“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Grit, Grace and Gratitude: Navigating Emotional Wellbeing with Essential Oils is a new podcast series. Join me on this journey and learn the benefits of essential oils for your mind, body and spirit.

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan and I’m joined today by Linnea Offerman.

Each week, I interview coaches, spiritual explorers and essential oil educators from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 

I am delighted to introduce my guest, Linnea Offerman.

Linnea is a functional medicine nurse and health coach. She is a recovering food addict having lost 90 pounds, and strives for a healthy and natural home with her husband and two children.

I hope this episode is just as insightful and inspiring for you as it was for me.

Linnea, I'm SUPER excited you are here.

4:22 I knew there had to be more, so I started researching and looking into other options and fell in love with functional medicine, a holistic approach, root cause analysis care. And from there I just started delving into nontoxic living and what else in this world - the sad American diet the Standard American Diet is one thing that's near and dear to my heart - I beat with my weight loss journey losing 90 pounds and moving into focusing on food as medicine has been crucial in my life.

7:41 I am addicted to food, I would hide food from my husband, I would go out of my way I would live that I needed to be somewhere earlier than I needed to so I could go somewhere and eat food. If I was going to a restaurant with friends, I would eat at home first. So, they wouldn't see the amount of volume that I would want to binge on at a restaurant.

10:45 I no longer am a slave to food thoughts which is just as good or better than the weight loss truly like I was a slave in my mind to food. And now I know what I'm going to eat I know it's enough. I know what satisfies my body it keeps me going I've been maintaining my weight loss for almost 250 days. I'm 621 days sober from flour and sugar today. So I'm coming up on getting close to two years and it has been just absolutely life changing.

12:11 There is a fantastic blend called Motivate, which is which is exactly what that's for. It's been cultivated by the doTERRA science oil experts for that purpose. But I also really love the blend, Adaptive. Adaptive brings you out of a chaotic environment and helps you really center in and get focused. It's also very calming for addiction. So, it can be you can use it for any type of addictions. There are all sorts of addictions, there's chemical addictions and process addictions.

14:07 Absolutely. So, grit I love that word and I've never really identified it with it before until my one of my mastermind sisters tells me all the time that I have grit and I was like what is this word? So, I looked it up and it's a perseverance and passion for a long-term goal. And that spoke to my soul, like it's getting me through, I'm a heavy weightlifter.

21:24 Do you remember, like the old school black original ChapStick before ChapStick got fancy, there was just one ChapStick brand. ChapStick, it was a black container, my dad has used that like every day of his life. And so, if I smell original black ChapStick, I immediately think of my dad that is because our olfactory nerve goes to our amygdala and then our hippocampus. And I find that just fascinating.

23:00 But also at the same time, I really encourage my Oilers to be very intuitive, that if you're experiencing something and you smell one of the ones that I recommend, and you don't like it, and it turns you off, well, there's two points to that. One point is you probably really need it - oftentimes we are turned off to an oil emotionally, because that's an emotion we struggle with.

27:04 Oils are backed by science. For me as a nurse that is so important. And I mean, there's so many amazing things to know about oils and to learn about them. But that's just, for me a really, really important thing that they are backed by science and that they're timeless.

33:35 My mom always told me whenever I would clean up my diet. I was one of the lucky ones, I guess my face would thin out first, and so you could really see it in my face. But she would say I had this glow. And she would always tell me Linnea healthy looks really good on you. It was never, she never encouraged me about the weight loss just being healthy. You glow. And so I just have always taken that to heart. And so that's where the healthy looks good on you comes from.

That brings us to the end of this episode! Thanks to Linnea Offerman for joining us and I genuinely hope the tips Linnea shared on the emotional components of essential oils was beneficial to you. As always, thanks for listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast.

If you love this conversation and you want to continue it or want to share your thoughts, your takeaways, or just any aha’s that come up…come on over to Instagram. That is where I spend most of my time when it comes to social media. I'm @cindy.macmillan on Instagram. Make sure you're following me. Say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

“Fully grieve your losses and also, let yourself feel the full weight of your joys.” ~ Morgan Harper Nichols

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan and I’m joined today by Jamie Martin.

Each week, I interview coaches, spiritual explorers and essential oil enthusiasts from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 

I heard someone say, "Everyone needs enough grit to stand their truth, grace to accept who they are, and gratitude to live a happy life." It perfectly sums up my new podcast series.  Grit, Grace and Gratitude: Navigating Emotional Wellbeing with Essential Oils

Join me on this journey of learning about essential oils and integrating them into our daily lives.

I am delighted to introduce my guest, Jamie Martin.

Jamie is a Life and Leadership Coach who is passionate about partnering with people who have been going so long they lost themselves. Her 17-year career in technology at companies like DoubleClick and Google, combined with intensive coach certification training gives Jamie a unique perspective into what it takes to make a significant transformation for her clients. Working with Jamie, her clients end up standing in their power, even when they are doing the uncomfortable things, they have always dreamed of doing.

Jamie, I'm SUPER excited you are here.

5:24 The thing that I've experienced with a lot of my clients, is that oftentimes, we try to move forward too quick. It's like, we name it, and we move forward, but we don't experience the emotion. And this is one thing I love about toddlers, because, they experience it, you know, fully embody it. But they don't know how to how to do it in a healthy space, right?

9:57 I’m so passionate in my space and it took me a long time to actually reclaim that word. Because I grew up feeling that that was a negative thing, just the way that it was framed up in my family. And it's funny because I talked to my mom about this, and she's just like, really, that's what you got from it. I was like, yep, that's what I got.

10:42 The other thing I want to make sure listeners hear is that playing small is about you in your space, it doesn't mean what you're doing. Right? Like, it's how you're being in your space. Because I think sometimes, we think that we have to go and save the planet when we hear going big. But really, it's not about that, it's about whether or not we're shrinking in our space and are we shrinking who we are.

12:57 But the first thing I would say is really understand what it is that you need. Right? So, until we understand what we need and how that gets filled, it's hard to put a boundary in place. So, for example, a desire to work 40 hours a week. Like, if that's what you really think you need, what's the reasoning behind that?

16:32 Sometimes saying no; is super uncomfortable.

32:32 The thing that I've really been working on myself that shifted my whole gratitude practice is embodying it, and actually feeling the gratitude. So when you're imagining gratitude for somebody else, really feeling what it is about their being that really wraps you up, feeling that hug, feeling the love around it, and letting it really percolate throughout your whole body.

53:27 I also have just recently launched a six-week challenge called Positive Intelligence. And it's an app guided program that also is group oriented. That allows us to really start to see the difference between when we are in our saboteur mind versus our sage.

You can find Jamie Martin at:

IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE WITH JAMIE MARTIN YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH:

Mindy Schrager on the Shadow Side of Color

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

Nicole Baker on Perfectionism

Tess Zigo on Financial Self-Care

That brings us to the end of this episode! Thanks to Jamie Martin for joining us and I genuinely hope the tips Jamie shared on emotional self-care was beneficial to you. As always, thanks for listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. 

Join Dr. Laura Ricci and myself live on Zoom - Sunday, August 7, 2022 at 3:00 Eastern for the Emotions & Essential Oils Masterclass. Learn how essential oils and aromatherapy can impact your emotional health and well-being. Zoom info will be in the show notes at CynthiaMacMillan.com.

Reach out to [email protected] to learn how to incorporate essential oils into your daily routine.

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE OR PODCAST DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

“Environmental wellness includes trying to live in harmony with the earth by understanding the impact of your interaction with nature and your personal environment and taking action to protect the world around you.” ~  Tyler Eilts

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan and I’m joined today by Suzie DeVaughn.

Each week, I interview coaches, spiritual explorers and essential oil enthusiasts from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 

I heard someone say, "Everyone needs enough grit to stand their truth, grace to accept who they are, and gratitude to live a happy life." It perfectly sums up my new podcast series.  Grit, Grace and Gratitude: Navigating Emotional Wellbeing with Essential Oils

All right, my friends. I hope you enjoy every minute of this episode. Let me introduce my special guest today.

Suzie DeVaughn, LMSW, REV is an author, speaker, psychotherapist, and healing facilitator who has expertly guided thousands of clients to their innermost pain, transforming wounds into wisdom through compassion, love and insight. She founded Self-Care Specialists and Blossoming Heart Center to serve those interested in personal growth through therapy, energy healing, uplifting workshops and retreats. Suzie is the author of "Mastering Self-Care: Building Resiliency Through Healthy and Mindful Living."

Suzie, thank you for being here today as we talk about environmental wellness and self-care.

2:14 Environmental self-care is something that everything that we have in our lives impacts us. So, the home that we live in, the products that we use, the chemicals, the physical agents that we breathe in, the people in our lives are all part of our environment. 

3:25 Anything that we do with our self-care that has a positive environmental impact on us is going to have an impact on the environment.

12:28 That's when we need to connect deeply within and find that place inside that centered, that place inside that's always there. It's like that calm in the center of a storm, if you go within, and you can't get to that, then by all means, you know, there are ways to get to that, like meditation and breath work are wonderful.

14:40 But our mental and emotional care impacts our physical bodies and our spirits. It's all connected. Making that a priority and being willing to invest in ourselves both the time and the resources. Because if we don't feel good within then everything else outside of us is impacted by that. In our behaviors and the way, we speak to people and the way we interpret messages from others from our environment. And so this is a really, really important part of self-care, especially now.

27:39 And so turning inward, making space for ourselves. And learning to love ourselves is absolutely paramount. Because how is it we're going to change this world, it starts with us with each one of us, working out what's inside of us, and becoming the love that we truly are. And radiating that outward.

32:31 I think that is a very important area to look at within each one of our lives. Because, you know, sometimes we can have friendships or relationships that are toxic, they're not good for us, they're not uplifting. They don't feel healthy. And we don't have to stay in those circumstances, we can do the work and try to work through things. But sometimes we just have to let go. And sometimes we have to say no to other people to say yes to ourselves.

"Color is a power which directly influences the soul." ~ Wassily Kandinsky

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. Self-love, well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

I’m your host Cindy MacMillan and I'm so grateful that you tuned in today; it means a lot to me. If you love this conversation and you want to continue it or want to share your thoughts, your takeaways, or just any aha’s that come up…come on over to Instagram. That is where I spend most of my time when it comes to social media. I'm @pangeaworldtravelagency

 on Instagram. Make sure you're following me. Say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

Friends, Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right spot. Each week I interview spiritual explorers, amazing coaches and essential oil enthusiasts from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between.

In this episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, we are chatting about why color is such a powerful force in our lives, and the shadow side of color.  And my guest is Mindy Schrager.

Mindy is an ICF PCC credentialed coach, Integrative Coach, Systemic Facilitator, and Aura-Soma practitioner with a passion for transformational work. Her experience and transformational training has been focused on creating positive change in life and business experiences (i.e. shadow, family DNA) for herself and her clients. Mindy loves to shine the light on hidden patterns and the root cause of dysfunction and then help you create new pathways to growth.

Welcome to the show, Mindy. Thank you for being here. 

2:56 Things I was unaware of when I was younger have come clearly into view. I see it in my coaching practice, when a major life transition such as becoming an empty nester or going through a divorce or moving into retirement. They're all indicators of a new season beginning. And it reminds me also of a bottle of Aura-Soma, which is called New Message, where people oftentimes are seeking a new expression of themselves as they move into a different season of their life. 

5:26 All of them actually focus on the gifts and lessons and hidden patterns, the choice to create new pathways, and the letting go of what no longer serves us. The more of this work that I did, the more of the transformational work that I did, the less my corporate work, energized me, as I really shifted to a new level of passion for helping individuals change and grow within themselves and also in their relationship with others.

8:03 For me, self-care also includes being open to learning, reassessing our relationships, and other aspects of our lives to ensure they're still in alignment. Decluttering and organizing our space so it's in harmony with our life and incorporating downtime and fun in order to feed our soul. 

16:24 Color really shows up in many different ways as a way for us to express ourselves. 

16:49 Color has many different meanings, so just like shadow work, some of the meanings are more positive than others. For instance, think about the color yellow, you might think about a sunflower dancing in the sun. But on the other side of yellow, we use the phrase yellow bellied for someone who is cowardly. 

21:23 So for me, the biggest surprise is seeing just how much the shadow appears not only in integrative coaching, but in looking at family patterns, and looking at Aura-Soma.

That brings us to the end of this episode! Thanks to Mindy Schrager for joining us and I genuinely hope the tips Mindy shared on self-care and color resonated. As always, thanks for listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. I appreciate you.

Join Dr. Laura Ricci and myself live on Zoom – Sunday, August 7, 2022 at 3:00 PM EST for a workshop on Essential Oils and our Emotions—and be sure to c

“As each day dawns, pure sunlight sparkles in dewdrops, shimmering on the grass, and on the leaves and flowers of the world.” ~ Valerie Ann Wormwood

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. My name is Cindy MacMillan.

Each week, I interview coaches, spiritual explorers and essential oil educators from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 

This is a bonus episode of the podcast – And it’s a replay of a workshop that was held on July 16, 2022.

Hello, Hello and welcome to Essential Oils Made Easy. My name is Cindy MacMillan; I’m an Integrative Coach and host of Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. I’m a mom, Gigi, and partner to Andre and I have many interests that are reflected on the podcast and essential oils are one of those interests that I am incredibly passionate about. I am so happy you are here.

And a big hello to everyone watching or listening to the recording at a later date.

Today’s workshop is packed with valuable and important information, and you are going to want to take notes.

We are so fortunate to have Dr. Laura Ricci with us today.

Dr. Ricci is a doctor of physical therapy, a national board certified health & wellness coach, and an essential oil educator & leader with doTERRA. She is passionate about empowering women to reclaim their health & wellness.

Dr. Laura and I have been “friends” on social media for several years and I would read her posts and watch her reels but Dr. Laura I think I really got invested in YOU as a person when you were working through a hip surgery. By that I mean you weren’t just someone I was scrolling by BUT Dr. Laura the woman. I remember thinking; wow this woman is resilient and vulnerable and inspirational.

Not only that, but your content is so educational and I am excited to have you here today as my Essential Oil mentor to teach this class.

3:01 I'd like you to start by just thinking about what are your top three health concerns? What brought you to this class, or what made you curious about oils, and you can type them into the chat and share with us if you want. I'll say I'll share mine if you share yours. So many years ago, when I first started with oils, I was really struggling with digestive issues with really bad head tension and with sleep. And I was looking for solutions for those things.

4:06 What's important about essential oils is quality and purity. So I know and love and trust doTERRA essential oils, they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® and they are very potent.

10:21 So let's talk a little bit about the three ways to use essential oils. First step is aromatic. This is going to be the best to support your emotions and your mood, it's going to cleanse and purify the air. And it's also going to support your respiratory system.

11:22 This is why you can smell something and think of your grandmother cooking or a childhood memory can pop in, it's a direct link into the central nervous system. So when we're wanting to help calm down the central nervous system, calm down stress, sense of smell is very powerful. And I actually love to combine it with music; to make it even more powerful. That's another link into the central nervous system. So diffuse some oils, put on some calming music, these are great ways to help reduce stress and cortisol and help you to feel your best.

30:59 The oils can support us physically, but they also support us emotionally, as we mentioned, affecting the limbic system. So when you inhale, it does this dance through your neuroanatomy, it's kind of powerful, having that impact on your central nervous system. And this book goes into great, great detail about all of the emotional aspects of using the essential oils, which is really key. It's pretty amazing. I will say I came to the world of essential oils for physical support but it's been the emotional piece that's become my favorite way to use the oils.

32:07 There are several oils that can help with thyroid support. Frankincense is one - Lavender, Peppermint and Lemongrass I actually like to make a roller bottle with those for thyroid, apply it right over the thyroid morning and night can be really key. From an emotional standpoint, which is really fascinating, Lavender is the Oil of Communication and when we're talking throat chakra, and being able to speak, Lavender aids with verbal expression and calms the mind, specifically those who feel they're at risk of sharing their true thoughts and feelings. And so this actually helps with expression.

IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE WITH DR. LAURA RICCI YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH:

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

Nicole Baker on Perfectionism

Tess Zigo on Financial Self-Care

Deanne Rose on Owning and Trusting our Sexual Energy

4 Self-Care Practices for our Spiritual Life with Lydia Knorr

Reach out to [email protected] to learn how to incorporate essential oils into your daily routine.

“The moment we try to please another and abandon our own truth for theirs, we essentially hand our power to them, violate our own integrity, cut ourselves off from our inner wisdom, and at least for a while, disconnect from our ability to love and nurture ourselves.” ~ Debbie Ford

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. I’m your host Cindy MacMillan and I’m joined today by Nicole Baker.

Each week, I interview coaches and spiritual explorers from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in-between. Self-love, well-being, and mindset are at the heart of our conversations because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well. 

In our hectic modern world, many of the women I talk to feel stressed, they feel overscheduled, and they feel overwhelmed racing from one meeting to the next, planning this or worrying about that.

My solution is self-care.

I know, I know, you are rolling your eyes and saying I can’t do one more thing but what the world thinks is self-care is just scratching the surface.

I’m inviting you into a deeper understanding of self-care…to have a different perspective…to reconnect with YOU.

I’ve titled this series “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.”

And I am delighted to introduce my guest, Nicole Baker.

Nicole Baker is a Coach who helps high achievers ditch perfectionism, cut the hustle and start achieving goals with fun and fulfillment. Having grown up in a family immersed in the personal development world, she has been attending seminars and absorbing personal growth tools her whole life and she has since helped hundreds of perfectionists accomplish goals ranging from starting their own businesses to finishing a half marathon. She has been featured in Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, Voyage Denver, The Self Helpless Podcast and The Mighty plus is the CEO of Life Coach Baker LLC and the host of The Life Coach Baker Podcast.

Nicole, Thank you for coming on the show.

3:25 I noticed that a lot of my clients fell into one of three categories. They all have their own individual struggles, their own individual goals they wanted to go after, but they all have three different types of self-sabotaging habits, and that was one the overachiever, the person who tends to chase success go on the hamster wheel of hustle culture, always looking for the next thing. The next thing, the next thing.

There was a procrastinator, who has these big, beautiful goals, but then gets so overwhelmed by them that says, you know, scrolling through TikTok is so much easier today. I'm just going to do that.

And then there's the people pleaser, like you mentioned, the person who tries to be perfect for everyone else. So, they put themselves on the backburner, which, especially touching on self-care, whoa, buddy, do those to go so hand in hand.

8:20 I grew up in a family very heavily immersed in the personal development world. And I feel it important to note, it was a personal development world of the 80s and 90s, which was, go go go achieve your dreams as fast as possible, change your state, be positive, all this kind of stuff, which I think has some good merit to it with some elements of being a human thrown into there.

13:55 I normally phrase it, perfectionism is having this expectation for yourself, an A plus on a report card, for instance and anything short of that isn't enough, is a failure, quote, unquote. Now, we might phrase it a little bit differently. Like for some people, for instance, I see this a lot, in my community. Unless I'm working 24/7, I'm not working hard enough. Or if I end my day with any amount of energy leftover, I didn't leave it all on the table, which means I'm lazy, or it means I don't want it bad enough.

19:10 When I think of self-care, I think of little, teeny tiny two-degree shifts. I don't think self-care is throwing 50 million things into the ring and saying good luck. I think it's adding things, I think it's subtracting things, I think that is something we definitely overlook; asking yourself what is giving me stress in my life and is there a way I can either reduce it, delegate it or automate it so that it's no longer this big of a part of my life.

32:57 One of the biggest things I see in perfectionist is this need to be in control, always. And I noticed this in myself, about a year ago when I was going through a hard season.

37:22 One of my favorite quotes is by Marie Forleo, and she says, “If what you're doing isn't working, stop doing it harder.” And I was doing it harder. And finally, I was like, okay, like, what if I just go into the polar opposite just to like, really freak out my comfort zone.

You can find Nicole Baker at:

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

Tess Zigo on Financial Self-Care

Deanne Rose on Owning and Trusting our Sexual Energy

4 Self-Care Practices for our Spiritual Life with Lydia Knorr

Suzie DeVaughn on Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul

4 Self-Care Practices for the Mind with Jill Krzyzanowicz 

That brings us to the end of this episode! Thanks to Nicole Baker for joining us and I genuinely hope the tips Nicole shared on self-care and perfectionism were beneficial to you. As always, thanks for listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast. I appreciate you.

Join Dr. Laura Ricci and myself live on Zoom - Saturday, July 16th at 3:00 EST for the Essential Oils Made Easy workshop —and be sure to come back next week for a discussion with Mindy Schrager and why color is such a powerful force in our lives Until then, this is Cindy MacMillan and don’t forget: Live inspired!

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. My name is Cindy MacMillan.

Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right spot. Each week I interview coaches and spiritual explorers, from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between.

Self-love well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

In this episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, we are chatting about self-care for our finances and being intentional.  And my guest is Tess Zigo.

Tess obtained her B.S. in Finance from Northern Illinois University, and later returned to get her M.A.S in Accounting Science and her CPA after the company she worked for filed for bankruptcy during the 2008 recession. That experience taught her a valuable lesson in being aware of concentration risk since her 401(k) match was in company stock.

You're going to love this episode, and I personally can't wait to talk to Tess, so let's get to it.

Welcome to the show, Tess. Thank you for being here. 

8:32 That's when I discovered that there was a profession called financial advising, which I wasn't familiar with. And I think, you know, there's still this myth that financial advisors are for the wealthy, you have to be wealthy in order to work with a financial advisor. And that is just not the case anymore. I'm a Certified Financial Planner, and I actually love working with people who are just getting started.

9:51 That's such a great question. So, Cindy, I think the first and most important thing that people have to realize is that a lot of life insurance agents, for example, can call themselves a financial advisor. So, the title of the person is not as important as the credentials and the education. So that is really for you as the consumer to be educated on and to look at the person's credentials and education. 

12:13 I think my most important tip would be - be intentional with your money and make time to look at your finances. 

14:40 If you're putting every emergency on a credit card, you're starting to dig yourself into a hole. And it's very difficult to dig yourself out of that kind of debt because it's high interest and it starts to compound very quickly on you. So, it just balloons out of control. 

26:19 I'm European, so I'm very much a believer in vacation and time off. Because otherwise, what happens is you get burned out, and then you're just not performing at your highest level. So, you know, that's to your detriment to your company's detriment, you're doing the opposite of what you think you're trying to achieve. 

29:56 The one thing that I that I think is so paramount is that you have to believe that you are worthy of being wealthy.

You can find Tess Zigo at:

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

Deanne Rose on Owning and Trusting our Sexual Energy

4 Self-Care Practices for our Spiritual Life with Lydia Knorr

Suzie DeVaughn on Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul

4 Self-Care Practices for the Mind with Jill Krzyzanowicz

That brings us to the end of this episode! Thanks to Tess Zigo for joining us and I genuinely hope the tips Tess shared on financial self-care was beneficial to you. As always, thanks for listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast.

Join Dr. Laura Ricci and myself live on Zoom - Saturday, July 16th at 3:00 EST for the Essential Oils Made Easy workshop —and be sure to come back next week for a discussion with Nicole Baker, a Coach who helps high achievers ditch perfectionism. Until then, this is Cindy MacMillan and don’t forget: Live inspired!

Guest Introduction: 

Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right spot. Each week I interview coaches and spiritual explorers, from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between.

Welcome back to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. My name is Cindy MacMillan.

Self-love well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

In this episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, we are chatting about the parallels between surfing, tai chi, and the Tao.  I’m so excited to share with you today my conversation with Lea Williamson.

Lea Williamson is the founder of BeachsideQigong.com, a board-certified tai chi and qigong instructor for over a decade and author of the Amazon #1 book Surfing the Sea of Chi. A Florida Space Coast native, Lea’s diverse background has ranged from the Yang of extreme adventure travel to the Yin of consciousness exploration via extended fasting and meditation.  

Lea herself used tai chi to relearn walking after a devastating accident and qigong breathwork to overcome her lifelong fear of water; she now finds great joy in sharing these profound self-healing techniques with others. 

 Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Welcome to the podcast, Lea. Thank you for being here.  

2:48 A lot of us tend to embrace the milder seasons like the fall and the spring but tend to shun the seasons like winter and summer when it's really hot. But in my mind and in my business in life and philosophies, we need to embrace all the seasons and explore what they have to offer us. 

5:28 So in keeping it really simple, I view Tai Chi after 30 years of practice, as ancient biotechnology for healthcare; mental and physical health care. It's a very ancient system - thousands of years old. 

9:58 My journey to Tai Chi has been unusual, in that I grew up a Florida native, I'm from Brevard County. Nobody in my family has had any connection to China or tai chi or mind, body practices. It was not something I was raised in, no one did yoga, or meditation. That word didn't even really exist when I was a kid. So, it wasn't really part of my life. 

13:55 I saw the video of hundreds of people all dressed the same, moving very, very slow, all exactly in the same way. In my little child's mind, I remember thinking, oh, that is the most beautiful flock of human birds I have ever seen flying together. What are they doing? I want to learn that I want to know what that is. I want to fly with my humans that way. 

17:39 And now that I'm into my mid-50s, I'm so blessed to have picked up these moving practices when I was young to the point that I know a lot of them very well and can teach them. Because as my body is now starting to age, I now use Tai Chi the way most people come to Tai Chi, most Americans I have found start Tai Chi, because they hear it's good for balance as you get older, which is true. 

26:26 . On a surfboard, we stand in what's called in Tai Chi, the bow stance, it is the strongest way to stand when you stand in this particular position, people can push you, the waves in the water can push you in different directions, and it's much easier to hold your ground to not get pushed around to keep your feet connected to the foot to the surfboard. 

42:05 Every single morning, I get up before the crack of dawn before there's even light in the sky. I drink a hot beverage, it might be coffee one day, tea another, or hot lemon water. I sit, I contemplate my day and I just kind of prepare my mind and body and then I go do Qigong and Tai Chi on the beach. To me that is like the best way I could possibly take care of myself. 

44:34 Taking care of yourself is something that will not go away if you want to feel good and to be happy and to be healthy. You’ve got to maintain yourself mentally and physically and it doesn't have to be hard. 

46:30 I think that that is the number one takeaway that I try to share with everybody let alone here on your podcast. It should be enjoyable to care for yourself, so you keep doing it forever. 

You can find Lea Williamson at:

 Website E-Mail

IF YOU LOVED THIS CONVERSATION WITH LEA WILLIAMSON YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD WITH:

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

Deanne Rose on Owning and Trusting our Sexual Energy

4 Self-Care Practices for our Spiritual Life with Lydia Knorr

Suzie DeVaughn on Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul

4 Self-Care Practices for the Mind with Jill Krzyzanowicz

Thank you for listening and I'm grateful that you're tuning in. If you loved the conversation that I'm having today and you want to continue the conversation or you want to share your takeaways (the big aha), or just any ideas that come up…come on over to Instagram. That is where I spend most of my time when it comes to social media. I'm @cindy.macmillan on Instagram. Make sure you're following me. Jump into my DMs, say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time, live inspired.

“Sexual energy shows up when we are actively participating in our lives, not simply letting life happen to us. Simple things like communicating how we feel, exercising in a way that makes us feel connected and healthy in our bodies, and speaking up for ourselves can be fantastic ways of clearing the blockages to this energy and letting it begin to flow again.” ~ Julie Peters

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. My name is Cindy MacMillan.

Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right spot. Each week I interview coaches and spiritual explorers, from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between.

Self-love well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

In this episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, we are chatting about things we do without realizing it that block our sexual energy.  And my guest is Deanne Rose.

Deanne is a pleasure coach and ecstatic birth doula. She believes in a world where women are connected to their natural rhythms and cycles. She guides women in remembering who they are, reclaiming their power and rising into the best version of themselves.  

You’re going to love this episode, and I personally can't wait to talk to Deanne, so let's get to it.

Welcome to the show, Deanne. Thank you for being here.  

1:44 I believe our sexual energy is our life force energy, our creative energy. You can use it for sexual pleasure. But you also could use it in your tangible day to day, life, and work. So, I believe that when we can get in tune with this creative sexual energy, that we really, truly find our voice.  

4:08 About seven years ago, I went through a divorce. And so, I was given the spaciousness, this time to look at myself, and to see where I had lost myself; you know, as a mother, as a wife, and as a woman. The first thing I did, I remember, was I went to Victoria's Secrets and got all new underwear. 

7:44 I don't think we're living, we're just surviving, you know, we're truly not living life, because life is pleasure. 

12:43 I love to dance, and I remember years ago thinking, oh, you know what, when I come back in another life, I want to be a dancer. And there was like a little voice inside of my head said we'll just start dancing now. And I'm like, okay, I will and it's just so free. That's what I do every morning.

 15:45 Sometimes it's just coconut oil. If I have time, I'll add some essential oils, some essential oils that are good for, for women. Geranium, Clary Sage, I like Douglas fir, because that's a very grounding oil, but those other two I mentioned are good for hormone balancing.

 18:36 I think it's very few people who actually had a very healthy sex education, when they were growing up.

 21:01 What has helped me, is I use what is called a jade egg, it's like a gem for my vagina.

 29:17 And like you said, it doesn't have to end in divorce. Sometimes it does if you're just not compatible anymore, but I think most of the time when there's communication, because if you're feeling this way, your partner's probably also feeling this way. So, who's going to have enough courage to bring this up? And, and you know, how can we address this?

 32:12 I just want to remind, especially women, that pleasure is our birthright, that we are here to live in the full expression of ourselves. In all the beauty that there is because we're each are individually beautiful beings here for a purpose and when we can express ourselves fully. That's how we make a giant positive impact in the world.

Niki Svara on Self-Forgiveness

4 Self-Care Practices for our Spiritual Life with Lydia Knorr

Suzie DeVaughn on Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul

4 Self-Care Practices for the Mind with Jill Krzyzanowicz

Friends,

I have partnered with dōTERRA Essential Oils. Just one of the many reasons I am so excited; is because it's in total alignment with the podcast and the topics that I am passionate about...topics that encompass the human experience; self-care, stress management, hormones, resiliency, grief and our emotional health.

And I love love their uncompromising commitment to purity and being a company with a conscience.

I truly feel this is a beautiful fit with my mission to serve and support women in every season of their life; beginnings, endings + the messy bits in-between.

I'm also doing this for my overall well-being, and want to share my journey with you, as I rediscover the benefits of essential oils.

👉 Contact me to get started on your journey. My e-mail is [email protected] or go here to my doTERRA website.

Welcome to another episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, a podcast for women with a big heart on a spiritual journey. My name is Cindy MacMillan.

Do you ever feel like you are waiting on a permission slip to live the life you want? If you answered yes, then you are in the right spot. Each week I interview coaches and spiritual explorers, from all walks of life about beginnings, endings and the messy bits in between; and let’s don’t forget about those moments that we never saw coming.

Self-love well-being and mindset are at the heart of our conversations. Because once you change the inside, the outside will begin to change as well.

In this episode of Exploring the Seasons of Life, we are chatting about self-forgiveness and why it’s so hard to forgive ourselves.  And my guest is Niki Svara.

With a master's degree in spiritual psychology, and over 15 years of experience working with clients, Niki Svara has the love, the listening, and the tools that enable people to create deep and powerful growth, greater self-expression, and personal healing in their lives. Niki is the founder of Love The Way You Look and the author of Piece Talks: Messages of Love from your Body and Soul. 

Welcome to the show, Niki. Thank you for being here. 

I believe it was Brendon Burchard who said, “No matter how small you start, start something that matters.” And this series, “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.” is what I am doing - because self-care matters. Throughout our conversation today we will be weaving in self-care tips.

2:23 I love the word explore; it's such a fun word. And it really it just it lifts my spirit. And so, to me, exploring the seasons of life means to get curious about them, to have a curiosity. And I’m going to say let go of resistance of those seasons. And I can tell you from my own personal experience that for a good majority of my early life, I resisted my seasons, I constantly wanted to be somewhere other than where I was, and it really wasn't a joyous and fulfilling experience.

6:25 I believe we're all in need of self-forgiveness. Because whether we realize it or not, there's always something that we're judging ourselves for. Could be something we said or didn't say, could be something we did or didn't do. We're not happy. And we're judging ourselves for where we are in life for whatever particular season, we are in.

7:50 I think, number one, is the idea of becoming willing, becoming willing to forgive ourselves, we have to have that piece because if we're not, it's just not going to work. And there are several different ways to become willing.

10:54 I wanted to add one thing, because self-forgiveness is not something I think that we think about. I know, it's not for me, so I must set reminders. I set little reminders so that I can make it a consistent practice. 

14:04 Practice helps us to remember the truth of who we really are; the truth of our being. And it's like I can be put in two awareness’s at one time - I'm aware of my human self and I'm aware of my spiritual self, and it's really just a fulfilling and peaceful experience.

19:32 And this was the aha moment that I came to, in an inner exploration, that love and loving somebody is not the same as being and feeling emotionally close to that person. 

23:15 Or we can take a step back, pause, and really begin to choose that gentleness toward ourselves and that self-love and self-compassion. 

Jill Krzyzanowicz on Living out Loud + Self-Loyalty

Self-care and Showing up in our Lives with Gina Bell

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

Finding Your Inner Peace with Lydia Knoor

5 Tips to Better Sleep with Kelly Murray 

You have just listened to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast with your host Cindy MacMillan. As always, you can head over to CynthiaMacMillan.com to sign up for our newsletter, as well as check out all the links and resources in the show notes. That's all for this episode.

See you next time and Live Inspired.