“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.  Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Welcome back friends 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 4 Self-care practices for our spiritual life.  I’m really excited to share with you today my conversation with Lydia Knorr.

Lydia Knorr has more than 25 years in the Health and Wellness industry, formerly as a Registered Dietitian and currently, as a Healthy Lifestyles Coach. Her signature program Discovering Y.O.U. (Your Own Uniqueness) is centered around empowering people to turn inward, establish and align with their personal core values, and honor their own set of best practices so that they can live in a way that feels authentic, purposeful, and fulfilling.

Welcome back to the podcast, Lydia and thank you for being part of this special edition series called, “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.”

8:19 (Lydia Knorr) In light of my own journey and in some of the more challenging times in my life, nature really was a go to for me, and it's just this place where I can find solace.

10:42 (Lydia Knorr) If you get yourself deep into a forest, and I don't mean deep to get lost, but just where there's, you know, a lot of trees, sometimes, you know, with the different seasons, you can hear the needles falling from the trees, and it's almost like a light raindrop. And it's just this magical quiet, and yet, you're just a stone's throw from civilization, but you can just get lost in it. And I really find it important to take note of those moments, and just be present with them and appreciate it, you know, because we have so much abundant nature around us. And it's something that I personally don't take for granted, it really is my fuel.

14:36 (Cindy MacMillan) I have mentioned journaling before, but what I haven't talked about was the different types of journaling. There's art journaling, where you are just really cutting out pictures and you have these images and these patterns, so you don't have to do a lot of writing. It's just purely filled with those images. We've all heard of the gratitude journal. What about that laughter journal just writing down things that make you laugh during the day?

 

20:23 Journaling prompts: What's preventing me from having the life I want? What would my life look like if I gave myself permission to do that? What can I learn from nature? Who or what is God to me? And how would I describe this higher power? What spiritual practice do I like to engage in?

22:14 (Lydia Knorr) Let's talk about first and foremost, what is forgiveness. And I think forgiveness really is about releasing feelings of resentment, or vengeance. And it's really important, to let that go, you know, whether it's towards someone else that we feel have hurt us or even of ourselves, which I think is really, really important to cover. And I will do that in a second.

26:26 (Lydia Knorr) Here's the thing, whether it's a positive event or a negative event or a positive action or negative action, everything has a ripple effect, right? So let's say your actions, my actions caused a negative ripple effect on someone else. That's the part that's hard to let go of. And that's my point where I say, Forgive yourself but don't forget. Don't forget that there was a ripple effect on someone else because it'll remind you the next time moving forward and in how you do things moving forward, that there are consequences.

29:10 (Lydia Knorr) To forgive yourself, it's giving yourself permission to bring practices into your life that nourish your well-being, it's giving yourself permission to be happy. But if you're not going to do it, who's going to do it for you?

33:28 (Lydia Knorr) I think that's why people meditate so that they can just find and really connect to their inner self, and let flow whatever needs to flow or nothing at all, just to experience that state of peacefulness.

“Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” ~ Kristi Ling

Guest Introduction:

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 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.

This interview is part of a self-care series called, “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.”

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

licensed master social worker

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."

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Suzie, I'm SUPER excited you are here and today we are talking about Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul.

3:25 (Suzie DeVaughn) I really appreciate the metaphor that you just used or shared, relating to a bouquet of flowers or to that flower and the petals. Because self-care truly is like a lotus flower that continually unfolds and the deeper that you go into your self-care and the deeper you go into yourself; the more beauty you find.

9:39 (Suzie DeVaughn) I started turning to alternative practitioners doing acupuncture, kinesiology, there were just different practices that I did, which made a big difference. So yes, that was the nudge, I was on my knees, and I knew I had to do something. And I realized that health is wealth. If you don't have your health, nothing else matters, I had all kinds of beauty and positive things in my life. But I didn't feel well.

12:34 (Suzie DeVaughn) A lot of people have really forgotten themselves in the mix of it all. So, they focus so much on other people, on their family, on their friends, on their clients, on their work, that they don't even consider themselves. And what we really need is a paradigm shift, where we recognize that we too are worthy, we are important, and we matter.

17:14 (Suzie DeVaughn) That's a question that I believe we, we can ask ourselves, often throughout the day, and especially when we're feeling a little out of balance, then that's a really good time to ask the question. But starting your day with self-care is a beautiful way to start the day, and whatever that looks like for you. So maybe your self-care starts off with a walk in the morning.

21:09 (Suzie DeVaughn) How often do we really make a commitment to ourselves; a devotion to ourselves. Sometimes not often enough, it's like we get what's left, instead of doing what makes sense for you. 

22:09 (Suzie DeVaughn) When you start with yourself, when you take care of yourself, the little self-care needs and the bigger stuff. We haven't really gotten into that too much. But it really has to do with unpacking the baggage, the emotional stuff that you've accumulated, we all have to dust our shelves. But how often do we do the internal dusting, and the deep cleaning. And that's really important to working with our beliefs with releasing energies and emotions that don't serve us - changing patterns, habits. And doing the deeper inner work helps to make that all a lot easier and make it more of a reality you can move towards the reality that you want to create. But it starts inside of you.

48:30 (Suzie DeVaughn) There is a quote that I like very much and it's a quote by Buddha. And it's “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." So never forget about yourself in the mix. You are unique to your core. We need every one of us. We all matter. We're all unique and different, like snowflakes. And the more you peel back the layers of that which is not you, you get closer and closer and closer to accessing the true authentic you that you that your Divine Self and how to change the world is by being the very best version of ourselves; by being ourselves.

YOU CAN FIND SUZIE DEVAUGHN AT:

 Website Instagram Resources

If you LOVED this conversation with Suzie DeVaughn you’ll also love the conversations I had with:

Jill Krzyzanowicz on Living out Loud + Self-Loyalty

What is Your Choice Today with Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

Balance and the Benefits of Gratitude with Lisa Zawrotny

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.   

Over the next few weeks, I will be announcing a 12-week one-on-one coaching program.  It’s for women who are ready to make a change, finally let go of the past and stop waiting for permission to step into their big, beautiful lives. Whatever that big, beautiful life looks like for them. 

It's called Journey of the Heart: An Inner Revolution. 

Until next time live inspired!

“Stop going to the hardware store for milk.” ~ Cheryl Richardson

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 Jill Krzyzanowicz.

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 to learn and experience a different kind 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.”

Let me re-introduce Jill. Jill was on a previous episode that I have had so much incredible feedback on that I couldn’t wait to get her back again.

Jill is an author, speaker, spiritual seeker, and empowerment mentor. After years in public education, Jill feels called to help others increase their confidence and rediscover their personal sense of self. She feels self-loyalty is the key to happiness and a fulfilled life.

Jill, I'm SUPER excited you are here.

14:28  (Jill Krzyzanowicz) So I'm thinking about the innocence of that child telling a funny story all the way to the other end of the spectrum where I actually fell in hurt myself, and both times in two completely different situations. Laughter was the remedy. So, it reminds me of the things that we can utilize laughter for I mean, obviously laughter as I just said, is a natural endorphin so it can relieve us of pain. It helps us to decrease stress.

15:22 (Jill Krzyzanowicz) So there's lots of benefits from laughter. And, you know, I find it interesting that today, you can even go out there and find that there is laughter therapy, there is laughter yoga classes. Because just like when we use the I am affirmations, the body and the brain really doesn't know the difference between fake laughter and real laughter. And we can take my fall, for example, I didn't want to laugh at that, but I chose to.

18:27 (Cindy MacMillan) Sometimes self-care involves things that we don't even think of as self-care at all, like maybe a digital detox or decluttering.

19:13 (Jill Krzyzanowicz ) So think about the last time you cleaned out a closet or a junk drawer. Isn't there just something so gratifying when you finally you know, you avoid it like the plague because you don't want to do it. It's daunting task. But when you finally do it, you just you just want to go open that drawer or that door because you're like, oh, everything is organized and needed. I got rid of so many things.

25:42 (Cindy MacMillan) But judging ourselves, and when it comes down to it, it it's about pointing out and over stressing about things we don't like about ourselves, or life, or certain situations. For example, have you heard someone say, I'm not smart enough to get that job? I shouldn't have said that. I'm just a selfish bitch, I should be further along in my career. And which by the way, we need to drop the word should from our vocabulary, it's just a dirty word. But that judgment of ourselves is born out of acting, and comparing ourselves to other folks.

37:24 (Jill Krzyzanowicz) I love the farmers markets because you're also supporting local businesses. You know, I love to buy gifts for people from local shops and businesses versus going to the big box stores when I can obviously. So, I love that. And I love that you you're you gave some examples of things that are not really all that extravagant there, you know, like, those are obtainable things that people can do. When I think about trying something new, we can, we can obviously think of things that are more simplistic, or we can think about the bigger bolder things. And I'll start off with something simplistic. And I'm going to tie it right back to self-care.

 

"Perhaps the deepest reason why we are afraid of death is because we do not know who we are." ~ Sogyal Rinpoche

Guest Introduction: 

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 what makes a good death doula.  And my guest is Sue Phillips.

Sue is a Critical Illness / End of Life Doula in Ontario Canada interested in raising public awareness on the scope and value of the support she provides.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

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

3:01 I'm in that season or stage, if you will, you know, I think back to maiden, mother and crone and I'm at that crone stage, and with that crone stage comes wisdom and acceptance, and a willingness to explore more difficult, you know, feelings and topics, you name it, just a willingness to explore the hard stuff, feel the feelings, not be afraid. 

6:18 You're right, Cindy, about different perspectives because we all are unique, just as our life experiences and our death experiences are all unique. So, the word doula is a Greek word for servant or helper. So just like a birth doula helps a woman during the labor process a death doula does the same for someone experiencing the dying process. And that process can span months and years.

9:28 That's a big part of why I'm doing what I do. I'm very interested in raising public awareness. I will say that in my experience, and I have been practicing for only the last 14 months, so kind of hung my shingle, if you will, not very long ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, actually, and what my experience has been other than one client who was 94. My clients have been late 50s, early 60s. So, you know, it's the baby boomers who are looking for this kind of support. It's gaining momentum.

14:47 When I say support group or circle of care, I'm referring to everyone that's involved with care, and it doesn't necessarily mean at end of life. So, when we're talking about critical illness again, then it can last a long time. So that support can be surrounding that person for a long time. And you have your medical teams and your maybe social service teams, your faith-based teams and their family and loved ones. So that support does extend to loved ones, you know, who may need to talk, may need to understand, and give them opportunities for reflection, and to share how they're feeling with what's happening.

19:04 I just want to say this quote, and it's by a Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, “Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it. By living our lives, we nurture death.”

25:16 I wouldn't say that there was forgiveness there. But there was an acceptance that provided what this client needed.

28:30 There's a really good strategy for people to use and it's, I wish, I worry, I wonder. I wish we didn't have this need to have this conversation, because I know, it might make you uncomfortable. But I wonder if we can take some time to talk about what our wishes might be because I worry about not knowing what you will need. And I wonder if we could share some time to explore that. And I think it's important for people to try and have those conversations with each other.

 

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.  

Over the next few weeks, I will be announcing a 12-week one-on-one coaching program.  It’s for women who are ready to make a change, finally let go of the past and stop waiting for permission to step into their big, beautiful lives. Whatever that big, beautiful life looks like for them.

It's called Journey of the Heart: An Inner Revolution.

Also, June 1st is the beginning of a self-care series called “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.” We will be talking about Self-care Practices for our Mind, Comprehensive Self-Care to Uplift Your Body, Mind and Soul, and Why it’s Important to Own and Trust our Sexual Energy plus so much more with incredible guests.

Until next time live inspired!

 

 

“The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself.” ~ Anais Nin

Guest Introduction: 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 why progress isn’t linear.  I’m so excited to share with you today my conversation with Staci B.

Staci B is a super smart, highly sensitive creative *with a touch of trauma, who openly discusses the healing journey she undertook so she could live her destiny, not her fate. She uses her successes and failures to create tools that support others who want to do the same.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

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

 

2:10 I realized that I use the word seminal moments, you know, moments that signify a beginning or an end to a chapter of my life or a piece of my life. And as I explore them, I feel grateful to do that, because I get to share stories with people.

10:59 And as you explore the seasons of life, you know, I look back on that. And I'm like, yeah, girl you got in that car, there might not have been Uber or Lyft back then. But there was someone I could have called who would not have been happy about driving to Miami to pick me up but who probably would have. It was my fear about what I thought I could lose by not doing it.

14:30 I saw the most amazing thing and I will do my best to remember who it was and email you it, so if you want to put it in the show notes you can, so that people can follow her, but she is a Registered Clinical Counsellor that I follow on tick toc, and she had the most amazing Venn diagram. The one big circle was safety, the other big circle that overlapped was belonging and the third smaller circle that overlapped both bigger circles was identity. And she pointed out that the two most important needs of any human being are to feel safe and that they belong.

19:12 By creating an intention to make things different. You know, if you're not happy with your life, if you are feeling you know, it's interesting because human beings most of the time are not motivated by what will bring them joy. They're motivated to get out of stuff that makes them feel like crap.

25:13 We live in a world and in a society where progress is measured in steps to get somewhere. So how often have you heard five steps forward and two steps back? So, when you're on some type of conscious journey, whether it's, you know, to get a new job, or change careers or lose weight, or, you know, excavate your soul, whatever it is, I think people have a tendency to frame it in that linear context.

34:57  I went to my first therapy session in 1993 through the Employee Assistance Program, which I believe still exists. And it was because I was having an issue with a coworker that I'd been in a relationship with, and we were not seeing each other and he was doing things to hurt me at my job, we worked at the same company. That's what drove me to therapy. Oftentimes, I find what takes you to therapy, for the first time has nothing to do with why you're really there. It was just the excuse, for lack of a better word, it was the pain point was big enough to cause you to ask for help.

43:12 I would say first, the most important thing is to accept that this is where you are in this moment. And you're there for a reason. Even if you're not privy to what that reason is, and don't try to figure it out. Through finding a way to accept it, you will find the piece that is necessary for the next step to show itself.

 

 

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.  

A couple of announcements that I am so excited about - I have a special edition podcast series with incredible guests starting in June called “Self-care is more than a buzzword. It’s personal.”

And I will be announcing my new coaching program. 

Until next time – live inspired!

“The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be fully present to what is happening in the world.” ~ Joanna Macy

Guest Introduction: 

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 Energy Work and Self-Care.  And my guest is Cornelia Gilbert.

Cornelia Gilbert is a Transformative Coach and is passionate about the balancing of body, mind, and soul, and helps her clients to master their own transformation, so they are able to live in alignment with who they truly are. She runs her own practice and works with national and international clients via video call or telephone.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

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

2:36 From a business perspective, seasons, it really means seasons of life are like cycles. So, we have planetary cycles, we have life cycles, the stages that every living creature or creation has to run through from the moon, the plants, animals, birth, death, female cycles, and all those cycles consist of very specific, different stages. And some stages require sometimes more of a resting period, and others more activity.

5:13 Having worked as an ICU nurse, and then also Hospice RN, it's really made me understand the human psyche on a much deeper level. The hardship you encounter in people in their darkest moments of life, can be sometimes shocking. I'd even want to say sometimes even abhorrent, and sometimes you encounter the extreme opposite, there are moments that are so profoundly beautiful, and hold such a divine nature. And the overall experience for me, nursing has been an incredibly humbling experience.

6:57 Let's start with alignment, what really is alignment. It's really to do, how we relate to something and our relationship to something and it kind of describes a situation in where something is harmonious or balanced in our relationship with something else. And you may have also come across the term or heard the term soul alignment.

7:45 7:45  Are you in a truth, living your integrity. And I think a big part is also being authentic, being really who you are. And that allows you to live a purposeful life while you're here on this planet. So this is really about creating or maintaining a healthy balance between physical, emotional, mental, spiritual bodies.

16:11   So I'm looking at, if I have the same thought continuously, I'm ugly, I'm ugly, every time I look in the mirror, that creates a very specific reaction in my brain. And it's almost like you walk in the snow, and you leave a footstep, and every day, have you ever done it as a kid you try to step into somebody's footstep. So, there's only one trace over years, it is the same. So, it's important to change that and create another set of footsteps that don't continue that same set of footsteps if that makes more sense.

24:36 The biggest obstacle to self-care is self-worth, self-love, self-value. If you don't believe you truly deserve this, you will not make it a priority and create time for it. Yet it really must be a priority because for us to really be there for others, whether that's our family, our partners, our work colleagues, we must make ourselves an absolutely priority. And self-care needs to be a part of the daily routine. 

26:36 Very, very quickly and simple. You're in a stressful situation, you really don't know what to do. Take one moment for yourself, whether that is you leave the room, whether you're going to the bathroom, whatever it is you need to do. The first thing is always breathe. Okay, deep breath in and deep breath out, because that always centers yourself.

You can find Cornelia Gilbert at:

 Website Instagram Twitter If you LOVED this conversation with Cornelia Gilbert you’ll also love the conversations I had with:

Jill Krzyzanowicz on Living out Loud + Self-Loyalty

Debbie Shadid Interviews Cindy on Self-care and Giving Yourself Permission

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

What is Your Choice Today with Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.  

Recently, I had someone tell me they loved the podcast but they couldn’t quite figure out how to get to the right page to leave a review; so I am here to help.  

Here is how to leave a review on your iPhone. 

1.Open Apple Podcast App 

2. Tap the Search tab in the lower right corner of the screen.  

3. Search for “Exploring the Seasons of Life” and tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. 

4. Tap the album art for the podcast.  

5. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on “Write a Review”. 

6. If you’re not already signed into iTunes, you will be asked to enter your iTunes password to login.  

7. Then you will be able to rate on a five-star scale - Tap the Stars to leave a rating.  (5 stars for top rating) 

You can also leave a review without leaving a rating (but the rating is definitely important!) 

I read every comment and they make my heart smile. 

“The Universe buries strange jewels deep within us all… and then stands back to see if we can find them.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Guest Introduction: 

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 Rosemary Brocco.

Today we are chatting about breathwork and the benefits of breathwork.

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. 

Rosemary Brocco is a breathwork and consciousness specialist, she helps individuals access and dissolve unconscious blockages and traumas while simultaneously tapping into the superconscious so that we can be guided by intuition and actually live as the people we imagine ourselves to be. 

Please help me welcome my guest, Rosemary Brocco. 

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Welcome to the show, Rosemary. I am so honored that you're here. 

1:52 If you really think about it, when we talk about seasons, we're talking about birth and death, right? It's a growing and a shedding and a growing and a shedding. And, you know, I often I often say to people, I feel like I've lived like a million lifetimes in one lifetime. 

6:01 I grew up in a regular, you know, what would appear to be an average middle-class house, we had family dinner together, we went camping and skiing, and we were a family. 

11:49: I opened a yoga studio, but I was a disaster inside. And eventually it completely fell apart. I wound up claiming bankruptcy, being homeless, house hopping, and I don't want to glorify that, because there's nothing glorifying about that, when your security and safety is threatened in that way. It's a horrific thing to go through. 

13:38 Rick Doblin has since 1985, been the guy working on getting MDMA, which is the active ingredient, in ecstasy, legalized for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma and all these types of things. Every year it gets pushed back. Now, it was supposed to be legalized in like 2020, then 21. Now it's 2023. It just keeps getting pushed back. 

16:09 So eventually, my studies now this is like weird, divine timing thing, because I wound up finding Stanislav "Stan" Grof.

22:42 So when you work in those states, you start to clear out the shadowy stuff, and make space to bring the more spiritual, whatever you want to call it, your true self, your Higher Self, your inner intelligence that starts to become a part of your life, those states of consciousness. 

26:27 I would say the most important and I say this lovingly, I'm a certified yoga teacher, this is not your yoga teachers breathwork. This is something different. It's just different. There are benefits to pranayama. I do pranayama I do my yogic breath work, and I use it for what it's for. This is something different.

You can find Rosemary Brocco at:

 Website How It Works If you LOVED this conversation with Rosemary Brocco you’ll also love the conversations we had with:

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

Jill Krzyzanowicz on Living out Loud + Self-Loyalty

What is Your Choice Today with Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen

Balance and the Benefits of Gratitude with Lisa Zawrotny

A Life that Feels Integrated with Ronna Detrick

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.  

Recently, I had someone tell me they loved the podcast but they couldn’t quite figure out how to get to the right page to leave a review; so I am here to help.  

Here is how to leave a review on your iPhone. 

1.Open Apple Podcast App 

2. Tap the Search tab in the lower right corner of the screen.  

3. Search for “Exploring the Seasons of Life” and tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. 

4. Tap the album art for the podcast.  

5. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on “Write a Review”. 

6. If you’re not already signed into iTunes, you will be asked to enter your iTunes password to login.  

7. Then you will be able to rate on a five-star scale - Tap the Stars to leave a rating.  (5 stars for top rating) 

You can also leave a review without leaving a rating (but the rating is definitely important!) 

I read every comment and they make my heart smile. 

Leaving a rating and review helps to improve rankings in iTunes, it shows engagement which may attract sponsors and is essential for the podcast to be discovered by new listeners + it would mean the world to me.

"The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected." ~ Robert Frost

Guest Introduction: 

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 Jill Krzyzanowicz.

Today we are chatting about Living out Loud, self-loyalty and being a child living in chaos.

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. 

All right. Let's get into the show with the lovely Jill Krzyzanowicz.

Jill is an author, teacher, and empowerment mentor. She just published her self-help memoir, "When the Apple Falls far from the Tree," under her pen name, Margo Reilly. She hopes to inspire others who may feel stuck in their circumstances.  From a chaotic childhood, cancer recovery, multiple weight loss journeys, and a newly sober lifestyle; Jill feels compelled to share her resources with others who seek personal growth and improvement.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Welcome to the podcast, Jill.

2:14 First of all, I love that you shared that because I think that's probably the most important part of self-care is recognizing what your needs are. And kudos to you for recognizing that you needed to take a break because that is exactly what self-love and self-care is about.

4:30 The sooner we embrace the fact that life is about the seasons, and we understand that change and evolution is always going to be a part of things; the sooner we can embrace it and grow with it and evolve with it.

5:46 I was having this conversation with my daughter one day where she was trying to tell me about a particular student at her school that was going through some stuff. And she was stressing mom and Mom, you don't understand it's really bad. He lived in a homeless shelter. And at that particular moment in time, I let my daughter in on something she hadn't known. And that was that I myself had lived in a homeless shelter when I was younger.

7:42 But as I was writing, and editing, and writing and editing some more, I noticed that it was more of a manual and that I was uncovering these tools that I used, and it then dawned on me, wow, I'm not just writing this book for myself, I really am writing it so other can other people can see themselves, and what tools they might have used or still could use to get to the other side of adversity.

11:30 In fact, when I do start my podcast in the near future, it's going to be called the Live Out Loud cast.

12:47 You know, I love myself the most so that I can love and give to others.

13:49 As I mentioned approximately, two and a half years ago, I embarked on a sobriety journey. The reason that I did that was because I come from a long line of alcoholics.

26:03 If I could go back and thank my 18-year-old self, it would be for going to college. I'm so proud of that person. I did not have parents edging me along. Obviously, I emancipated myself from my parents, when I was 13, or 14 years old, and was kind of considered my own independent adult at a very early age.

You can find Jill Krzyzanowicz at:  Website Instagram Facebook

 

If you LOVED this conversation with Jill Krzyzanowicz you’ll also love the conversations we had with:

Debbie Shadid Interviews Cindy on Self-care and Giving Yourself Permission

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

Honoring my Today with Telma Sanchez

What is Your Choice Today with Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen

A Life that Feels Integrated with Ronna Detrick

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. I would love to hear your favorite part of the conversation.  

Recently, I had someone tell me they loved the podcast but they couldn’t quite figure out how to get to the right page to leave a review; so I am here to help.  

Here is how to leave a review on your iPhone. 

1.Open Apple Podcast App 

2. Tap the Search tab in the lower right corner of the screen.  

3. Search for “Exploring the Seasons of Life” and tap the blue Search key at the bottom right. 

4. Tap the album art for the podcast.  

5. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on “Write a Review”. 

6. If you’re not already signed into iTunes, you will be asked to enter your iTunes password to login.  

7. Then you will be able to rate on a five-star scale - Tap the Stars to leave a rating.  (5 stars for top rating) 

You can also leave a review without leaving a rating (but the rating is definitely important!) 

I read every comment and they make my heart smile. 

Leaving a rating and review helps to improve rankings in iTunes, it shows engagement which may attract sponsors and is essential for the podcast to be discovered by new listeners + it would mean the world to me.

“Leave behind things that no longer serve you. We are talking about the difficult stuff: toxic relationships, the uninspiring job, or maybe a destructive belief. When you let go you create space for the new and wonderful to come in and fill your life.” ~ Tiny Devotions

Guest Introduction: 

Welcome to 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 Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen.

Today we are chatting about being brave.

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. 

Hey, there, friend. Thanks for joining me on this lovely day, wherever you are in the world, and just know I'm grateful for you.

Amy is a self-proclaimed Bravery Activator, Soul Polisher and Speaker. She advocates and educates on the importance of our mental wellness and overall mind, body, emotional and spiritual health. She guides clients on the importance of acknowledging their bravery and reminds them that we are All in this together for we All need each other. #BraveOn

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Amy, welcome to the podcast. 

2:28 Choosing to be human and getting up in the morning is brave. So, the idea of what does brave mean to me, I like the acronym B means bold, R means resilient, A means authentic, V means vulnerable, and E means energy. That's what it is to be BRAVE. That collective combination of all of what makes us human.

4:26 I love that you said that too in your in your intro because to me that's the meat, that's the juiciness of life, those in-betweens are those bits that you know when we're in it - just seems like a never ending say tornado or roller coaster ride but that's where we gain our most wisdom and lessons because we are put to the test if you want to say. 

6:15 So ever since a little girl, I always carried my soapbox around, I was very much protesting for everyone's rights and making sure everyone was treated fairly. 

9:06 Hey, what is your choice today? Are you going to get up today? You know, do you need five more minutes? Give yourself five more minutes. After the five more minutes? How do you feel now it's a constant check in and then it is ownership. Okay? We agree that we're going to get up and we're going to start the day. 

13:27 Because life is moment by moment. And that's another thing that I think we neglect to remember is that life is moment to moment, we again, are so used to rushing to, you know, step 10, when we have, you know, two through nine to get to, and it's this, let me end the day like you wake up, I just can't wait to the end of the day. Right? And you go to sleep, I can't wait till I get to the morning. But what happened to all the hours in between?  

18:08 I created four principles for myself called the Four P’s to Peace and this is what I take clients through. And the first P was shifting perspective. So right away, shift the perspective I am brave. You know - I don't want to - I am brave.

You can find Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen at:

 Website Instagram Twitter If you LOVED this conversation with Amy Gonzalez-Nelsen you’ll also love the conversations we had with:

Debbie Shadid Interviews Cindy on Self-care and Giving Yourself Permission

Through the Lens of Yoga and Mindfulness with Elizabeth Savage

Honoring my Today with Telma Sanchez

Your Clutter is a Teacher with Star Hansen

A Life that Feels Integrated with Ronna Detrick

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Leaving a rating and review helps to improve rankings in iTunes, it shows engagement which may attract sponsors and is essential for the podcast to be discovered by new listeners + it would mean the world to me.

 

3 John 1:2 “Beloved friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and that you continually enjoy good health, just as your soul is prospering.” ~ The Passion Translation

Guest Introduction: 

Welcome to 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 Shamekah Shaw.

Today we are chatting about taking action to be the best versions of ourselves and essential oils.

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. 

If this is your first time here listening to Exploring the Seasons of Life podcast a big welcome and if it’s not your first time listening, thank you and welcome back.

Shamekah Shaw has been a registered nurse for 11 years. She is a mother to two awesome kids and an avid learner. Shamekah earned her MBA in 2020 and is currently in school working towards her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She understands firsthand the complexities of trauma, abuse, the stigma of mental health, and the disconnect that happens between the Christian and secular world regarding healing and holistic health. Shamekah is a certified Soul Care Practitioner and Biblical life coach and a functional nutrition counselor.

Here’s a glimpse of our conversation:

Shamekah thanks so much for joining me on the podcast and the first thing I want to say is I admire you earning your MBA in 2020 and currently in school working towards your master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a family. That takes determination and dedication.

2:28 I would say personally, what that means to me, and what it's meant to me is really removing the limitations and expectations in life, I have found that my life has taken lots of twists and turns that I didn't expect that it would take but understanding one of the sayings that I like is that our detours don't determine our destinations.

8:06 God, let me know that no matter how spiritual I thought that I was, I needed to deal with some soul issues and that he was concerned about not only myself but humanity as a whole, and gaining that fullness of healing, not just spiritually or physically, but also with those soul care issues that we have and sometimes don't like to deal with.

9:47 I think we have been taught so much that our worth our value is wrapped up into all the busyness in the doing and not really understanding who we are individually as a person.

15:00 It’s being willing to surrender. And sometimes the hardest thing for us to do, but it's the best thing to do, I kind of went through the season of learning, this process of releasing, relaxing and receiving. And it's being able to release those things that you know, I don't have control over, because sometimes we overwhelm ourselves because we expect in our wanting everything to be a certain way, or perfect, or, you know, we have these expectations. And so it's being willing to release those expectations.

17:17 I was taught to be a strong, independent woman, and not have to rely on a man for anything. But on the flip side of that, there was like, this kind of thought process of women being weak. And it was, like, totally conflicting messages.

22:25 I ended up taking my first plane ride at the end of January.

26:14 I would thank her for never giving up; for pushing through all of the tough times. And just always knowing that there was more ahead, even if she didn't quite understand.

You can find Shamekah Shaw at:  Website Instagram Facebook If you LOVED this conversation with Shamekah Shaw you’ll also love the conversations we had with:

Debbie Shadid Interviews Cindy on Self-care and Giving Yourself Permission

Balance and the Benefits of Gratitude with Lisa Zawrotny

Honoring my Today with Telma Sanchez

Lean Into the Seasons with Barbara Friesen

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or head over to iTunes to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Leaving a rating and review helps to improve rankings in iTunes, it shows engagement which may attract sponsors and is essential for the podcast to be discovered by new listeners + it would mean the world to me.