Entertaining the Light

Episode 4. Marina Smirnova, PhD: The Daimon, Transpersonal Psychology and the Performing Artist

Dr. Marina A. Smirnova was born on Sakhalin island (the Far East of Russia), and, over twenty years ago, immigrated to the United States. Her journey has been enriched by earning a Bachelor degree in Music Education (Minsk State Pedagogical Universit...

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June 2, 2023

Episode 4. Marina Smirnova, PhD: The Daimon, Transpersonal Psychology…

Dr. Marina A. Smirnova was born on Sakhalin island (the Far East of Russia), and, over twenty years ago, immigrated to the United States. Her journey has been enriched by earning a Bachelor degree in Music Education (Minsk State Pedagogical …

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April 27, 2023

Episode 3. Further Defining Creativity with the 4Ps

We further explore defining Creativity and use the psychological framework of the 4P's: person, process, press, and product, to analyze how it applies to performers. Have a P to add? www.entertainingthelight.com

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March 29, 2023

Episode 2. Defining Creativity and the Flow State

Hosts Amanda Beck and Whitney Ann Jenkins discuss and challenge the Starving Artist archetype alongside concepts from Humanistic Psychology. In this episode they discuss the definitions of Creativity and Flow according to psychology and the gaps in u...

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March 20, 2023

Episode 1: Introduction

Hosts Amanda Beck and Whitney Ann Jenkins introduce Entertaining the Light, a podcast where they discuss holistic wellness in the performing arts and challenge the Starving Artist archetype alongside concepts from Humanistic Psychology. Whitney Ann Jenkins is a mindful and …

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Defining Creativity and the Flow State

Entertaining the Light - Episode 2: Defining Creativity and the Flow State   Whitney Ann Jenkins: We made it back. So, something's going right.   Amanda Beck: Something’s going right. Absolutely. So, what are we talking about tod…

Blog...Episode 1: Introduction

Entertaining the Light - Episode 1   Whitney Ann Jenkins: Okay. Here we are, the first episode of Entertaining the Light.   Amanda Beck: Here we are.    Whitney Ann: This video podcasting is a little different for me, becau…

About the Hosts

Whitney Ann JenkinsProfile Photo

Whitney Ann Jenkins

Whitney Ann Jenkins is a mindful and reflective creative: an actress, singer-songwriter, voice-over artist, and writer.

As host and creator of the podcast Unconditioning: Discovering the Voice Within, she holds space for conversations that explore the conscious awareness of the inner authentic voice and is an advocate for the power of storytelling and its ability to connect us, globally and universally; believing that every human on the planet has an interesting story of value.

Whitney Ann is a certified Energy Healer and Reiki Master, Volunteer Crisis Counselor, and Integrative Wellness Coach, pursuing her PhD in Humanistic Psychology with a focus specifically on the boundaries and mental wellness of performing artists.

Amanda BeckProfile Photo

Amanda Beck

Amanda Beck is an artist of various forms: actress, writer, and arts-based researcher. Later this year (2023), author will be added to that roster as she publishes her first novel. Being the first book of a dystopian trilogy centered around a young girl who finds herself having to find new meaning to her fears in order to get off an island, it captures the essence of her research on the relationship between anxiety and creativity as she pursues her PhD in Humanistic Psychology.

Amanda is also a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who aims at shifting the paradigm to how we view our wellness into one that “romanticizes our health” and trusting that our desires are a divine and essential guide in living our happiest, healthiest, most fulfilled lives.