Emotional Expedition: A Journey of Healing with Meghan Thomas

Not everyone feels a connection between emotions and spirit, and that’s okay. There are many spiritual teachings and religious beliefs that can be overwhelming, but in all of them there is a connection to the emotional state of people. 

Anger, joy, resentment and love all have their place within our lives and through our experiences. 

My guest today is an interspiritual minister and guide that leads Sunday Celebrations. Reverend Lisa Sarick’s spiritual awakening and journey through art therapy, energy healing, and yoga is such an inspiration. 

“When you have something inside you and you create something, you're literally moving the energy from inside you to something that's outside of you.” -Lisa Sarick 

Emotional areas we explore and discuss in this episode: 

Lisa helps people return to their natural states by clearing all that isn’t love. She has many modalities she uses to get people there, but one of the best nuggets of wisdom she shared is this idea that you don’t have to continually work on yourself non-stop. You can do some of the therapy she talks about like EFT or EMDR and then go live your life like normal. Allow yourself time to adjust and see how the sessions are working for you. 

Moving energy and unlocking emotional trauma is a heavy lift and you have to meet yourself with love and compassion. If anger and frustration arise, it’s okay. Emotions are not good or bad, they just are, and they point to what’s going on with us at a deeper level. 

Lisa shares this beautiful quote from one of her favorite books. It really demands you take pause to sit with this thought. It’s a powerful one. 

“Celebrate your spontaneity. It is not a spiritual downer, but an indication that if your anger can erupt, so can your heart open and so can God speak to you.” -Lisa Sarick 

Connect with Lisa Sarick 

Website: http://www.lisasarick.com  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisasarick/  

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Gratitude is one of the most effective tools we have for our physical body, emotional body, mental body, and spiritual body. 

In her book, Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown defines gratitude as an emotion that reflects our deep appreciation for what we value, what brings meaning to our lives, and what makes us feel connected to ourselves and others. 

I wanted to bring you this episode in time for the holiday to share with you all the opportunities you have for bringing more gratitude into your everyday life. Some of these ideas and practices will hopefully surprise you as much as they did me. 

Key thoughts and lessons found in this episode: 

There is a relationship between gratitude and joy that I discuss in this episode, but I think it’s uber important to also acknowledge that emotions like grief, pain, and loss can also be present in a way that commands we find the gratitude. Gratitude is literally a game changer that is necessary for our overall emotional regulation. 

A good [gratitude] practice can reduce anxiety and fear and increase positive emotions 

Wherever you land on gratitude for this upcoming holiday, I hope that you find the right combination of gratitude practice that will shift your mood, your outlook, and your overall happiness. Please check out the resources below for a deeper gratitude dive.                                                       

Links for this episode: 

Atlas of the Heart Book Study: https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart  

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/3DT60n8   

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567  

Oprah Super Soul Sunday Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oprahs-super-soul/id1264843400?mt=2  

Huberman Lab Podcast: https://hubermanlab.com/category/podcast-episodes/  

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I've had a really rough week and it was the kind of week that left me looking for the opportunity to cry. Instead of gravitating towards a movie, I decided to join a kirtan event at a local yoga studio. The live music was played with the lights lowered so you could only see other’s silhouettes while you sit and go through your own internal journey. 

This experience was the opportunity I needed to be free. It was a beautiful moment of reverence. In this episode, we’re unpacking admiration and reverence. I have some fun exercises you can do after you listen that will help guide your relationships, and spot in others what is true about us. 

Admiration often leads us to wanting to improve ourselves. 

Brene Brown defines admiration as when someone's abilities, accomplishments or character inspires us, or when we see something else that inspires us like art or nature. The important thing to keep top of mind is that admiration makes us want to improve. 

Thoughts and lessons shared in this episode: 

The tricky part about reverence is that there is an upside and a negative side to it. In this episode you hear me explain why social media is being held reverent for some people which is dangerous and has mental health issues on the rise. 

Anything that demands reverence that is not open to being challenged or questioned is problematic.  

It doesn’t mean that reverence doesn’t appear during a yoga session to bring you to center and calm and beauty in the present moment. I hold many things as reverent, especially nature and religion.  

Reverence can foster a desire for connection to what we revere. 

Links for this episode: 

Atlas of the Heart Book Study with Meg: https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart  

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/3DT60n8  

The 7 Principles for Making Marriage work by Dr. John Gottman: https://amzn.to/3EomQMp  

To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue: https://amzn.to/3tdwXx2  

Altar Your Life an online course by Saraswati Om: https://digitalstudio.saraswatiom.com/products/altar-your-space  

Prayers of Honoring by Pixie Lighthorse: https://amzn.to/3hf4JPC  

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Some days our inner voice is so strong it can feel debilitating. We judge ourselves harshly, compare our worst days to someone else’s best, and it feels like we’ll never be enough. 

How often do you quiet your inner voice or turn the volume down and just allow yourself to be? Be in the present moment. Be still and sit with yourself. When do you give yourself the permission to just be soft with yourself? 

My guest today, Kelly Covert, is an Inner Voice Coach, speaker, author and podcast host of In Her Voice podcast. The beauty of her journey has been finding a way to fail at perfection while discovering that it’s okay to be soft with yourself and just exist. Kelly helps women experience a fulfilling life connected to their purpose when they learn to listen to their true inner voice and be kinder to themselves, 

“I'm tapping into how I want to feel, not trying to make sure everyone else feels okay.” -Kelly Covert 

Kelly shares her insight on the trick to being soft with yourself. Letting go of perfectionism, trusting that you know what you need in the moment over a checklist or scheduled task and event is a big part of how being soft works. Turning down your inner mean girl is super hard, and there are things you tell yourself and expectations you place on yourself that make being soft feel impossible. 

Ideas we explore and uncover in this episode: 

Learning to hold space with yourself and allowing yourself to sit with the emotions that are uncomfortable is hard, but it is such a necessary part of healing and feeling whole. In this episode,  

I also share a really difficult situation that hurts and makes me want to run and hide. There was no way around the pain and disappointment I was feeling. The best thing I could do was give myself room to process my feelings, and be soft with myself. 

“When we are soft with ourselves, we also then give other people permission to be soft with themselves, and soft with us.” -Kelly Covert 

Connect with Kelly Covert 

Website: https://www.kellycovert.com/  

In Her Voice Podcast: https://www.kellycovert.com/podcast  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjcovert/ 

Atlas of the Heart book study: https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart 

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Writing in a journal doesn’t have to be just a record of what you did today. Writing can be incredibly healing and super personal. It’s you, a pen, a paper, and your thoughts. 

Opening up and allowing yourself to process emotions is never easy, but doing so through writing allows you to go deeper into healing if you know how to tap into it. 

Sam Wallen is a writer, poet, and writing guide. She uses the title Restorative Writing Mentor. She helps people through an internal journey into their sacred story giving a voice to wounds and forgotten parts within to bring them to a path of healing.

“It's hard to sit in the discomfort. It's hard to be present with the ugliest emotions, the most uncomfortable emotions.” -Megahn Thomas

Sam begins by taking us through her journey of processing the emotions of losing her mom at a young age to chronic illness. She explains how she faced the complexity of those emotions as a child and the role writing has played in navigating uncertainty and knowing what the next steps are for her in life.

Key concepts and ideas we discuss in this episode:

Sam's approach to writing is healing and transformational in the way it nurtures the sacred stories of the soul. We talk about what it looks like to step out of the psychology of writing and get into the flow of writing. It’s not a black and white process. It’s sometimes gray.

“What my writing life is for the most part, is trying to be as present to the physical realities of my life” -Samantha Wallen

When you are writing to heal emotionally it's scary and messy and sometimes deep dark work that is beyond uncomfortable. In Sam’s writing circles and mentoring she anchors you to the practice of allowing space for your soul to speak and not forcing it. Your writing process can be therapeutic and revealing when you discover how to navigate, refine, and trust it.

Connect with Samantha Wallen

Website: https://samanthawallen.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha_wallen/ 

Website

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Comparison finds its way into many emotionally charged conversations, but in and of itself, it’s not even an emotion that we feel. Comparison does stir mounds of emotion within us, some for the better, but it’s more often associated with bringing out the worst side of people. 

“Comparison is the thief of joy”, always finds its way into the conversation when we look at someone’s best highlight moment and compare it to our boring, uneventful, sometimes slippery slope of moments we’re just trying to live through. 

Today the deep dive is comparison, which is taking us into Chapter 2 of Brene Brown’s book, Atlas of the Heart. For this episode, I want to carefully explore all the internal places comparison takes us to and leave you with practical steps and resources you can use to create healthier responses to comparison. 

“When we compare, we want to have the best or be the best of our group.”  

Comparison is definitely a double-edged sword in more ways than one. First, it’s something we do intentionally and unintentionally. We want to fit in, but we also want to be the best. 

Key points on comparison we explore in this episode: 

It feels super unfair when we compare ourselves to others. Someone is always more “er” - smarter, richer, happier, prettier, skinnier, - which can leave you on the side of feeling discontent and dissatisfied or superior and better. Comparison can direct you towards more positive emotions and healthier responses once you are aware. You have to be aware that it’s happening, be able to check in with your body and your mind to see how it’s making you feel and make the conscious decision to be inspired or motivated, or filled with gratitude and compassion. 

“If you don't define what success means to you, you'll be forced to use the definition of others.” 

Self Work for Digging Deeper:  

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Atlas of the Heart Book Study 

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown 

Strengths Finder 

Stretch by Scott Sonenshein  

On Purpose with Jay Shetty  

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown Podcast 

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You have critical need to your wellbeing, and it’s for human connection and relationships. How you respond to your emotions directly impacts relationships in your life and it also dictates how well you struggle through life’s challenges. You can be motivated by a host of things, but what makes life worth living always comes back to the relationships we have with ourselves and with others. 

In today’s episode, Jaime “JJ” Weisberg, founder of Northbound and Positive Psychology Coach and Consultant, reveals why she’s a human potentialist that helps people learn how to live above neutral and be more resilient. 

“All emotions are good. Some of them are uncomfortable, but they're all good for us in some way.” -Jaime “JJ” Weisberg 

Positive psychology isn’t about feeling good no matter what, and it’s not about trying to fix what’s wrong, it’s about looking at the role of positive emotions and how we better function in those emotions. Jaime captures the essence of positive psychology being the solution of what gets you north of neutral beyond the survival, I’m just okay, point and to a life that is thriving.  

Some key discussion points I have with Jaime: 

Your wellbeing deserves to be prioritized in a world that seems to be overflowing with situations and challenges that breed so much negativity. Reaching your human potential is going to require that you consider all of your emotions and accept that even though some of them don’t feel great there is a need to experience all of humanness. When you begin exploring your emotions and processing them in healthier ways, you make room for what really matters, human connection. Positive psychology, as Jaime shines light on it, is about bringing us wellbeing with ourselves and with others. 

“The single biggest predictor of our wellbeing, of our livelihood, and also our physical health is the quality of relationships that we have with other people, period.” -Jaime “JJ” Weisberg 

Connect with Jaime: 

Website: https://headnorthbound.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/head_northbound/  

My website with the show notes:  

https://www.meghanthomas.com/blog/podcast%2Fjaime-weisberg 

Atlas of the Heart Book Study:  

https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart  

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Emotions serve a purpose whether we think of them as being useful or not. No one enjoys feeling sad, but sadness allows you to experience greater joy. You’d never go to bed hoping to wake up feeling anxious, and yet even anxiety is useful in telling us to pay attention. 

For today’s episode, I decided to try something a little different. We’re having a group discussion and review of a book we just finished for a book club I am part of called, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain. My guests today, Rachel, Jill, and Erica, share their insights and unique perspectives to invite you on this journey and hopefully encourage you to also check out the book as well. 

Brené Brown defines bittersweet as being a mix of happiness and sadness. Susan Cain defines it as a tendency to states of longing and sorrow. It is in the longing and sorrow where she opens this world where light and dark are forever paired together. Here are some of the areas we took deeper dives into on this episode: 

“Our culture has made happiness the desired destination for everything.” -Meghan Thomas 

The thing about this book that’s worth highlighting is that the author does a great job explaining why it’s okay for you to experience the full range of emotions. You don’t have to feel pressured into living and experiencing your life through the lens of happiness and positivity. Of course, happiness feels great, and being positive can move us in the right direction, but giving yourself permission to be bittersweet, to grieve, and sit with your sadness has a role in making you a healthier whole person with a real life and real experiences. 

“When grief came or loss came, I was immediately connected with my longing.” -Rachel 

Check out additional resources from the book, Bittersweet: 

Bittersweet by Susan Cain: https://amzn.to/3CkVl3X 

Bittersweet Quiz: https://susancain.net/susans-bittersweet-quiz/  

Bittersweet Playlist: https://susancain.net/wp-content/uploads/BIttersweet-Playlist.pdf  

Atlas of the Heart Book Study: https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart

Sat Siri/Rachel’s Website: https://satsiri.mykajabi.com 

Sat Siri/Rachel’s Instagram: @satsiri 

My website with the show notes:  

https://www.meghanthomas.com/blog/podcast%2Fbittersweet-review 

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No one is exempt from carrying some kind of emotional baggage and trauma. The odds that you were raised without some kind of trauma are nearly impossible. Trauma doesn’t look the same for everyone, and so it isn’t necessarily a result of being raised in a dysfunctional home.  

“I don’t think you can think your way through healing, I think you have to feel your way through it.” -Trish Law 

Many people are brought up in quiet, loving families and still carry emotional baggage and trauma with them into their adult life. It’s so important that you release those stuck emotions you’ve been holding onto, and that maybe you’re not even aware of. 

It’s such an honor to have Trish Law join me on today’s episode. She is such an incredible life coach and breathwork teacher. She’s a solopreneur and host of The Alchemy Podcast. Through transformational breathwork, Trish has helped me have some of the biggest emotional releases I have ever experienced. In this episode, Trish shares: 

Trisha does an incredible job articulating exactly why transformational breathwork is able to unlock deep levels of trauma in ways that affect our nervous system and helps our energy move more freely as we continue to do the work. 

“This circular breathwork, this transformational breathwork, literally addresses trauma, that’s what it’s designed to do, so it goes right to the source of a lot of our suffering.”-Trish Law 

If trauma is really a separation from self as Trish explains it, then you owe it to yourself and to the people you love to heal. As she says, it’s not a process you’ll be able to think your way through, you’re going to have to feel you way through to the other side of healing and emotional release that you deserve. 

Connect with Trish Law: 

Website: https://trishlawcoaching.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrishlaw/  

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Vulnerability is super challenging. Acknowledging emotions that are painful and uncomfortable can make you feel defensive. It’s important that you be kind with yourself when you’re feeling vulnerable and extend grace to yourself for being human. 

In this episode, I’m sharing the last emotion from chapter 1 of Brene Brown’s book, Atlas of the Heart, which is vulnerability. It is the key to wholeheartedness and having courage in uncertain times. 

Some of the key points I want to share with you today are: 

“In a world where perfectionism, pleasing, and proving are used as armor to protect our egos and our feelings, it takes a lot of courage to show up and be all in when we can't control the outcome.” -Brene Brown 

Vulnerability is often seen as a weakness and we’re ultimately told to be brave, be strong and be courageous. You’ll probably never hear someone acting in bravery called weak, and yet the very act of bravery requires total vulnerability. There is no way to separate the two. You cannot be brave and courageous without risking something and ultimately being vulnerable, which is why it is the ultimate paradox. 

It’s hard to do life without vulnerability. Though we try to avoid it, the truth is it’s unavoidable. Brene defines vulnerability in Atlas of the Heart as an emotion we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. 

One of the things I really want you to understand and hold onto from this episode is that it takes courage to be vulnerable, and vulnerable moments shared can make a person feel seen, less isolated, and more connected, but not everyone deserves your vulnerability. I share more about this in my fertility story, but I also share with you the new rule I’ve adopted after many lessons: I only share vulnerably with people who can be just as vulnerable with me. 

“Being vulnerable feels dangerous and I think it feels scary and I think it’s terrifying, but I don’t think it’s as dangerous, scary, or terrifying as getting to the end of our lives and wondering what if I would have shown up.” -Brene Brown 

Questions to reflect on your own vulnerability: 

Being vulnerable is part of showing up in life for yourself and for the people you love. I think that as you reflect on your own vulnerability, you’ll see that in the times when you were your most vulnerable, you were your bravest and most courageous self. The outcome may hurt, but it becomes less relevant when you stand proud knowing that you risked the uncertainty and exposed the real you anyway. 

Resources: 

Atlas of the Heart Book Study: https://www.meghanthomas.com/atlas-of-the-heart  

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/3S8W6Dw  

The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate: https://amzn.to/3DExbnp  

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/3BTDCRX  

Bittersweet by Susan Cain: https://amzn.to/3SgMGFT  

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell: https://amzn.to/3Lv3mHv  

Ted Talk: The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability  

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