This episode isn’t one of our usual Conversations, but the first of a series of what we call Reflections, in which we embrace the ever-present opportunity to find gratitude for all mothers—perfect and imperfect, absent and present, received and chosen, familial and spiritual, God Mothers and step mothers. Carly reflects on her own difficult but beautiful relationship as a daughter and as a mother; the wild love, the raw edges, the big, vulnerable truths. And then: A special Infinite Crescendo Microjourney crafted from Carly’s own lullaby for her girls layered with voices from the community, sharing from the heart. It’s a gift, in audio form, and it’s meant to guide you toward whatever it is you might like to affirm, expand, shift, or hold as your own experience with the mothers surrounding you and the mother within.

In a world that values clearly defined brands (personal and otherwise) but also rewards jack-of-all-trades who jump from one modality to the next, creative growth can be tricky. As Australia-born filmmaker and vocalist Kelsie Moore attests to here, our continual unfolding will ask us to stay open. Our offerings will only take the shapes they’re meant to take if we allow them the space and freedom to expand and shift. These lessons came, in part, during one of Carly Jo’s Heart Song retreats; and, in part, over years of filming the Emmy-award winning documentary The Gerda That Remains, a study of one woman’s memory loss and the dichotomy and partnership of the heart and the brain.

As if it’s not enough that artist Elena Stonaker’s finely sculpted and intricately beaded fabric pieces are like, “big arms to hold you,” she presents them in sonic, immersive spaces that foster a new world feeling and a powerful sense of discovery and connection. In fact, that act of bringing people together with sound, sensation, and shared experience is a kind of parallel to Infinite Crescendo—which isn’t surprising given that Elena and IC co-founder and Conversations host Carly Jo Carson are best friends. As the two Angelenos talk through a relationship rooted in art and expression, they touch on mothers, daughters, early childhood education, workshop environments, and the kind of sisterhood that emerges when two people see and support one another in their visions and desires.