FINE is a 4-Letter Word

Are you someone who uses self-deprecation to get laughs?

Steve Gamlin was too until a pivotal moment when his friend Kris figuratively put on a pair of steel toe boots and kicked his ass and woke him up to the dangerous effects of doing that.

Steve was raised to believe in the value of hard work. When Steve was 7, his dad bought their house and started remodeling it, one room at a time. All the Gamlin kids pitched in – helping with the remodeling, yardwork, and before Steve was ten years old he was clearing brush and chopping firewood.

Additionally, Steve’s mother instilled in him a love of reading and writing.

When Steve was 11, he decided he wanted to be a radio DJ, a standup comedian, an author of books, and a teacher of people - but not in a classroom. To inspire and coach people. When he was 24, he landed his first radio station job.

His dad gave him sound advice, “You got your foot in the door, now bust your ass so you don’t get thrown back out the door!”

For over a decade, Steve worked in radio 50 to 60 hours a week, going through several jobs as radio stations were bought out and the new management fired the old crew. After 10 years of this stress, he walked away, emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted.

When his marriage ended shortly after that because of poor communication since he was never home, he found himself $62,000 in debt. Soon after, a mentor helped him triple the revenue from his weekend event DJ business in just two years.

But he was still beating himself up for the decisions he’d made in those previous 10 years. As I mentioned a moment ago, he’d started speaking on stages and was incorporating a lot of self-deprecating humor. After that conversation with Kris, he started learning how to continue using humor, but not at the expense of his self-esteem.

Along the way, he created Vision Board Mastery, a unique approach to vision boarding you’ve likely not heard before. This one consists of 10 steps but doesn’t involve selecting the photos of your lifestyle for the board until Step 7. There’s a reason for that.

Oh, and you’ll also hear how a random email led Steve to find the love of his life.

Are you ready to hear more?

Steve’s hype song is "Happy" by The Rolling Stones.

Resources:

• Steve Gamlin’s website: https://stevegamlin.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegamlin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Steve.Gamlin.Author.Speaker.Motivationalist
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevegamlin/
• X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/SteveGamlin
• Claim your access to Steve's FREE "Visualize in 5" video: http://VisionBoardSpecial.com

Invitation from Lori:

If, like Steve, you find yourself stuck in burnout, exhausted in every possible way, and struggling to create a vision for your dream life, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide is for you.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but you could find yourself seeing a bit of Steve’s point about how the vision you think you have isn’t possible until you’ve put in the work.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine – then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze your own trail and allow your curiosity to take you on a new quest!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Have you ever seen those memes that compare the co-stars of “The Firm”, Wilford Brimley looking elderly at age 56 and Tom Cruise looking young at age 56?

These memes show us that these days, people are aging much more gracefully, or at least not according to the same timetable they used to.

Did the timetable ever make sense to begin with?

Is there supposed to be a specific age where we begin to question whether Fine is a 4-Letter Word?

Kimberly, or Kimby Samson grew up without a lot of specific values. It was more like learning through modeling rather by teaching. Her parents showed her an example and she was expected to follow – there wasn’t a lot of conversation.

When it came time for her Bat Mitzvah, she was told she couldn’t have one, and she’d get a big wedding instead.

Oh, and did she – Kimby got the most fabulous, amazing wedding – as she says, the wedding of her mother’s dreams!

In this episode, I didn’t ask Kimby about that specific moment when she realized things weren’t “fine” – it was implied that since we were talking about the midlife crisis, especially as it pertains to women, hitting “midlife” is when we’re supposed to begin facing those questions.

For Kimby, it was finding she had done well in her career, in her great marriage and with her three wonderful children, and also seeing that she was bored.

Her journey was to find her mojo again. And then she wrote a guide to help you do the same. Her recently published book is appropriately called, F*CK THIS: Practical Advice To Get You Through Your Midlife Crisis.

In a moment, when you meet Kimby, you’ll get a new point of view about this midlife time.

You’re looking to push an easy button – “change your career”, “reconnect with your dreams” – and “take this pill”.

What if it’s not an easy button but more a matter of taking one small step at a time? Maybe instead of big milestone celebrations, make every moment a small party?

Allowing your curiosity to take you on a journey where one thing leads to the next and you discover things you’d never thought possible?

Kimby’s hype song is "Milkshake" by Kelis.

Resources:

• Kimberly Samson’s website: https://themidlife.co/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-samson-460593227
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/themidlife.co
• Instagram: https://facebook.com/themidlife.podcast
• X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/kimbynotkim
• Get Kimby’s newly released book, F*CK THIS: Practical Advice to Get You Through Your Midlife Crisis at https://amzn.to/3UDdKDZ

Invitation from Lori:

If, like Kimby, everything in your life is good but you’re still bored, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide is for you.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but you could find yourself seeing that what you’re told is not fine actually IS fine, and you’re destined for a different, more personal journey.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine – and F*ck those who say you’re not fine – then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze your own trail and allow your curiosity to take you on a new quest!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

When your life story is dominated by trauma resulting from one fucked-up thing after another, it plays a nasty trick on your definition of what’s “fine”.

After surviving being killed almost three times before she was two years old, Sonia Graham was adopted into a strict Puerto Rican / Irish Catholic family. Her father was in the Air Force, so while she developed resilience to deal with ever-changing situations, she did NOT learn how to create lasting relationships because she knew whatever friends she made, she would not have for very long.

Because of her extensive behavioral issues, her parents eventually put her into Boys Town. The bigger issue was that she had PTSD from her childhood traumas, and in the 80s, PTSD was misunderstood. As a result, Sonia was treated with psychiatric drugs rather than the proper treatment.

So, as an adult, she hesitated to seek the therapy she needed, which prolonged her suffering.

All this instilled one of Sonia’s core values – at the end of the day, the only person you really have is you, so you have to be true to you.

After she got out of Boys Town, she graduated high school early, then had her first child at age 18. Six years later she was pregnant again. Then at age 27, she married, divorced, and remarried – all in one year.

Sonia’s husbands, like her father, were in the military, so she went back to the pattern of moving around. After the family moved to Maryland, she became a Realtor. Then she got divorced again. She discovered her passion for teaching and found a unique niche helping Maryland Realtors learn the business side of real estate, beyond simply getting a license.

All in all, everything seemed fine.

Until her teenage son tried to murder her.

Indeed, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

In a moment, when you meet Sonia, you’ll discover her quest for what she calls “living in beige”. When your life is dominated by trauma and violence, with occasional good things such as finding your niche in your career and excelling at it, you just don’t see the middle.

Sonia's hype song is “The Greatest” by Sia.

Resources:

• Sonia Graham’s websites: https://www.simplemovesgroup.com/ and https://soniagraham.jpar.com/  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-graham-7060b442/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaMaria1980
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sold_with_sonia
• X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/SoniaMGraham1

The movie mentioned in the episode is called "Inside Out".

Invitation from Lori:

Like Sonia, it’s possible you’re not “fine” because trauma is the only thing you really understand – as a result, trauma itself becomes your “fine”.

If you want to start changing the coding in your brain so you can see past the trauma and find the beige, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide is for you.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’ll find yourself seeing a new point of view.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Does it seem like everyone else is doing great while you’re struggling?

And because it seems like you’re the only one who can’t manage and everyone else has their shit together, you’re either afraid or unwilling to talk about it?

But what if you then got to have deep, meaningful conversations with other people and discovered they’re going through the same struggles as you?

Marc Zalmanoff was raised largely by a single father who didn’t really explain much to him. His father taught him lessons by example – how to be a good human being, how to be an entrepreneur, and how to be decent toward women regardless of the circumstances.

His other major influence was his joyful, warm grandmother who went through a lot of health struggles yet maintained her optimism and cheer until the end.

Marc grew up, married, and had a child. He became a partner in a gym. Then he got divorced. Not long after, he had another child with another woman, but then they broke up.

Then the gym ran out of money. Marc didn’t speak with his partner about any of what was happening, he just walked out in the middle of the night, inviting his own personal training clients to follow him to a new venue he rented.

Somehow Marc managed to get through every situation, so it seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

Over and over again, he found himself going through major changes without talking about it. He had learned from his dad that this is just what men do. And he never noticed that others might be going through the same thing. Until one day, when he found out the other gym owners he shared a parking lot with were also struggling in business.

In a moment, when you meet Marc, you’ll discover how his life significantly changed when he got himself around other good men and discovered the power of masterminding.

Coupled with this, he realized how our culture teaches men to talk about surface-level stuff like sports, politics, and current events, but never to really open up to each other in the same way women find themselves able to do naturally.

Through his new venture, The Joy Code, Marc is bringing men together to help them share their successes and struggles by creating a space where they feel comfortable. Where they can get around others who are leveling up and pouring into themselves to become better humans. Asking “how can I have a better relationship with myself?”

Marc's hype songs are "Bodies" by Drowning Pool and "The Game" by Motorhead.

Resources:

• Marc Zalmanoff’s websites: https://pillars.thejoycode.net/8-pillars-of-joy and https://www.marczfitness.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marczalmanoff/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.zalmanoff
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marczalmanoff

Invitation from Lori:

Like Marc, it’s possible you’re not “fine” because you don’t feel comfortable admitting things in your life aren’t as fine as you’re convincing people they are.

If you want to start changing the coding in your brain so you can – as Marc is known for saying – make good choices, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide is for you.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’ll find yourself feeling more open and able to deal with your situation in a more powerful way.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

What if it’s never been “fine”?

What if it feels like every good thing comes with downfalls and you’re racing to keep up?

Adam Hommey was raised with the values of pursuing academic excellence and being selfless to the point where it became a detriment. At the same time he was expected to achieve, he felt denied the opportunity to enjoy his success.

It all started in his early childhood. He was almost three years old and had barely spoken a word. It turned out he was deaf. Fortunately, his hearing was restored through surgery and treatments, but he was still behind.

His mother bought textbooks to get him caught up – a form of homeschooling. So he entered kindergarten able to read and write way beyond his grade level. In first grade, his teacher noticed his boredom and ordered a proficiency test – which revealed he functioned at the third-grade level.

He was promoted in the middle of the year, from the first to second grade, with a big ceremony and everything.

But the grade promotion put him WAY behind.

Now, he was younger than his classmates, which meant he was the last in his cohort to experience milestones such as getting a driver’s license and becoming a legal adult. He didn’t get to enjoy a legal drink in a Penn State bar until the middle of his senior year!

Plus, imagine how being branded the “smart kid” affected his social life.

The pattern of falling behind by being ahead has affected Adam to this day, including his development and progress as an entrepreneur.

Fine is a 4-Letter Word, and Adam has never been “fine”.

In a moment, when you meet Adam, you’ll discover how every giant leap forward has set him back and put him in an endless race to catch up. He’s always felt like an outsider who doesn’t fit in.

But Adam has discovered that being an outsider who doesn’t fit in allows him perspective others don’t see, simply because he has never had the benefit (or curse) of things being normal, or “fine” for him.

Being differently attuned allowed him to receive important life lessons from the spirit of a dead dictator and, as an adult, to become good friends with one of his childhood heroes – two things not many people get to experience.

Adam's hype song is "I’m Not Gonna Cry Anymore" by Benny Mardones.

Resources:

• Adam Hommey’s website: https://www.TheReachSystem.com/
• Connect with Adam here: https://www.ScheduleWithAdam.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhommey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adamhommey/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allforareason15/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Adam, it’s possible you’re not “fine” because it feels like every surge up the mountain seems to lead directly to the edge of a cliff.

If you can relate, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide is for you.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to overcome the fear of being left out.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’ll find yourself feeling more like you and finding your own unique place.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Many of us go through life wondering if we’re really living our authentic lives.

Are you doing what you really want to do?

Are you being who you really want to be?

Even if you’ve created a great life, been fortunate, and haven’t had what you consider an existential crisis, is something just not quite right?

Jen Berlingo had what seemed to be a great childhood. As she would discover later, she thought she was happy because early on she embraced being a good girl, a people pleaser, and as a result got a lot of praise from her parents, relatives, and everyone else around her.

There was something under the surface though. Growing up in the south in the 80s and 90s, she was exposed to homophobia, racism, a tight grip on monogamy, pseudo-Christianity, and other harmful sentiments coming from the same people whose love brought her happiness. This caused her to deny something she knew to be true.

Jen went through what one might call a normal amount of teenage rebellion, became an adult, started a career, got married, and had a child. She had a happy life, and everything seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

As she approached middle age, she achieved a new level of consciousness about herself that led her to ask "Wait. What is my core self? Where's my authentic self?" She started peeling back the layers of familial, cultural, and social conditioning that had allowed – maybe even required – her to adapt to her environment.

See, throughout all of this, Jen knew she was queer.

While this proved not to be as devastating to her domestic situation as she anticipated, it did end her marriage. And although she continues to have a great friendship with her ex-husband, this acknowledgement did bring on a lot of changes.

As part of these changes, Jen took a deep dive into what are known as introjects – the beliefs and values one unconsciously absorbs from the people they love and the society they’re raised in.

Are your beliefs and values, especially the ones you’ve never questioned, actually a defense mechanism that has shielded you from the risk of being your authentic self?

In a moment, when you meet Jen, you will learn a lot more about her journey and why she redefines the idea of a “midlife crisis” as Midlife Emergence. Is this the message you need to hear today?

Jen's hype song is "Apeshit" by the Carters.

Resources:

• Jen Berlingo’s website: https://jenberlingo.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenberlingo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenberlingotherapy/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenberlingo/
• X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/jenberlingo/

See Yvonne Marchese’s episode, “Flip The Script” at https://zenrabbit.com/podcast/flip-the-script-yvonne-marchese/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Jen, it’s possible you’re rationalizing your life by telling yourself no one gets everything they want but you can still feel fine with what you have.

That shouldn’t stop you – and that’s why I created the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to overcome the fear of being seen as a lazy slacker.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’ll find yourself feeling more peaceful and even courageous.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Now, let’s go meet Jen. Believe me what I say, you won’t regret it!

Ever go through a part of your life thinking everything is fine, but then experience that moment when your whole world turns upside down?

It could be a debilitating health issue.

Or maybe finding out just when you achieved what you thought were your dreams, that it wasn’t what you really wanted after all. Or it comes with baggage that you didn't bargain for.

But what if things never were “fine” to begin with?

Kathy Goughenour was raised as the daughter of two Pentecostal preachers and seemed destined for a life with no dancing, no bowling, no movies, and never being allowed to wear anything but a dress. The only value instilled in her was "go to church" - which made her rebellious.

Then her parents divorced. Her mother remarried. And she found out an awful fact: her mother never wanted her or her brother and had actually tried to abort them. Imagine your mom telling your stepfather throughout your life to keep you away from her. When her mother was on her deathbed, she told Kathy to never have children.

So she didn't. She married and divorced twice before she was 30, then married a third time to a man who had already had a vasectomy.

In the meantime, her career flourished. She started a business helping real estate agents market their businesses, and after the crash of 2008 pivoted to creating a company training VAs how to serve their clients and grow their practices. She’s ruled her empire wearing tiaras and PJs, because that’s how she rolls.

Kathy avoided the trauma she expected might come from becoming a mother herself. She had what appeared to be a great marriage and aside from a few bumps, has always done well professionally. Everything seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

And Kathy is discovering that NOW.

Let me repeat – Kathy is discovering that NOW.

Rather than entirely reveal the plot of this episode, listen to hear Kathy share what’s going on in her world these days. We’re joining her at the beginning - yes, the beginning – of what she calls the "third act" of her life. Does she want to continue the same business? Does she want to spend the rest of her life with her husband? Where does she want to live?

You rarely hear what happens in the messy middle, much less while it’s in progress, so this episode serves up a much different perspective!

Kathy's hype song is "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift.

Resources:

• Kathy Goughenhour’s website: https://www.virtualexperttraining.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathygoughenour/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathygoughenour/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Kathy, it’s possible you have lived what has seemed, up until now, to be a charmed life. But what if you’re nearly 70, or whatever milestone you have coming up, and it suddenly hits you that the next act of your screenplay is just beginning to unfold?

But it’s scary, because even though you want to, you don’t know HOW to live differently than you’ve been living for all these years. I get that. It’s hard to break free from societal and family expectations. Which have become so ingrained in you that you think they’re your own beliefs, but your soul is telling you there’s something more.

That’s why I created the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to overcome the fear of being seen as a lazy slacker.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’ll find yourself feeling more peaceful and even courageous.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

In this end-of-year solo episode, I’m talking about change, control, and courage.

How do you identify the need for change? What are the signs of dissatisfaction, lack of motivation, and other indicators that signal a need for change in various aspects of your life?

I’m inviting you to reflect on where in your own life you may be hesitant to make necessary changes.

We’re talking about understanding fear and resistance because they’re a normal part of change. Once you’re aware of what the common fears are – like fear of the unknown, loss aversion, cognitive dissonance, social and cultural conditioning, and loss of control - that hold people back from making significant life changes – it’s easier to overcome them.

Then let’s look at what you’re missing out on when you’re attempting to control everything.

This has been a year of fantastic guests and episodes. There’s a quick recap of a handful of shows in which the guests shared their stories of facing challenges, surrendering control, and finding the courage to make significant life changes.

Let’s dive into embracing uncertainty, letting go of the need for control, and taking courageous steps so you can prepare for unprecedented personal growth and transformation in the coming year!

This week’s hype song is one that I’ve listened to a lot this past year for motivation. It’s “Fire” by Gavin DeGraw.

Resources:

• F*ck Being Fine Experience: https://zenrabbit.com/f-being-fine-program/
• LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/
• Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/
• Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/

Invitation from Lori:

I'm inviting you to come work with me in the 10-week F*ck Being Fine Experience.

This program is designed to help you achieve transformation quickly. So once you get to the last week of 2024, you’re looking back and seeing what giant strides you made. How proud of yourself you are.

Where will you be in a year if you DON’T change your path? If you continue to frustrate yourself by trying to control what’s not controllable? If you DON’T find the courage to follow your heart?

I’ve heard that “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” The unknown is dark. Like a cat, I can see in the dark, which is how I can lead you from it.

Join me and the handful of others who are taking this journey and go to https://zenrabbit.com/f-being-fine-program/

The first step is to take a step. Do it now!

Sometimes things seem to fall apart just when you think all is going well, and sometimes it seems to happen over and over where it feels like you can never catch a break.

But what if those moments where things are no longer "fine" turn out to be springboards that move you to the next step?

Growing up, Yvonne Marchese was raised with a strong work ethic. Her father sold suits; her mother worked, even though she preferred to be a stay-at-home mom. Her father's mantra was "Don’t be afraid to scrub a toilet". The lesson stuck.

Yvonne's dream was to be a theater actress. She went to college for it, working her way through school in line with her work ethic. Then she married right out of college and began doing theater in Denver while holding down the first of many "survival jobs" - but she was on her way. Everything seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

Yvonne and her husband got divorced. This was her chance! She made her way to New York City, the best place to be if you want to act in theater.

While she started acting again, she held another series of "survival jobs" that worked out quite well. Her employer gave her generous time off to pursue her dream. While on a 2-month tour, she met her second husband. They started a family, her acting career went into high gear, and everything seemed fine.

But again, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

How could she pursue a theater career and be a mom? Now that she could make a living off theater, how did it suddenly become a "job" rather than a dream? She stopped theater, transitioning into work-from-home jobs. But with her kids different naptimes, this arrangement proved unsustainable. So she got a full-time job that lasted until the economic crash of 2008.

Once again, she was asking, "what am I going to be what I grow up?"

The next morning, she woke up and decided to become a photographer – the profession she enjoys to this day. However, at 48 she found it impossible to get out of bed and get going. She was tired and angry all the time, screaming at her kids for being "late" when SHE was the one running behind.

An introduction to Mel Robbins’ book “The 5-Second Rule” led her down the self-help path. She took up meditation, her kids noticed she was happier, and once again everything seemed fine. Until that morning she was frightened by the middle-aged woman staring back in the mirror!

In a moment, when you meet Yvonne, you'll discover how each of these moments where things were no longer "fine" proved to be catalysts bringing her closer to her destiny. Today, she’s an “Age Agitator” on a mission to explore what it means to age playfully who believes it’s never too late to pursue a dream and that the stories we tell ourselves have tremendous power in our lives. She’s the host of Late Bloomer Living podcast and the Midlife Uprising Summit. And the author of In Full Bloom – a Guide to Aging Playfully.

Along the way, she's had even more moments where she discovered things weren't "fine" - but we'll let Yvonne tell us the rest.

Yvonne’s hype song is "Just Like Fire" by P!nk.

Resources:

• Yvonne Marchese’s website: https://www.latebloomerliving.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-marchese-85111751/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latebloomerliving
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latebloomerliving/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Yvonne, you may find your dream becomes unsustainable - or once you achieve it, suddenly it’s not what you expected. Now what?

The first step is to go to https://zenrabbit.com right now and download the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide.

Once you read it, you’ll be able to understand and embrace things that, up until now, have not made sense to you. It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are pretty simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you may find the answers to questions you didn’t even think to ask.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!

Imagine, for a moment, being a child and knowing something was wrong, but being too young to understand.

Now picture yourself in a cult without knowing the word for it.

That’s what happened to Sally Lotz.

Until she was four years old, things seemed normal. Then her parents divorced, her dad left the picture as he served overseas in the military, and her mother took Sally and her siblings to a new city.

Suddenly, everything changed.

Instead of having freedom to explore, now all her decisions were made for her. How she dressed for school and which classmates she was allowed to interact with (meaning none). Her role was to do only what others told her to do.

Sally knew something wasn’t right. One of the first clues came when she buried a butterfly she believed was dead, and then unburied the soil later and found the butterfly was gone. If there was no heaven, as Sally was told by the cult, where did the dead butterfly go?

Her new stepfather abused her in every horrible way imaginable. And her mother accused her of being a “bad influence” moments after her stepdad kicked their cat across the room. Sally was made to feel that being sexually molested by him was her own fault. On top of that, she was told there was no way to prove it even happened because she didn’t have two witnesses to back her claims.

Ironically, the people who caught Sally making out with her high school boyfriend didn’t need two witnesses. All it took was their word, and Sally found herself facing a perverted, sexually charged interrogation by multiple adult men.

Sally soon left the cult and joined her father who was now in San Diego, where she went straight from having to follow rules for everything to no rules at all. She finished school, then tried college, but it didn’t work out.

She went back to what felt familiar and found a man to take care of her. They married when she was only 20 and had three children.

Despite all that had happened up until then, Sally’s life seemed to be improving and everything seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-letter word.

She found that out when her husband joined a cult similar to the one she’d been raised in, and all the same rules suddenly came back into play. She divorced him. But then her mother, who had not left the cult, came to stay with her.

In a moment, when you meet Sally, you’ll join her on a journey down a winding road with double-backs and wrong turns as she comes to cope with two traumas – the trauma of an abusive home and religious trauma. These two things have fueled her career as an author, writing coach, and mentor.

Her fourth book, The Truth is a Lie, is a young adult novel based on her life growing up in a cult and aims to help others understand and gain strength.

Sally’s hype song is "Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys.

Resources:

• Sally Lotz’s website: https://www.sallylotz.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyjlotz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourPathToWriting/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sallyjlotz
• Link to Episode 49, Setting Her Own Course with Sabrina Victoria: https://zenrabbit.com/podcast/setting-her-own-course/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Sally, you may be so immersed in your situation that you can’t possibly see a way out. How do you take a step back when you don’t know which way to turn?

At some level, you know you need to assess things from a new vantage point, but how?

The first step is to go to https://zenrabbit.com right now and download the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide.

Once you read it, you’ll be able to understand and embrace things that, up until now, have not made sense to you. It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. And the five tactics are pretty simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you’re in for a profound change.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!