<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The BRAs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Empowerment Through Connection and Growth]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:49:21 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thebras.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Thank You (falettinme be mice elf agin) &#38; Sly &#38; The Family Stone]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is the last song in the 2025 Unplug &#38; Elevate playlist, and it embraces a core value that we BRA’s share. By now maybe you can name it. Both Eileen and Charlotte have written about it in their reflections on Break My Stride or Pink Pony Club. I’d name that value as finding a place for your authentic self. The three of us have spent the last two summers blogging about how finding the right song, that expresses just the right volume of sentiment, at the right time has led us to getting...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/thank-you-falettinme-be-mice-elf-agin-sly-the-family-stone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f500e3c740ba3637924e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_58f7c5a30e124da09d1cee23e76ca649~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Your Own Kind of Music]]></title><description><![CDATA[Cass Elliot is, was, and always will be the mother of making your own rules. I may be a ‘90s grunge child, but there’s always space for The Mamas and the Papas—and especially Cass as a solo artist—in my life. In a world full of skinny blonde sopranos, there was Cass Elliot’s velvet-rich alto voice coming from a luscious brunette, reminding us there’s more than one song worth singing—and more than one way to live a life. For a well-built, alto-singing swimming girl like me, hearing Cass Elliot...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/make-your-own-kind-of-music</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f1af367ed35011d65624</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_544342289b9647be98814087656220b2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worthy]]></title><description><![CDATA[I love Mavis Staples. She’s a lifelong civil rights activist and an R&#38;B/gospel music icon who began her career in 1948 with her father and sisters in The Staple Singers. Her voice finds my ear everywhere—movies, commercials galore—and her face even graces a mural across from a drugstore near my house. To me, she is as much the soundtrack of Chicago as the skyline supported by the Hancock Building (and whatever we’re calling the Sears Tower these days). So, when Eileen Murphy and Charlotte...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/worthy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f59f367ed35011d65ec3</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_483e230db321425394fc51a8e091bb29~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arrow]]></title><description><![CDATA[A few newsletters back, I mentioned that I had obtained my PCC (Professional Certified Coach) through the International Coaching Federation (aka the Grand Poobahs).  A few weeks after taking and passing the exam, a colleague whom I met through my previous coaching certification process asked how it felt to be PCC Certified.  I realized that I hadn’t actually taken a moment to recognize the magnitude of this step.  I had studied, and prepped, and spoken with multiple colleagues about their...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/arrow</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f263367ed35011d657d5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_6819f0a6c0204d0aba25812e50e14c1b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>charlotte8491</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Break My Stride]]></title><description><![CDATA[Picture this: Copenhagen, Denmark. Summer of 2024. I was about to wrap up one of the most incredible adventures of my life—living abroad in the Nordics, getting set to return to sweet home Chicago. For anyone who has ever uprooted their life and moved to a new country, you’ll understand when I say: there are no words. It’s the loneliest and yet most connected experience you can have. To traverse a country and its ways—without really knowing them, on your own. In a nation of 6 million, I...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/break-my-stride</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f11a1f44c606b3755d5c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_74ba281fa9a140c4b60982266f1f3055~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pink Pony Club]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unlike the first article I wrote for this series (Awake My Soul), which required me to slow the already slow paced song down and dissect it word by word, Pink Pony Club has basically been playing on repeat in my head since the moment I first heard it.   At its heart, this song is about finding the place where you belong – or, as my family calls it, finding your people. I grew up with a perfectly loving and lovely family in a perfectly lovely town, yet I rarely felt like I fit in or had found...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/pink-pony-club</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f430e3c740ba363790ac</guid><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_894d7759e90745c3966ae45d016825d9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>charlotte8491</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Digging in the Dirt]]></title><description><![CDATA[Have you ever surprised yourself in a bad way? In a "why did I say that, drink that much, send that email, eat all the cupcakes, or spend that much?" kind of way? Or maybe you, like me, have found yourself thinking, “Why haven’t I done (insert THE big hard thing) yet?” A couple of years ago, my spouse and I experienced an unexpected a crushing heartbreak. While discussing that loss with friends, they invited us to join them on a trip. We couldn’t say yes fast enough. With only a few weeks to...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/digging-in-the-dirt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f744aaa8d363bc44154d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_cdcb580e0bd6466890fb484c113fbb02~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't Look Back in Anger]]></title><description><![CDATA[2025 Unplug &#38; Elevate Playlist: Unplug Some songs expand our capacity for love and kindness. Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis is mine. Seventeen months after the song was released, my friends and I experienced a tragedy that forced us into grief long before we were ready. One of our dear friends and her entire family were killed by a drunk driver while on their Fourth of July road trip. I still remember the moment my neighbor-friend told me what happened—I honestly thought she was joking. We...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/don-t-look-back-in-anger</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21eff3aaa8d363bc440595</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_64929256e18946a88356d9d9ce70bdc3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>charlotte8491</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Awake My Soul]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Meg, Eileen, and I first started noodling around with the idea of a summer play list, back in the spring of 2024, I thought this would be the easiest project ever.  I love music and I enjoy writing, how much fun would it be to put the two together, with some of my favorite people.  Turns out, favorite people aside, it was much more difficult than I anticipated – not just the organization of this project, but it turns out that writing about music is really difficult for me.  As Meg,...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/awake-my-soul</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21f31d1f44c606b37561e5</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_c0e1b90e1ef0471e90f783519689adde~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Drink Water]]></title><description><![CDATA[Inhale. Feel your feet underneath you. Exhale. Wiggle your toes. Hold your Breath. Feel your hips in your chair. Inhale. Lengthen your torso. Exhale. Roll your shoulders down your back, let your jaw go slack. Hold your Breath for four seconds As you inhale- Feel all the parts of your core shift to accommodate the air. Take a second and breathe. In and out. In and out. How does that feel? What are your senses telling you? Now try drinking water if any is near you. For a moment, just a moment,...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/drink-water</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f62bce062e4a09f176ad</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 19:37:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_c56123b63a964055bef8b24d04b6b93b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads]]></title><description><![CDATA[When we first discussed this playlist series, The Talking Heads’ song Once in a Lifetime instantly popped into my head.  I often use this song as an example of my “ideal” client.  People will ask, who are your clients?  And I’ll answer, you know that Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime?  That’s my ideal client, people who wake up to the notion that this is not their beautiful life (or career), and they don’t want to let the days go by.  To me, this song is the perfect example of hearing...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/once-in-a-lifetime-talking-heads</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f548ce062e4a09f17471</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:33:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_d0bc8bdf218e4212bd0f57799571625c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Girl Anthems for ALL]]></title><description><![CDATA[No Doubt "Just a Girl" (1995) Take this pink ribbon off my eyes I'm exposed and it's no big surprise Don't you think I know exactly where I stand? This world is forcing me to hold your hand Madonna "What it Feels Like for a Girl" (1998) Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short Wear shirts and boots 'cause it's okay to be a boy But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading 'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading But secretly you'd love to know what it's like wouldn't you? What it...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/girl-anthems-for-all</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f3a0ce062e4a09f16ff2</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jul 2024 19:26:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_226e7bbeacb9497399c74b71beac9154~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Demons]]></title><description><![CDATA[This song shows up on our Unplug &#38; Elevate playlist because healing has to start somewhere. I think Allison Russell is a remarkable artist and this song is SOO Good. I keep humming this song days after hearing it. In interviews, Allison has spoken about the song's meaning, which comes from overcoming her childhood trauma. She wanted this song to have a groove and humor infused in the lyrics - not some sad dirge filled with pity. She points to something I know deeply: humor, music, and any...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/demons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f4bb2a9023e233352b57</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 19:31:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_218ff294c7d349ba8eb1f647a7a12cea~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crowded Table]]></title><description><![CDATA[I want a house with a crowded table And a place by the fire for everyone The song "Crowded Table" by the Highwomen resonates deeply with the themes that often emerge in my coaching discussions. Nearly all my clients offer a similar image to these lyrics. People want to lead a life where they are loved and are loving. But the clients are speaking with me because life has gotten too big, too noisy, too pressurized. They feel life is overwhelming, and believe they are too small. Their needs have...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/crowded-table</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f5d7a4542e94952b1e2e</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:35:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_19d9b6de08734f608b8424e83d864550~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Indigo Girls]]></title><description><![CDATA[I couldn’t fathom a playlist about songs that speak to our truths without multiple Indigo Girls’ songs.  I probably could have done an entire series just on these amazing women and their songs that have helped shape countless moments of my life.  I consider the Indigo Girls to be modern day prophets, poets, women warriors, sages, healers, and icons – and the list could go on.  I don’t think of myself as a very deep thinker.  In college I loved philosophy class, my degree is in art history, I...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/indigo-girls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f2ec2a9023e233352689</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jul 2024 19:24:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_7877158ab2ce400a8271f836196914f0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Learn]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unplug &#38; Elevate: Notes of Empowerment Summer Playlist is a collaborative mixtape of music and thoughts sourced by three colleagues who work in the areas of wellness, burnout, and purpose, but more importantly, who are friends. We know that having the right playlist for a road trip (or whatever journey one is on) makes ALL the difference. This summer, we handpicked songs from our lives that helped us to rebalance, recoup our own stories, and root into our purpose. Listen now  --- You live you...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/you-learn</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f093f3631a430c8d7467</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jul 2024 19:16:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_a326b3b155844e12a61bfa455aa47f07~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Will I Learn, Rob Riccardo]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is this prayer that I can sometimes find a hymnal. The origin is from India and it starts “Like an ant on a stick both ends of which are burning, I go to and fro without knowing what to do and in great despair.”  YES! That’s it. That’s all I need. That’s how I feel. My anxiety is that ant running back and forth; cut off from the community, and not able to put the fire out.  Scared. Willing to do anything to survive. Naming that feeling as anxiety is often helpful in the moment, but it...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/when-will-i-learn-rob-riccardo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f25cf3631a430c8d78e7</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jul 2024 19:21:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_579d02ffff054e4d962bf9d6760d864d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Uninvited]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unplug &#38; Elevate: Notes of Empowerment Summer Playlist is a collaborative mixtape of music and thoughts sourced by three colleagues who work in the areas of wellness, burnout, and purpose, but more importantly, who are friends. We know that having the right playlist for a road trip (or whatever journey one is on) makes ALL the difference. This summer, we handpicked songs from our lives that helped us to rebalance, recoup our own stories, and root into our purpose. LISTEN HERE! This...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/uninvited</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f4132a9023e233352995</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:28:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_37042a73a7a344e6af7012377b4bcc96~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eminem: An Unwinding Tale From "Us vs Them" to "Us Together"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unplug &#38; Elevate: Notes of Empowerment Summer Playlist is a collaborative mixtape of music and thoughts sourced by three colleagues who work in the areas of wellness, burnout, and purpose, but more importantly, who are friends. We know that having the right playlist for a road trip (or whatever journey one is on) makes ALL the difference. This summer, we handpicked songs from our lives that helped us to rebalance, recoup our own stories, and root into our purpose. Listen now  --- In the late...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/eminem-an-unwinding-tale-from-us-vs-them-to-us-together</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15ef57f3631a430c8d7175</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:09:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_22e12c03af894ed885969010d5ac58df~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stupid Big Teeth, EMMY]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s Me. Hi. I’m the Problem. I remember being in early elementary school and my teachers continually telling me to “worry about myself.” I was worried that someone (including myself) was going to be overlooked. I had some delusion that I could be helpful, thinking it would be good to let grown-ups know when my peers were misbehaving or needed help. Now, after spending time with first and second graders, I understand just how annoying it is to manage a tiny tattletale. My sincere apologies to...]]></description><link>https://www.thebras.org/post/stupid-big-teeth-emmy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a04819968a3e7adcb156cd7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:52:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/decc28_e545e6718e814ade817330b48783cbf1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_940,h_788,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Eileen Murphy</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>