What is the purpose of pain?

Pain lets us know that something is wrong or out of alignment.

When we avoid pain, we actually prolong it. Of course experiencing pain is unpleasant but the only way out is to go through it.

The biggest lie about pain is we believe it will go on forever and we may make choices based on that belief. In my experience, even the most profound pain lessens after three days. I call it the "resurrection experience" . On the third day, you arise and realize the pain is dissipating.

But if your pain is unrelenting, seek professional help. You don't need to navigate it alone.

Endings and beginnings are part of life. We can look forward to beginning something new - a job, a relationship, an adventure. But each beginning also means something is ending. And endings can be painful.

We often try to avoid the grief that comes with endings. But you can't. It catches up with you one way or another and allowing yourself to feel the hurt helps you heal.

I'm allowing myself to experience the sadness and loss of something very important in my life. And to know that something good will come of it.

Is it just me, or is the world changing faster than ever? Yes, change is accelerating and it's dis-regulating our nervous systems and increasing stress. Why? We are hard wired to fear change. Our brain sees all change as a possible threat to our survival and so it kicks into high gear to protect us.

Some changes we look forward to such as a promotion, a new love relationship, or retirement. But we often over estimate how happy we will be when the change occurrs. Why? Change comes with challenges.

In this episode, we'll explore how to pause, pivot, and shift to enjoy the journey as we go through change. Hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please share it with a friend.

I asked Google for a definition of the word "sign". This is what it said: A sign is a gesture, action, mark, or object that conveys meaning, represents an idea, or indicates the presence of something else. I found the last six words intriguing "indicates the presence of something else."

I see signs everywhere I go. Not 3 dimensional signs, but sign from God, the Universe, and dearly departed friends and family. I am always surprised when people think this is unusual.

We all have intuitive gifts whether we acknowledge them or not. They are part of our reptilian brain, and are designed to keep us alive. Your intuition is like a muscle, it strengthens with use.

Where are signs showing up in your life that you're either acknowledging or ignoring?

What things matter to you? Your jewelry, your clothes, your photographs? A wildfire last week near where I live had my property and those close by under pre-evacuation orders. Making decisions about what would stay and what should go was surprisingly easy. - because we are not our things. We give them meaning and value. I hope I never have to evacuate my house, but if I do, I know what goes, what stays, and that my memories can never be lost.

The power and truth of this statement shook me this morning. It was the mantra that got my father through the hardest years of his life. In this episode, I'll share the story of the rainbow and why it meant so much to my Dad and now means so much to me.

Can you believe it's been a year since I started this podcast? Life has had its ups and downs, all documented here. I'm proud that I haven't given up, that I have expanded my vision of what is possible, and have been relentlessly resilient in the pursuit of my dreams.

I hope this podcast inspired you to grow and believe that you can have more of life than others will tell you is possible. I'm living proof that it is.

There are millions of things I like to do in life. Being vulnerable is not one of them. I remember when the leader of a discussion group I was in told me I was most approachable when I was being vulnerable.

What he didn't realize was when I feel vulnerable my mind tells me I'm unsafe and unable to defend myself. That isn't true, but it's how I feel. And learning to lasso my brain that is already running wild with worst case scenarios is seemingly impossible in the moment. But it's not.

Listen and learn what works for me when my tender underbelly is exposed.

Who is living inside your head? What voices are telling you that you shouldn't, you couldn't, or that they wouldn't do what you're thinking about doing?

The overarching theme of the "Are You Relentlessly Resilient?" podcast is this - change may be hard, but staying the same is harder. Too many times those the "love us" tell us we want too much, that what we are doing is dangerous, and that we'll be disappointed.

B.S. That is their fear speaking and yet you may believe what they are saying is true. Is 2026 going to be another year of SSDD (same sh*&, different day)?

Three of my friends have recently either gotten divorced or are in the process of it. And we're talking after decades of marriage. I am not advocating for divorce, but I am advocating giving yourself permission to be loved, to grow, and to fulfill your potential.

The hardest experience in a marriage or in any relationship is growing when your partner is not. But are you willing to get to the end of your life and regret not being all you could be? Something to think about as we continue to move into 2026.

We often want the results of change, but don't want to do the work required. Why, when we know that the change we want to make will improve our life, do we refuse to change or sabotage our efforts?

We are biologically hardwired to resist change. Change is a potential threat, and until we know the consequences of that change, we are unwilling to proceed.

For example, many people are overweight. They know how to lose weight, but they don't. Why? If they lose weight, they may experience attention that makes them feel uncomfortable. They may discover that being overweight was a justification they used for everything that didn't work in their life. They many tell themselves "I didn't get the promotion because I'm overweight." The truth may be that they're not qualified.

I'm unhappy in this relationship. I stay because having a crappy relationship is better than the pain I will feel if I'm not in a relationship.

You know the version of this that you're telling yourself. And if changing is too scary at this time, give yourself grace. But realize there is a path forward to making change. It starts with believing you can.