The Stories That Deserve to Be Heard with Anna DeShawn Artwork

Empowered & Embodied Show

Kim Romain and Louise Neil, alongside their refreshingly candid guests, welcome you to an entertaining and profound journey exploring the human experience. Through everyday ups and downs, The Empowered & Embodied Show dives deep into what it genuinely means to be gloriously, messily human. This isn't your standard self-help podcast—it's an unfiltered exploration of the laughter, tears, and "what the heck just happened?" moments that define our lives. Whether you're riding the wave of success or navigating the swamp of self-doubt, Kim and Louise unpack the complex realities and unexpected joys of personal growth with wit, wisdom, and healthy self-deprecation. Because let's face it—becoming your most empowered self is never a straight line.

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Empowered & Embodied Show

The Stories That Deserve to Be Heard with Anna DeShawn

February 27, 2026 • Kim Romain & Louise Neil • Episode 194

0:00 | 43:21

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What does it mean to tell your story when it might not be safe to do so? And what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start creating what doesn't yet exist? Chicago-born social entrepreneur, Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame inductee, and Ambie-nominated podcast host Anna DeShawn joins Kim Romain and Louise Neil in Episode 194 of The Empowered & Embodied Show to explore the power and responsibility of queer storytelling, what it really means to build a business that's deeply personal, and why experimentation might be the most liberating framework for entrepreneurs.

From founding E3 Radio in 2009 while still in corporate America, to building The Qube, hosting podcast salons, and pressing Black and Brown voices onto vinyl, Anna is riding media into its next era, one experiment at a time.

In this episode, we dig into:

Why storytelling is an act of resistance and why not everyone has to tell their story right now
How finding your community transforms both your confidence and your impact
How adopting an experimentation mindset freed Anna from the fear of failure
Why the future of storytelling might actually be analog
What it means to create what doesn't exist yet and why you're the one to do it

Key Moments

00:00 - Welcome and introductions

03:15 - Why storytelling is a necessity, not a luxury

05:00 - Safety, readiness, and the choice to share your story

10:03 - Finding your people and building community

12:18 - Stepping into rooms where you feel like you don't belong

19:23 - On not being able to see yourself as others see you

22:13 - Why business is deeply personal

27:16 - Experimentation as a framework

32:21 - Podcast salons and the power of listening in community

36:35 - Why seeing yourself reflected is never overrated

40:00 - Failure is human and necessary

About Anna DeShawn

Anna is the founder and host of E3 Radio, an online radio station playing queer music and reporting on queer news with an intersectional lens, and the creator of The Qube, a platform for discovering independent podcasts. An Ambie-nominated podcast host, producer and multi-award winning media creator, Anna was inducted into the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame for her commitment to the LGBTQ community. She has been riding media into its next era since 2009, telling the stories and playing the music that deserves to be heard.

https://pod.link/queernews | https://theqube.app | https://linktr.ee/annadeshawn | https://www.youtube.com/@E3Radio

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