Next Level Greatness - Holistic Wellness & Success Podcast · Dr. Barbie Kalev - Holistic Success & Embodiment Coach

#108 ~ Breaking Through Barriers: Authenticity in Creative Pursuits

·22 min

She opens by musing over the name Next Level Greatness and briefly tries out alternatives like Next Level Oneness and Next Level Truth. She decides not to change it. That little joke turns into a bigger question about what greatness even means. She says she came on the mic to celebrate a breakthrough after the last episode, when she admitted she was struggling to make videos and stay authentic. A specific intuition video had her feeling like a robot. She explains that learning new information takes a lot of energy for the brain, and that she had not fully embodied the ideas she wanted to teach yet. She clarifies that she does believe in and live her teachings, but the way she was presenting them on video still felt forced to her. A friend then gives her a frame that changes the mood. The host starts mapping the different versions of herself that show up in different places: at the supermarket, with the dogs, with her husband, teaching, and speaking on the podcast. Some versions are soft, some are quiet, some are fierce. She names the hard-edged side too, the one that says not to mess with her, and recognizes that it is also her. That lands the point that authenticity does not mean one flat personality. It means being the same person across a wider range of contexts. Her friend’s comment about a diamond helps her see those variations as facets rather than masks. She then brings in Tracy Alexander, her Vedic meditation teacher, who has her own history of being on camera as a TV journalist. Tracy’s story reinforces the same idea: a camera voice can exist without canceling out the real person. A friend in that story still sees Tracy as authentic, which gives the host comfort about her own video presence. The episode keeps returning to the relief that comes with not flattening yourself just to sound natural. She closes by asking listeners to leave a review and points them toward the show notes for a voice memo if they need help doing it. The whole piece leaves her emphasizing that different versions of herself can coexist without being fake.

As heard by us

A clear reminder that polished and true do not have to mean the same thing.

The episode frames authenticity as something that shifts with context rather than holding one fixed tone. It opens by questioning the podcast name, then settles into a stronger point: different versions of the same person can show up at the supermarket, with dogs, with a…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For the moment when your camera voice starts feeling like a lie.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify