On Authenticity
Come and Grow is a podcast hosted by two dear friends, Joy Star Bright and Lauren Barr. Lauren runs The Smarter Creative, a business operations studio for creative entrepreneurs. Joy is a soul care coach at Meridian Soul Care. They're different in how they work and see the world, but deeply aligned in what they value. Each episode anchors in a value discussion and what each host is learning right now.
In this episode:
→ Recap: Lauren's reformer Pilates verdict (four out of five, not sweaty, very bougie)
→ Joy met a woman at the Y who is turning 90 in November, runs 10Ks, and weighs what she weighed in high school. Joy recorded the conversation. You'll want to hear it.
→ This week's value: Authenticity. Lauren went to Merriam-Webster. Joy went to the Greek. Both landed in the same place: acting from self, not performing for others.
IFS, parts work, and what "self" we're actually being authentic to
→ Lauren's one-journal-entry story that changed her life in her 20s
→ Joy's Substack essay on embodiment and what it took to start listening to her body
→ Lauren learned to make a paper zine. She brought one. Joy lost it.
→ What's coming up: Joy has a Renovare retreat in Colorado and a birthday trip to Texas. Lauren is deciding whether to make it to a family beach trip on Edisto Island, laptop question pending.
✍️ Prompts for this week:
When are you not living your authentic self? When do you feel disconnected from who you want to be in this world?
Sit with that. Take it to your journal. And if something surprises you, you don't have to share it with anyone. Full permission to keep that one for yourself.
📖 Resources and Links Mentioned:
Raye, "Joy" from This Music May Contain Hope (2026): https://music.apple.com/us/album/joy/1871085677?i=1871086036 [https://music.apple.com/us/album/joy/1871085677?i=1871086036]
IFS (Internal Family Systems) — Richard Schwartz: https://ifs-institute.com [https://ifs-institute.com]
No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681 [https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681]
The 8 Cs and 5 Ps of Self in IFS — 8 Cs: Curiosity, Compassion, Calm, Clarity, Courage, Confidence, Creativity, Connectedness. 5 Ps: Presence, Perspective, Patience, Persistence, Playfulness: https://ifs-institute.com [https://ifs-institute.com]
The Renovare Institute: https://renovare.org/institute [https://renovare.org/institute]
Cultivate by The Cageless Birds (Melissa Helser essay): https://shop.cagelessbirds.com/products/cultivate-the-head-to-the-heart-volume-1 [https://shop.cagelessbirds.com/products/cultivate-the-head-to-the-heart-volume-1]
The Creative Bodega with Em Connors (Canva content creator): https://www.thecreativebodega.com/ [https://www.thecreativebodega.com/]
Canva: https://www.canva.com [https://www.canva.com]
Lauren's zine Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCv86ZkWOH/?img_index=1 [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCv86ZkWOH/?img_index=1]
Free zine PDF formatter (Zine Arranger): https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger [https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger]
🌸 Connect with us:
Lauren Barr
The Smarter Creative: https://thesmartercreative.com [https://thesmartercreative.com]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/ [https://www.instagram.com/thesmartercreative/]
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative [https://youtube.com/@thesmartercreative]
Joy Star Bright
Meridian Soul Care: https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/ [https://www.meridiansoulcare.com/]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/ [https://www.instagram.com/meridian.soul/]
We'd love to hear what authenticity means to you. Drop us a DM on Instagram, leave a comment on YouTube, or send us a voice note. We want to hear your actual voice.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comeandgrow.substack.com [https://comeandgrow.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]
