I'm so excited to be celebrating episode 300 with you, my listeners and fellow Striders. Today, we are looking back at how True Stride began, how it has grown, and how much can change when we keep showing up with honesty, curiosity, and a willingness to listen to what feels aligned. When this podcast started nearly six years ago, I had just left corporate America, I was writing a book, and I was being told I needed to build a big social media presence. But that never felt like me, so I chose a different path and followed the thing that did feel true. I was showing up, one episode, and reflection at a time.

In this episode, we talk about what it has meant to grow in real time. I look back at the early days, when I was trying to pack in every story, every question, and every takeaway because I wanted so badly to be useful and make every connection clear. Over time, the podcast became more spacious and natural, and I learned to trust that you would take what resonated, leave what did not, and apply each reflection in the way that made sense for your own life.

I also share how my dreams have shifted along the way, from living near the beach in St. Augustine to following a new vision of life in the mountains with land, gardening, chickens, and a different daily rhythm. This 300th episode is a Wise Walk through the itches we cannot ignore, the dreams that keep evolving, and the small, honest steps that help us move toward a life that feels true and appreciate how far we have come together.

• When you first started listening to this podcast, what were you seeking?
• What was it about these episodes and Wise Walks that helped you get back in touch with yourself?
• What helped you remember what you truly want and what you truly need?
• What is it about these episodes that supports you in slowing down, dropping into that big, beautiful heart of yours, and surfacing those gut feelings, intentions, and dreams deep within you?
• What helps you notice what feels aligned or what does not feel aligned, so you can have an honest conversation with yourself?
• What brought you to this podcast?
• What has changed along the way?
• What has evolved for you?
• How does this podcast or this community support you right now, in this moment?
• Over the past 300 episodes, how have you released your fear of external pressures?
• How have you shown up for yourself, expressed yourself freely, or stayed in alignment with your True Stride when it really mattered?
• When you strip away the fear of others' opinions about what you are doing or how you are showing up, what is genuinely important to you?
• Are you living in ways that you want to?
• Are you investing time in ways that fulfill you?
• Are you in full gratitude for all that you have accomplished and all that you have become in the six years we have been going on Wise Walks and having self-reflection conversations together?
• As you take yourself on a Wise Walk and reflect on where you are investing your time, are there things that once lit you up but no longer do?
• Do you give yourself permission to release them?
• Maybe it is a literal investment, an item, or a possession that you have.
• Maybe it is an activity that once lit you up, but now, for whatever reason, just does not feel aligned.
• Can you let that go so that you make space for this current version of yourself and your future version?
• Can you write your next chapter in a way that includes and prioritizes the things in your life that you want to invest in and that light you up?

For this 300th episode, my heart is absolutely full of gratitude for how far we've come and for how many itches we've scratched together. We have shed fear of external judgment so that we could align with our daily actions, values, and choices. We've shown up for ourselves in ways that really matter.

We get to live the way we want to and invest our time in ways that fulfill us. Thank you for listening, for witnessing my own evolution, and for sharing vulnerably in yours. I look forward to unpacking whatever itches we need to scratch in the future as we listen to our big, beautiful hearts that already know our answers.

In this episode:

• [02:57] When I first started this podcast, everyone was saying, you need a social media presence. I tried social media, but it didn't feel aligned.
• [04:26] I was exploring other avenues and decided to start a podcast.
• [06:00] My book was about dropping into your heart, determining what lights you up, and then going after that, while staying in alignment with your true authentic self.
• [07:05] I've evolved as a podcaster. I used to pack a lot in my Wise Walks, but now I try to encourage discovering what feels in alignment for you.
• [08:23] These broad topics and free flowing conversations leave room to interpret and reflect in whatever way feels most relevant and aligned for you.
• [09:09] Pressure to create jam-packed episodes was a little too suffocating for me.
• [10:20] We are deeply connected, and this podcast has helped me show up in the best version of myself.
• [12:22] It's been one of my dreams to live in an area that made me feel like I was on vacation. I did that in St Augustine, Florida. My next dream was living in the mountains and on the land.
• [13:29] I journaled about a day in the life on my mountain, homestead farm.
• [14:45] I love how these Wise Walks allow me to continually check in with myself and examine whether I'm living in alignment.
• [15:32] Living our dream life takes time. The process of checking in with ourselves gives us a huge advantage.
• [17:12] Take time to recognize your dreams and put in action steps and everything that will move you toward the direction that you want to go.
• [18:26] This podcast has helped me continually ask questions and release what doesn't fulfill me anymore.
• [19:25] I love how the self-reflection questions on our Wise Walks give me time to check in with myself and see if what I'm investing in is still lighting me up.

Memorable Quotes:

• • "I understood the value of a podcast, and something about it felt aligned. It gave me a way to be vulnerable, share my message, and put myself out there in a way that could attract the right audience." - Mary Tess
  • "Growth happens when we keep showing up, one honest reflection at a time, even when we do not know exactly where the path is leading." - Mary Tess
  • "Over the course of these six years, both you and I have evolved, and you have always surprised me with how heartfelt your intentions are to show up as the best version of yourself." - Mary Tess

Links and Resources:

• Mary Tess Rooney
• Email
• Heart Value

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