Be the Dream

Join Karaleigh in an interview with Kate Kopeikin, a breast cancer survivor and super woman who wants to help women thrive after cancer. Takeaways: 1. I leaned on my faith and had to trust that his plan and his timing was for a reason, was for a purpose. 2. Trauma is part of you but it doesn’t define you. And I think the way that you choose to process it and deal with it and work through it- that’s what defines you. 3. The sunshine is God- that is what we’re looking for! We are looking for blessings and light from God in everything and that’s how you get through and that’s how you survive and that’s how you put one foot in front of the other when everything is just crumbling around you. 4. God isn’t punishing me, he’s using me. He’s using me to share my story to help other women to know that they’re not alone. 5. I thank God for every tiny miracle, every tiny blessing, every moment. 6. I was stopped in my tracks for a reason. I needed to shift my focus. 7. Here’s the sunshine: maybe, in the long run, this can steer me in the way that I’m really meant to go. 8. We make things so over complicated to take us off the hook from putting ourselves out there and taking that risk. It’s not even fear of failure- for a lot of us it’s fear of success. 9. Who cares? Who cares what other people think? Just do it for yourself. 10. Turn your pain into your purpose and your mess into your message. Look for Kate’s upcoming podcast, Mess on a Mission. Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com

Join Karaleigh in an interview with Lisa Tschudi, a full time unpaid caretaker for her disabled daughter. They discuss the burden of caregiving and ways to seek sunshine when we are feeling overwhelmed. Takeaways: 1. It’s about persistence and being willing to put one foot in front of the other and seeking whatever you CAN do. 2. The sunshine is in pushing forward because there is hope. There is the promise of a better tomorrow even though today is awful. 3. In order to be there for your kids, you have to be there for yourself. 4. I am worthy of being comfortable. I am stronger when I am comfortable. 5. It’s all about give and take, but you have to recognize when you’re just giving and giving and giving. It’s important to know what you need and give it to yourself. 6. Learn to pick and choose and prioritize. Don’t feel the need to do everything. 7. 24/7 care is the equivalent of 4.2 full time jobs. 8. How do we fix caregiver burnout? Pay attention the rest of the time! Don’t let it get to that level before we do something about it. Look out for Lisa’s upcoming podcast, Love Doesn’t Pay the Bills. Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com

Join Karaleigh in a discussion with Mary Cardle, T21mom.com podcast host. She tells the story of getting pregnant with her only daughter, just to find out that she would be born with Down Syndrome. Takeaways: 1. Sometimes we just get through day by day, hour by hour, or even 5 minutes by 5 minutes. 2. She has taught me to be a fighter. 3. What you’re doing is important. 4. Always be kind to people. You never know if what kind of impact you might have on them. You don’t know what they’re feeling or what they’re thinking. Always be kind- it doesn’t cost anything. 5. Every single tiny centimeter of learning is worth fighting for. Every single bit of progress is worth all of the effort that it takes to get there. 6. You have no idea what this child will be able to do in the future. You cannot look at this child where they are at now and predict how much growth they are going to have because it’s probably going to blow you away. 7. She has made me into the person I was always meant to be. 8. Having special needs kids is obviously really really hard, but the little tiny miracles you see almost daily as you watch them grow and do things that people said they’d never be able to do and that even you thought they’d never be able to do- it’s just incredible. What beautiful souls they are and what light they bring to the world. Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com. Don’t forget to check out Mary’s podcast, T21mom.com

Join Karaleigh in an incredible interview with Brenda Dominguez, a minister and speaker who shares her amazing story of overcoming. Takeaways: 1. People make bad choices when they’re mad or scared or stressed (Frozen). 2. Looking at people who have wronged us from that lens of compassion is just beautiful. It helps us understand them better and it helps us forgive them. 3. All along, all through the crazy decisions and the dumb mistakes and all the bad choices, He was right there with me all along, keeping me from death. 4. The only out way is to try Him. 5. Now is the time. 6. It’s amazing how much God continues to show me that he loves me. It’s amazing to serve such a God that I know that when I speak, He’s listening, no matter what it is. 7. All He wants you and me to do is to love people regardless of where they are in their life. 8. The more that we seek God, the more that God will reveal Himself to you and me. 9. I want to tell people: no matter where you are in your life, no matter how hard it looks, no matter how uncomfortable you may be, no matter how many times you’ve failed, there is still an upside to all of it. And that upside is Jesus Christ. 10. Our tears will not go wasted. Follow Brenda’s podcast Clear Hearts & Deep Thoughts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clear-hearts-deep-thoughts/id1648007579 Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com

Join Karaleigh and Dawn as they discuss healthy relationships and radical self improvement. Takeaways: 1. My happiness is 100% contingent on me. It’s a choice every single day when I get up. My happiness with my partner and my relationship is 100% on me also because I wake up every day and choose him. And he chooses me. And we choose each other, no matter how ugly it is and how horrible it is, we choose to elevate each other and get through whatever we’re faced with. 2. I’ve learned that I cannot control anything in the whole entire world except myself and my reactions to other people. 3. Love them where they’re at. If they’re broken, love them there. 4. I’m not the boss and he’s not the boss. We navigate together. 5. My happiness is choosing me. I am the catalyst in finding my own sunshine and how I want to be. 6. If I make a mistake- it’s ok. It’s not a big deal, because tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll find good things in tomorrow, and a mistake is simply a mistake. We learn from it. The failure comes from not learning from your mistakes and doing the same things over and over. 7. Pay attention to yourself and recognize when your in a place to give of yourself and when your in a place to just… feed your soul. 8. Point forward, always. You can only heal things moving forward. 9. You’re not stuck- stuck is a mindset and a choice. I You don’t have to live there! 10. You actually are stunning. You are mind blowing. You can inspire people with your life and your story and your grit. 11. It’s as simple as looking at yourself in the mirror and instead of saying I’m going to be amazing, saying I am amazing. I am phenomenal today. Look for Dawn’s upcoming podcast: Grit, Grace, and Gratitude. Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com

Join us for an incredible interview with Kirbie Be, who transformed her life from overweight elementary school teacher to bikini model living her dream. Favorite takeaways: 1. There are people living their dreams right now- why not me? 2. Don’t underestimate how important it is to have positive voices in your ear. 3. It’s about showing yourself and other people what’s possible- look what you can have!! You just have to choose it. You just have to claim it. It costs discipline, it costs commitment, it costs dedication. 4. There’s always a solution, you just need to get away from people who have the same problem. 5. What if there’s more? What kind of sunshine, what kind of information and inspiration can I infuse into my day? 6. The only thing I can change is me. Am I stuck in this life or is it an opportunity to build bridges with people who have similar circumstances? 7. Your soul knows. Trust it. 8. Don’t be afraid to Step into the spotlight of your own life. 9. It’s about the how, not the doing or the what. If you can look at it as this is how I live, this is who I am, this is what I want, then it’s a whole lot easier. Join Kirbie for her amazing Glute Goddess program at glutegoddess.com. Find more from Karaleigh at karaleighgarrison.com.

Join us for an amazing conversation with Kelli Podzikowsky, mother and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Favorite take always: 1. A lot of the depression we feel is like the check engine light of a car- there’s a reason you’re feeling it, it’s your body telling you something isn’t right. 2. Put the bag down- the bag of fear, anger, disappointment, embarrassment, and sadness- and find the gratitude. 3. When you combat the things that are bringing you down with gratitude, those are pockets of sunshine that will blast through the darkness. 4. God is there- you are not alone. He is carrying you. Everything’s going to be ok. 5. Being able to focus on your vision- know where you’re trying to go and why you’re doing it is a huge thing. You can’t lose sight of it. 6. Don’t let your reason why become your reason why not. 7. Prioritize your values and plan your to-do list accordingly. 8. None of us were meant to be small! 9. Balance is a lie- it’s actually constant shifting. Knowing when to shift is an art and takes practice. 10. The resistance we feel in life is meant to refine us- if it’s easy, you’re not growing. Find out more at karaleighgarrison.com.

Karaleigh tells her epic car saga and discusses how she sought sunshine in this midst of chaos, uncertainty, and trauma. Take always: 1. Trauma is valid even if you weren’t actually hurt. The way the body and brain react to trauma is totally normal and acceptable. 2. Find the humor in your situation- it’s a great way to seek sunshine. 3. Practice looking for the good things in every situation, no matter how small. 4. If you’re in a moment of crisis or trauma, Stop, Drop, and Pray. Donate to the crowdfunding campaign to support Karaleigh’s home studio here: https://go-fund.me/60c6e643. Check out her website at karaleighgarrison.com.

Karaleigh practices finding the sunshine in a typical chaotic morning, then discusses the growing pains inherent in self improvement. Takeaways: 1. If I wasn’t constantly looking for the sunshine in all this chaos, I don’t think I would get through it. 2. Thinking about the ways it could be worse helps me to be grateful that it isn’t worse. 3. How can you let God guide you if you don’t take the time to listen? 4. I’m coming to realize that hard work is not the epitome of perfect qualities. Being still and being guided by the Spirit is SO much better. 5. You have to take time to be still. You have to take time to reflect. Because if you just go, go, go, go all the time, you never take the opportunity to appreciate what you have. 6. There are blessings in every trial and trials in every blessing. 7. We are all here so we can constantly improve- that’s the point of this life. 8. I’m not going to blame myself, I’m just going to move forward. Find more at karaleighgarrison.com. Support Karaleigh’s music by donating to her home studio fundraiser here: https://gofund.me/60c6e643

Join us as we talk with Amie Specht, an incredibly strong woman who tells us her story of being diagnosed with FOP and how that has impacted her life. She is such an inspiration and has so much to teach us! 

My favorite take-aways:

-Just keep going and keep doing what you can do while you still can

-Don't disable yourself

-Never say "can't." It's not that you can't do it, it's that you haven't tried. "Can't" is a choice- is it worth it?

-Find a way around the obstacles that face you

Head to karaleighgarrison.com for music and podcast updates.