I used to think taking responsibility for where I was in my life meant shaming myself for not being where I had expected to be. I always felt like I was swimming upstream when it came to my career: every job, role, and industry I tried depleted my energy. I was consumed with self-judgement, feeling like I *should* be ahead of where I was. 

In this snip-it of my conversation with Sarah, she talks about taking responsibility for where she’s at but not in a self-judgement-way but rather in a surrender-way. This opens her up to new ideas and possibilities and I find it so inspiring how she takes action to bring them to life. 

Laura lost her corporate job in 2020 which has set her on a journey of “who am I?” When she started out she had no idea what she wanted but she knew she needed a major change.

She’s worked on a horse farm, and a beekeeping farm, she’s made financial sacrifices, she’s ignored a lot of judgement from others, and learned she’s capable of much more than she realized. 

She’s more energized and joyful than ever before and has found a deep belief that a lot of small learning moments are going to add up to bigger things and ultimately to her dream of helping others. 

One of the biggest learnings I’ve had in the past 8+ years of my journey of self discovery is that I was living my life based on a subconscious belief system. 

I was so miserable in my career because, without being aware of it, I was telling myself that success had to look a certain way (for me, that involved climbing a corporate ladder of titles and money). 

Once I was able to consciously understand this formed my career compass, it gave me ownership over whether I wanted to continue like that. 

I really relate to Traci’s journey of discovering she was telling herself a story, in her case a story about her childhood - her father was a junkie and she came from a drug-filled neighbourhood - and this had formed her compass as an adult.

She talks about learning to understand that that isn’t her whole story, she’s more than that, she’s the author of her own story.

This is my second conversation with Lindsey, this time following her 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat which she did to process the intense rage that was bubbling up within her.  

In our last conversation, Lindsey opens up about the emotional abuse and exposure to prostitution she experienced as a child and how that experience has played out in her adult life. 

Today we talk about how the meditation retreat is helping her find forgiveness with family and live as her best self. 

Kena was widowed at 38, felt very alone and like life was happening to her. 

I could relate to that feeling of not having any control; of wanting something different but lost as to how to go about it. 

I love how Kena talks about giving herself permission to want something more, more than being a widow.

This is where change can start; a simple acknowledgement that we can have visions and dreams of our own AND we’re allowed to explore them.

Kena takes us back to this very difficult time in her life and how she took baby steps to move forward and create a beautiful life on her own terms. 

Lindsey opens up about the emotional abuse and exposure to prostitution she experienced as a child and how that experience has played out in her adult life. 

We discuss storing emotions in our body, using movement to release emotions, meditation, psychedelics, yoga and most importantly love. 

I feel so honoured to witness and listen to Lindsey share her journey to unlearn the coping mechanisms from her childhood and experiment with new ways of understanding her past, processing it and trying to let it go.  

I think my biggest learning in the last 5 years has been the importance of getting out of my head and into my heart. I used to discount my own intuition; I didn’t trust it. As a result, I over-thought every decision. I’ve come to understand that I have all the answers within me, I just need to tap into that heart / intuition / gut feeling.

Nikki has had her own experience learning to tap into her heart and we discuss it in this snippet of our conversation. She’d been feeling agitated and bothered in recent weeks and she can’t put a finger on the reason. She shares the steps she took to listen to her intuition and move out of that place of feeling stuck. Her experience has stayed with me.

I am amazed by Judy’s journey because of the stark difference between where she came from and her perspective on life today. She grew up in a very strict and insular religion that believed the world was going to end. Her life was based on fear and she was discouraged from thinking for herself. I find it so fascinating how she gave herself permission to create a new perspective on life and, essentially, a new life for herself. We talk about: leaving the religion, depression, infertility, spirituality, building a business, plant medicines and the wisdom of ceremony. And how she now approaches life with an open heart, from a place of love rather than fear.

To learn more about Judy's business visit her website or her Instagram page. 

Do you play? Like a child, do you engage in an activity for enjoyment rather than for productivity or an end goal? Have you considered how play might get you unstuck? 

Amelie, who earns a living as an artist, got caught in a capitalist mindset: if it’s not working then double down and work harder and longer. This had her perpetually stuck. She lost all creative inspiration when she needed it most, to put food on her table. So, she tried the opposite. She let go of the struggle, she stopped forcing her creativity and started to experiment without an end goal. Play allowed Amelie to go from zero artistic inspiration to creating a whole new line of art. 

Edie shares how she felt broken, that something was wrong with her. She began to take notice when her body betrayed her: bad acne, digestive issues and sleep problems. Her attempts to control them with prescription drugs and diets just masked the deeper issues of anxiety and stress that led her down a path of emotional destruction. She’s hit some low points but her healing journey to better understand herself and to believe in herself is truly remarkable.