The Aquitaine Project

When we choose to lead from our soul, taking responsibility for our beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions is just part of the deal. And by accepting our roles as leaders, visionaries, and change makers, we inherit the power to transform ourselves, each other, and the future of humanity. This episode, Eleanor Roosevelt, “First Lady to the world”, shows us how becoming the architect of our own lives is the first step in fearlessly achieving our goals, dreams, and ambitions. And if those goals, dreams and ambitions serve to create a better world... Lead on!

When our love and compassion are bigger than our fears, we can relate to each other, and all living things in ways that transcends our differences and self-interests. Pettiness dissolves and self-centeredness evaporates in the face of another’s pain and suffering. But walking the path of loving compassion is not always easy and just might bring us face to face with the darker sides of humanity. This episode Bright Lighter Lek Chailert teaches us, when we are courageous enough to love with an open heart, we have the power to change countless lives, beginning with our own.

Each of us carries within us a unique essence, I call it our ‘birth light,” the spark that lights up and gets us excited when we find and act on our true purpose in life, our “Why”. But life tends to make us doubt ourselves. So, we shy away from our inner light. We are so afraid of shining our own light that we close the doors, pull down the shades, draw the curtains and try to hide from our true purpose in this life all because we don’t trust ourselves. What a pity! This episode, I share with you my personal journey of claiming my birth-light, discovering my “Why” for The Aquitaine Project and taking steps to manifest my aspirations of supporting girls and women around the world. And it all began by Trusting The Light Within.

What do we do when we build our self-image based on the ideas and opinions of others? When our sense of self has become so distorted that that we can’t possibly live up to all the hype. When the woman looking back at us in the mirror has convinced herself that she will never good enough, smart enough, worthy enough… Why, we take out a sticky note, write ourselves a love letter and stick to the mirror! This episode, Caitlyn Boyle and Operation Beautiful show us when we inspire self-love and acceptance in others, it’s reflected back to us a thousand-fold!

Success is a mindset, a way of thinking about yourself, your goals, and your challenges. And if your goal is to be the best in your professional or personal life, you better believe, that what you believe, makes all the difference. This episode, legendary tennis player Althea Gibson, who rose from the streets of Harlem to reign supreme on the most famous tennis courts of the world, challenges us to discover if we are Game Enough to Be the Best.

When your life’s work is planting the seeds of the future, the world is your garden. Every thought, every word, every action is a seed that carries inside it the hope of our humanity. And like seeds, hope once planted, must be nurtured, and protected to ensure its survival. This episode, Wangari Maathai, The Mother of Trees, teaches us planting seeds of hope for the future, is the only way to guarantee, we will have on.

Like ripples in a pond, our words, ideas, and actions can create the change we want to see in the world. And, when we become better versions of ourselves, we find we have the power to change the world… for the better. This episode Jillian Mercado, fearless, funny and ohhh so fashionable, reminds us, that one person willing to stand up, speak out and challenge the status quo, can make a difference in the world.

Passion is a state of being. It’s something we choose to create and that we can and will reignite again and again and again during our lifetimes. It’s a quest… it’s a choice… It’s a way of living. In this episode, the incomparable Abigail Adams, one of the leading female voices of the American revolutionary period, conveys to us through the power of her pen, that the flame of passion burns brightest when we allow all that we love to become part of who we are.

Millions of miles of ancestral lands, thousands of years of tradition, four treaties and one woman who saw the writing on the wall. When faced with the choice between dying in war or living in peace, you better know the odds. Chipeta “White Singing Bird” - wise woman, peace maker, and the only woman to sit on the Ute Tribal Counsel, knew the actions she took in the face of events she could not control, would forever decide the fate of her people.

On the way to becoming a star, she lost herself and for years struggled to reclaim her pride, her dignity and her true self. When she found the woman she was meant to be, she refused to ever let her go. As the world adored, honored, and celebrated her, she knew the secret to her power was in adoring, honoring and celebrating herself. In this episode, Rita Moreno inspires us to claim the power of Self-Celebration by loving ourselves, valuing ourselves and acknowledging the big and little things we accomplish every day. Because when we celebrate ourselves…every day is a party!

United together we grow stronger than ever. It’s a fact of nature. When we work together as a team, we can accomplish great things. But don’t take my word for it. Take the word of 855 African American U.S Army servicewomen who proved to the world no problem is insurmountable when you have courage, teamwork and determination on your side. This Veterans Day episode is dedicated to the remarkable women of the 6 triple 8 who just may have won WWII one letter at a time.

While men were vying for supremacy in the heavens, one woman inspired a community of women on Earth to reach for the stars...and beyond. And if actions speak louder than words, her amazing feat of courage and determination shouted to the universe in no uncertain terms, “There is no limit to what we woman can accomplish”. This episode, Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, reminds us of the capacity we all have to inspire others to soar to great heights in pursuit of their hopes and dreams.

“She conjures numbers in the night; they bow and dance before their queen, who labours hard by candle-light at work the world has not yet seen”. These words written by English poet Brian Bilston, celebrate the contributions of a woman whose visionary insights helped shape the world as we know it. Ada Lovelace, the Enchantress of Numbers, saw the world in ways that opened a door into a future she could only imagine. She possessed the ability to look beyond the conventional science of her day, and in doing so offers us a roadmap to envision a future of our own making.

Season 1 review of The Aquitaine Project, a podcast about some pretty amazing women, past and present, whose lives and legacies teach us what we need today to create a brighter tomorrow.

The Power Of Tenacity The obstacles we face in life can either defeat us or make us stronger. Having the will, the determination, and the tenacity to overcome what stands between us and our success makes reaching our goals and achieving our dreams all the more possible! Born in an era, when women were considered incapable of pursuing science and research, Marie Curie stood the scientific world on its head and blazed a trail for women in science for generations to come. At times she struggled, other times she failed, but she never gave up. This episode Madame Marie Curie shows us tenacity is the magic ingredient to accomplishing what we want in life.

And we begin again… It’s never easy starting over from scratch. Picking up the pieces and creating a new life can be downright terrifying. It may even feel like the end of the world. The trick is to own the fear and embrace the knowledge that you and only you can fight for your life. Because if you don’t, who will? This episode, join me on a journey to hell and back as Tina Turner, the undisputed Queen of Rock and Roll shows us that when our world falls apart, giving up and giving in is not an option and that we too can rise from the ashes of our lives, find our happiness and become the heroine of our own story.

Look around, the world is filled with inspiration and inspired people who feel the need to create. But creativity isn’t restricted to artists, musicians, or writers. What would the world be like without the makers, the doers, and the inventors? The mad geniuses who can look at a product, piece of equipment or ordinary household item and imagine it in a new and innovative way. If necessity is the mother of invention and, resourcefulness is its father, Beulah Louise Henry is the Fairy God-Mother of both. With over 110 inventions and 49 patents, she opened the doors for women in manufacturing, business and marketing while blazing a trail for future women inventors to follow.

She embarked on a journey to master an ancient art descended from her forefathers. Along the way she discovered there is no mastery, only dedication, perseverance, and love. She embodied the spirit of the craftsman, "shokunin kishitsu", and held a deep desire to work toward perfection each and every day. This episode Keiko Fukuda, the highest ranked woman in the history of Judo, shares with us her motto, “be strong, be gentle, be beautiful”, as we learn to walk our own path toward mastering our craft.

When worlds collide, you just might find a woman at the center of it all. And if you do, better not stand in her way. There is an old adage that begins with “Hell hath no fury like a woman…”. In this episode, Hell is a woman, a mother, and a warrior queen determined to avenge her daughters, her people, and her honor. Boudica, queen of the Iceni, an ancient Celtic tribe of Britannia, was the one woman on earth who drove fear into the hearts of the Romans and whose ferocity nearly defeated an empire. Her story inspires us to embrace our warrior spirit and to defend, protect, and if necessary, avenge who and what we hold most dear.

She was the perfect storm of beauty, brains, and boldness. A force of nature the likes of which Hollywood had never encountered. They tried to tame her, they tried to mold her, they tried to turn her into someone other than herself, and when they tried to take her pants, she beat them at their own game, becoming one of the most celebrated women in the history of American film. In a world were being yourself can be the most challenging part to play, the one and only Katharine Hepburn reminds us, we owe it to ourselves… to truly be ourselves… because no one else is going to do it for us.