens when your personal life becomes the material for your work.Michael also shares behind-the-scenes stories he says he has never shared in another interview — including why he wasn’t present for the first two days of shooting, how the fantasy sequences were created, and how walking five miles a day influenced the opening of the film.This conversation is for filmmakers, actors, artists, writers, and anyone who has ever wondered whether their ambition, creativity, or inner world could cost them a relationship.Follow Michael Glover Smith:https://www.michaelgloversmith.com/ [https://www.michaelgloversmith.com/]Follow Megan A Tully / Is There More?:https://www.instagram.com/meganatully/ [https://www.instagram.com/meganatully/]

You Can't Avoid Your Pain Forever | Gianna Shamone

In this episode of Is There More?, I sit down with writer and storyteller Gianna Shamone for a deeply honest conversation about codependency, heartbreak, identity, healing, and finding yourself after losing yourself in love. Gianna grew up in Germany surrounded by a multicultural mix of languages, food, music, belief systems, and family dynamics that left her with a lifelong question: Where do I really come from? But that question eventually became something even deeper: Who am I when I’m not trying to become what someone else needs me to be? In this conversation, Gianna opens up about a four-year relationship with an artist she was also managing — a relationship that became deeply codependent as she found herself walking on eggshells, trying to save him, and slowly losing herself in the process. When the relationship ended after her partner experienced what she describes as a psychosis, it forced her into one of the most painful rock bottoms of her life. But that rock bottom became a turning point. After months of avoiding the grief, a physical injury forced Gianna to stop, feel, cry, journal, meditate, and finally face the heartbreak she had been running from. Through that healing process, she returned to writing, self-published her poetry book Finding Me, and began reclaiming her identity not as the helper, manager, or caretaker — but as the artist herself. This episode is for anyone who has ever confused codependency with love, lost themselves in a relationship, tried to save someone else at the expense of their own wellbeing, or felt called to return to their creativity after heartbreak. Gianna’s story is a reminder that sometimes the relationship that breaks you open is also the one that brings you back to yourself. Watch this episode if you’ve ever wondered: Is this love, or am I losing myself? Read Gianna's poetry book, Finding Me: https://a.co/d/0jhoOWYB [https://a.co/d/0jhoOWYB]

When Your Grief Awakens Your Gifts | Brie Rhiannon

In this episode of Is There More?, Megan sits down with psychic medium, astrologer, energy worker, and writer Brie Rhiannon to talk about psychic gifts, spiritual awakening, shadow work, higher self, grief, trauma healing, astrology, energy work, and learning how to become who you really are. Brie shares her journey from child actor to fashion merchandising, sustainability, solar sales, electrical engineering, mediumship, tarot, astrology, and spiritual entrepreneurship. After experiencing loss, trauma, mental health struggles, and a life-changing trip to Bali in 2019, Brie began developing her intuitive gifts and eventually became a guide for others doing deep shadow work and psychic development. This episode is for anyone interested in spirituality, psychic development, astrology, mediumship, shadow work, healing, higher self, self-discovery, trauma healing, energy work, and the deeper question: Is there more to who you really are? Guest: Brie Rhiannon Website: brierhiannon.com Socials: @brierhiannonRecommended Reading: Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza https://amzn.to/4tSdlvl [https://amzn.to/4tTGWEB] Heal the Witch Wound by Celeste Larsen https://amzn.to/4tTGWEB [https://amzn.to/4tTGWEB] Brie's Workbooks and Coaching: https://stan.store/brierhiannon [https://stan.store/brierhiannon] Subscribe to Is There More? with Megan A Tully for deep conversations about healing, creativity, relationships, identity, spirituality, mental health, and what it means to become fully yourself. #istheremore #istheremorepodcast #meganatully #megantully #soulwork #spiritualgifts #shadowwork