In this episode we have mother, meditator, and creative Deb Owen on the podcast. Deb is a retired school counselor who also happens to be my mom and I’m thrilled to be able to share this conversation with listeners because it’s really been over a decade in the making. Deb shares her story of what it was like to witness my journey as I stepped off a conventional path in my mid-twenties to pursue spiritual studies through slow-traveling some of Asia, and how this brought challenges to our relationship but eventually benefits as well. She also discusses her personal yoga and meditation practice that evolved more recently and how starting to meditate later in life impacted her health, well-being, and relationships. In the show notes you’ll find links to her current creative projects as well as the guided meditation she practices daily.

In this episode we discuss: 

• Deb's upbringing and cultural background
• The differences she felt between religion and spirituality
• Introducing her family to yoga in the early 2000s
• Deb's career as a middle school guidance counselor and empathy for others
• The challenges of parenting Alexa when she moved across the world
• The role of prayer and trust during that time
• Why Alexa felt closed off to family whenever she would return home, and how Deb responded to that
• Staying authentic as a parent when an adult child gets judgmental
• Deb's advice to parents whose kids are going through an identity shift or living life differently than they'd like
• Mentorship and bringing meaningful work into the world
• Deb's daily meditation practice and how it's impacted her life
• Compassion, self-care, and caregiving aging parents
• Experiencing life through the heart

Resources: 

• Deb on Instagram: @debowendesigns
• Deb's Cookie Cupboard
• Deb's guided meditation
• May You Live Well on Instagram: @mayyoulivewell