How to Find Magic in Everyday Moments with Stephanie Graham

In episode 155 of The Empowered and Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with Stephanie Graham—filmmaker, photographer, and host of the Nosey AF podcast—for a conversation that celebrates creativity in all its messy, magical forms.

Together, we explore how creativity fuels empowerment, how art can break down barriers, and why making space for self-expression (even in the mundane!) is more important than ever.

We talk about everything from film school to the power of documenting your partner doing dishes (trust us—it’s art!). Plus, Stephanie offers practical and playful ways to reconnect with your own creativity, no matter your medium—or your mood.

“Art doesn’t have to show up in MoMA to be important. It can live in your phone.” – Stephanie Graham

Key Takeaways:

• How creativity can be both a mirror and a megaphone
• The quiet power of capturing everyday moments
• Why art and activism are deeply intertwined
• How gatekeeping shows up in the creative world (and how we dismantle it)
• The link between self-expression, empowerment, and joy
• What it really means to be a “creative”—and why you already are one

Key Moments: 

0:00 – Celebrating fresh starts and small wins
4:38 – Navigating self-compassion and showing up anyway
7:29 – Reconnecting with self, others, and joy
10:26 – Tracing creative roots and early influences
13:32 – Exploring art’s role in social change
16:22 – How art sparks powerful conversations
24:57 – Creativity as a tool for empowerment
27:35 – Rethinking what it means to be “creative”
30:19 – Systems as a form of creative expression
31:18 – Challenging gatekeeping in the art world
33:27 – Art’s power to create emotional connection
36:25 – Community, inspiration, and creative sparks
39:28 – Making creativity more inclusive and accessible
41:27 – Finding magic in everyday creative acts
42:42 – Final reflections and golden nuggets
48:12 – Honoring community and creative collaboration

Connect with Stephanie:

Website: www.missgraham.com

NoseyAF Podcast: https://www.noseyaf.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniegraham/

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries community and mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

Transcript

The Empowered and Embodied Show

Episode 155: How to Find Magic in Everyday Moments
Hosts: Kim Romain & Louise Neil
Guest: Stephanie Graham
Release Date: April 15, 2025

Kim Romain (01:45)

Hello, hello, hello everyone! Welcome back to another episode of the Empowered and Embodied show. We’re starting off with laughter—as usual—and I love that that’s just how we roll. I'm Kim Romain, one of your co-hosts, joined by the radiant...

Louise Neil (01:52)

That’s me—Louise Neil. And today, our beautiful guest… I’m so excited to welcome Stephanie Graham!

Stephanie Graham (02:08)

 Hey everybody! I’m Stephanie Graham and I’m super excited to be here today.

Kim Romain (02:13)

 We’re so glad you're here, Stephanie. We’ll dive into your magic in just a moment, but first—we always start each episode with a celebration. What are we celebrating today?

Stephanie Graham (02:25)

 I’m celebrating… spring-ish weather? I don’t know if it’s officially spring, but it’s gorgeous outside, and I’ve got fun things on the horizon. I also feel like I’m finally coming out of a creative slump and getting into a groove again. I recently had a conversation with the artist Alberto Aguilar—he was on my podcast last year—and he invited me to talk with him again during his artist talk. That went so well. I was thrilled... and also so relieved it was over. The anxiety beforehand? My stomach was doing flips. But now—I can breathe!

Kim Romain (03:17)

 Yay!

Louise Neil (03:36)

 It’s amazing what the weather can do, right? We don’t even realize how heavy we’ve felt until the sun hits us and suddenly we’re skipping down the sidewalk.

Stephanie Graham (03:44)

 Exactly! I love the rain... but not when it’s cold and icy and dangerous. Spring rain? Yes. Winter rain? Hard pass.

Kim Romain (04:12)

 After 20 years in Chicago, now living near Montreal, I can say—yeah, the grayness is real here. It reminds me of Seattle. I miss those crisp blue skies.

Louise Neil (04:43)

 It's coming! Spring is coming. Hang in there.

Louise Neil (04:58)

 All right, so I’m celebrating the weather too—but also, I’m celebrating me. How I’ve been showing up lately. I’ve been more self-compassionate, especially during this menopause journey. Attention to detail and I are... not besties right now. But I’m not letting that stop me. I’m still getting out there, showing up to community spaces and networking—even if I’m late or at the wrong place! I’m still doing the things I want to do, and that’s worth celebrating.

Kim Romain (06:26)

 It’s so nice when you’re outside your shell, Louise.

Stephanie Graham (06:27)

 That’s awesome.

Kim Romain (06:35)

 So for me, this Mercury Retrograde—I’m choosing to celebrate the “re” energy: review, replenish, revise… and especially reconnect. I’ve had a dozen connection calls this week, and some were reconnections that just filled me with so much joy. It feels like magic. Like soul nourishment.

Stephanie Graham (08:00)

 I’ve never heard that about Mercury Retrograde—that it’s a time for all the “re” things. I don’t really follow astrology, but I love that framing.

Kim Romain (08:34)

 Yes! I’m no astrologer—but I do believe in making meaning out of what shows up. Retrogrades invite us to slow down and reflect with the wisdom we have now.

 Let’s teach the world a little bit more about you.

Stephanie Graham is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and creator of the Nosey AF podcast. Known for her humorous and insightful exploration of subcultures, social class, race, and gender, Stephanie’s work spans film, photography, and wearable art. With a background in the film industry and a passion for social impact, she brings a fresh, candid perspective to conversations about creativity, personal growth, and artistic authenticity. She’s also the founder of the Graham Cracker Pin Company, where she collaborates with artists to create enamel pins that celebrate unique voices and creative expression.

We are so glad you're here.

Stephanie Graham (10:26)

 Thanks! And oh my gosh—hearing my own bio read out loud... I’m like, wait, that’s me? It’s weirdly affirming and totally awkward at the same time!

Louise Neil (11:26)

 That’s exactly why Kim reads the bios—you wouldn’t have let those juicy parts come through if you read it yourself. We all tend to shrink ourselves down.

Kim Romain (11:52)

 Stephanie, I’d love to know—how did your creative journey begin?

Stephanie Graham (12:01)

 Honestly? Church. I was in CCD classes and had a junior leader who was taking a photography class. She seemed so cool and I was like—yes, I want to do that too. I didn’t think I was “good at art,” especially drawing. But photography opened a door for me. I fell in love with the process. Add to that my dad’s love for movies—and suddenly I was immersed. I was drawn to glamour and storytelling and just... making something beautiful out of nothing.

Kim Romain (14:17)

 As you nurtured your creativity, what did you learn about yourself?

Stephanie Graham (14:30)

 I realized that just because I wasn’t “traditionally” artistic didn’t mean I wasn’t creative. There are so many ways to express ourselves. I found inspiration everywhere—from Lifetime movies to stage plays, to everyday scenes. What amazed me was how people could take make-believe so seriously. That sparked something in me… this understanding that storytelling could be powerful and playful.

Louise Neil (15:58)

 Yes! Creativity touches everything—from art to medicine to how we set up our homes. It shows up in how we solve problems, how we love, how we live.

Kim Romain (16:33)

 My daughter’s in theater—like I was. She said, “I don’t understand why we can’t take more arts classes. Arts help us think differently.” At 15, she gets it.

Stephanie Graham (17:13)

 Totally. And the arts are always the first to get cut. But they’re essential. I remember the musical theater students warming up at 7:30am at my school—and even though I thought it was a lot back then, it’s kind of beautiful now, remembering that kind of joy.

Kim Romain (18:52)

 Your work weaves in social impact and advocacy. How does your creativity fuel that?

Stephanie Graham (19:01)

 Art is so accessible. You can walk into a gallery for free. And visual language is this universal connector. We might not all agree, but we can sit around the same image—a photo of an apple, let’s say—and pull out meaning, feelings, conversations. Even if someone’s uncomfortable with the deeper message, they can still engage—because maybe they relate to a smaller emotion like feeling alone or lost. That’s valuable.

Louise Neil (21:53)

 Yes! Art gives us something outside of ourselves to gather around. It creates an invitation to share perspectives without making it about us. It’s about the thing—the film, the photo, the exhibit—and that opens the door to understanding.

Kim Romain (23:54)

 Exactly. Art creates entry points to hard conversations. It plants seeds. Maybe someone isn’t ready to talk about the issue, but they’re now aware. And that’s power.

 So let’s talk empowerment. How does art or creativity support that internal empowerment?

Stephanie Graham (25:02)

 Oh wow—so much. Even something simple like journaling three pages in the morning—Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages—it’s empowering. You’re processing your thoughts. And when you look at the world around you and realize someone created everything—benches, streetlights, donut shops—it’s like, wow... I could create too. We are surrounded by someone’s ideas. That opens up the possibility that you can add yours too.

Louise Neil (27:35)

 There’s something powerful about being called a creative. For years, I didn’t think I was one—I didn’t draw or paint. But I build and design and create systems. That counts. And when we put something into the world, something tangible, it connects us to a larger sense of meaning.

Stephanie Graham (29:45)

 Yes! I love systems thinkers. Those who design their homes, their calendars, their meal plans—it’s all art. It creates space for dreaming and execution. Even functional creativity is soul work.

Kim Romain (30:49)

 I used to be in the bullet journaling world, and whew—the gatekeeping was real. Like, “That’s not a bullet journal.” Um, it’s a journal... and it has bullets? Let’s expand the definitions and drop the judgments.

Stephanie Graham (32:00)

 Totally. There’s gatekeeping everywhere in the art world. Is it a craft or is it art? Can a photograph be considered weaving? Can enamel pins be wearable art or are they “just” craft? Honestly, if you can make a case for it—it’s art.

Kim Romain (34:27)

 I used to take my daughter to the museum, and we’d sit in front of one piece for an hour. She’d draw or write poetry. I’d write short stories. We weren’t just looking at art—we were in conversation with it.

Stephanie Graham (34:53)

 Yes! Museums should be places where people feel like they belong. I once saw two girls coloring on the floor in front of a painting—and I thought, this is how it should be. Art should invite us in.

Kim Romain (39:55)

 Any advice for folks who want to explore creativity but don’t think they’re “artists”?

Stephanie Graham (40:01)

 Take pictures of yourself doing dishes. I’m serious. Or set a challenge—like, “Today I’ll find three red things to photograph.” Use your phone. Be silly. Be curious. Just notice. Creation doesn’t have to be grand. It can live in your phone. It can be for you.

Louise Neil (44:35)

 That really landed for me. We can find beauty and creativity in the mundane. It doesn’t have to be for anyone else. Just you.

Kim Romain (44:54)

 I don’t do the dishes—my husband does. So maybe I’ll take pictures of him doing them.

Stephanie Graham (45:07)

 That would be an amazing series—“My Husband Does the Dishes.” Seriously. Everyday art.

Kim Romain (46:07)

 Stephanie, where can folks connect with you?

Stephanie Graham (46:10)

 You can find my work at missgraham.com, and my podcast Nosey AF is at noseyaf.com. It’s also on all the podcast platforms. I interview artists, activists, and everyday thinkers about creativity, social change, and what’s possible.

Kim Romain (47:09)

 I loved your episode with Lisa from Evanston Made! Such a beautiful reminder of how we can create community through art.

Stephanie Graham (47:33)

 Yes! I always say we need an “Everywhere Made.” Every community deserves that kind of platform.

Kim Romain (48:05)

 There’s the marvelous in the mundane. Let’s go find it.

Louise Neil (48:06)

 Take some pictures. Make some meaning.

Stephanie Graham (48:07)

 Yes! Do it all.