The Liz Svatek Show

What does it take to stand before a 14-story blank wall and make the first mark with no grid, no projection and no fear?
In this powerful conversation, Liz sits down with acclaimed Los Angeles muralist Robert Vargas, a sixth-generation Mexican American artist from Boyle Heights whose breathtaking work transforms buildings, neighborhoods and the people who experience them.
Want to know Liz's secrets to get out of stuckness? https://youtu.be/EoGuzPx3qDY?si=yDwwCAiOCAB-Tia4
Robert shares how his childhood view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline inspired him to dream big and paint even bigger. He opens up about creating art freehand, trusting his intuition, staying present and developing the discipline to keep moving, even when the vision isn’t fully formed.
From painting his first mural at age 10 to creating a massive 60,000-square-foot mural, Robert’s story is a reminder that creativity doesn’t begin with perfection. It begins when you pick up the brush, get your hands dirty and start.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
• Why intention is at the heart of meaningful work
• How discipline can overcome creative blocks
• Why criticism shouldn’t stop you from expressing yourself
• How public art helps communities feel seen
• What it means to “stay the child”
• Why trusting yourself is essential to making your impact
Whether you consider yourself an artist or haven’t created anything in years, this conversation will inspire you to reconnect with your imagination, take messy action and create something that feels authentically yours.
As Robert says: “If you’re true to your work, your work will be true to you.”
What would you create if you stopped worrying about what other people might think? Tell us in the comments and don’t forget to like, subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs permission to create.
Follow Robert Vargas on Instagram: @TheRobertVargas
Follow Liz on Instagram: @Liz.Svatek

#RobertVargas #LizSvatekShow #MuralArtist #LosAngelesArtist #BoyleHeights #PublicArt #StreetArt #Creativity #CreativeProcess #ArtistInterview #TrustTheProcess #CreativeCourage #MakeYourMark #DreamBig #StayTheChild #OvercomeCreativeBlock #MexicanAmericanArtist #LatinoArtists #Inspiration #PersonalGrowth #stuckness #gettingstuck #creativeflow #creativity #art #inspiration #artist #criticism #creativeblock #takingcriticism #stayingcreative

Dr. Leslie Bonar has built a successful dental practice, served in the military, flown in an F-18, completed triathlons, traveled the world—and she’s nowhere near finished.
In this episode, Leslie opens up about pushing through fear, learning to stop minimizing her accomplishments, and embracing a powerful new belief: the best is yet to come.
She shares how “radical pride,” intentional living, and choosing adventure have changed the way she sees aging, purpose, and what’s possible in the next chapter of life.
This conversation is a reminder that getting older doesn’t mean becoming smaller. Your next chapter might actually be the one where you become the most fully expressed version of yourself.
Comment Below:
What’s one thing you still want to do that fear—or your age—has been holding you back from?

LizSvatekShow #BestIsYetToCome #RadicalPride #HealthyAging #AgingPowerfully #WomenOver50 #WomenOver60 #ReinventYourself #FearToFreedom #PersonalGrowth #IntentionalLiving #LifeAfterRetirement #SecondAct #WomenWhoInspire #NeverTooLate #LiveFully #PurposeDrivenLife #70 #legacy #fear #purpose #transformation #personalgrowth #aging #agingwell

What if instead of waiting for everyone else to change you focused on YOU? What if the most powerful thing you could do for everyone you love… is finally choose yourself?
JOIN LIZ LIVE ON ZOOM for EVOLVE: https://www.lizsvatek.com/evolve-experience
For years, women have been taught that being a “good” mother, wife, daughter, or friend means carrying everyone’s emotions, fixing their problems, keeping the peace, and putting themselves last. But that constant sacrifice often leaves us exhausted, resentful, and disconnected from who we truly are.
In this powerful episode, Liz challenges the rules women have inherited and asks: What would happen if we stopped rescuing everyone and started trusting ourselves?
Discover how choosing yourself can transform your relationships, your parenting, and your entire life. Because putting yourself first doesn’t mean no one else matters—it means you finally understand that you matter, too.
The old way isn’t working. A new season is waiting. Are you willing to be the woman who goes first?
QUESTION: What is one responsibility, expectation, or emotional burden you’re ready to stop carrying?
Join Liz for EVOLVE—a free three-day experience focused on evolving your relationships, your parenting, and yourself.
https://www.lizsvatek.com/evolve-experience
#ChooseYourself #PutYourselfFirst #WomenSupportingWomen #PersonalGrowth #SelfWorth #PeoplePleasing #HealthyBoundaries #EmotionalHealing #WomenOver40 #WomenOver50 #SelfTrust #BreakTheCycle #TransformYourLife #EmpoweredWomen #TheLizSvatekShow #empowerment #transformation #emptynesting #parenting #marriage #relationships #healing #peoplepleasing #relationshipanxiety #controlissues

She started working at Denny's at 16. At 23, Dawn Lafreeda bought her first restaurant using tips and credit cards. Today, she owns more than 62 locations and has built a business generating $98 million in annual revenue.
So how does a woman build that kind of belief BEFORE she has any evidence it's going to work?
In this conversation, Dawn and I go far beyond her extraordinary business success. We talk about childhood trauma, fear, taking messy action, walking into rooms where women weren't welcome, being underestimated, building a reputation through follow-through—and learning to take the risk before you feel ready. How did she go from survival to success?

Dawn shares what she learned about:
Taking action before confidence arrives

Seeing opportunity where other people see risk

Navigating male-dominated rooms

Turning discrimination into action

Building trust by doing what you say you'll do

Why being underestimated can become an advantage

Taking bigger risks at any age

Believing in yourself before you have the evidence

If you've been waiting to feel ready before making your next move, this conversation is for you.
✨ READY TO BECOME LIMITLESS?
If you're ready to understand the patterns keeping you stuck and become the woman capable of creating your next chapter, learn more about LIMITLESS: https://www.lizsvatek.com/limitless
Music licensed through Soundstripe
Code: XY8QSK3QRSQXOULO

#DawnLaFreeda #WomenInBusiness #FemaleEntrepreneur #WomenSupportingWomen #BelieveInYourself #TakeTheRisk #EntrepreneurMindset #OvercomingAdversity #Resilience #HealingJourney #PersonalGrowth #WomenWhoLead #Leadership #ManifestYourDreams #BuildYourLegacy #ItsNeverTooLate #KnowYourWorth #AskForWhatYouWant #womensempowerment #manifestation #selfimprovement

We spend so much time trying to heal, grow, and become the best version of ourselves. But what if there's a hidden trap that actually keeps us stuck?
What if the goal of personal growth isn't to become more spiritual...but to remember how to be both deeply human and deeply connected to the Divine?
In this deeply personal episode, Liz shares a powerful story from a recent trip to Fargo, where she realized she had quietly stopped doing the very practices she teaches. After walking through a difficult season supporting her daughter, she found herself disconnected from her morning rituals, her inner stillness, and ultimately, from herself.
That experience became an invitation to explore one of the greatest misunderstandings in the personal growth world: the tendency to swing between victimhood and spiritual arrogance. What does it really mean to evolve? How do we stay grounded in our humanity while remembering our divine nature? And why do so many of us judge ourselves for simply being human?
In this episode, Liz explores:
Why we were never meant to choose between being human and being spiritual.
The subtle trap of spiritual arrogance—and how it can quietly disconnect us from ourselves and others.
Why your daily spiritual practice isn't something you graduate from.
The neuroscience of identity and how your subconscious shapes your experience of life.
How judging your humanity blocks your next level of growth.
The difference between remembering who you are and trying to become someone you're not.
Practical ways to reconnect with yourself when life pulls you away from your center.

This episode is a reminder that healing isn't about becoming perfect. It's about becoming present. It's about meeting yourself with compassion instead of criticism, choosing curiosity over judgment, and remembering that your soul has never forgotten who you are—even when you have.
If you've been feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or like you've somehow "fallen off the path," this conversation is your invitation to come home to yourself.
Because maybe the goal was never to become less human...
Maybe the goal was to become fully human while remembering you're divine.
I'd love to hear from you!
👇 Comment below:
What's been the biggest trap in your own personal growth journey?

Have you ever felt like you were shaming yourself because you went too far into your human side?

What questions do you have about personal growth, healing, or living in the balance of your human and spiritual side?

Your questions may be featured in a future episode!
Chapters
00:00:00 - Balancing Your Human and Spiritual Sides
00:01:19 - What History’s Great Thinkers Teach About Growth
00:06:16 - Forgetting the Practices That Keep Us Connected
00:08:16 - The Messy, Sacred Middle
00:10:32 - A Personal Return to Humanness
00:13:08 - Growth Requires Compassion, Not Perfection
00:14:10 - Remembering Who You Are Through Daily Practice
00:15:58 - Real Consciousness Is Finding Your Way Back
00:16:58 - The Hummingbird’s Lesson in Stillness
00:17:35 - An Invitation to Come Back
#PersonalGrowth #SelfDiscovery #SelfAwareness #Mindset #HealingJourney #InnerWork #Healing #mentalhealth #lifecoach
#SelfImprovement #GrowthMindset #EmotionalHealing #AuthenticLiving #evolution
#FearlessLiving #PersonalDevelopment #MentalWellness #LiveWithPurpose #Transformation