Fire and Fairy Dust: The Long Way Back

I know, I know…when we are having a hard time hearing the words “try practicing gratitude” can make us want to throw a shoe at something. I know this because I have been there. I mean, I never actually threw the shoe, but I definitely thought about it.

And then I tried it, and learned the science behind how and why tools like this can be helpful. 

In this episode, I talk about gratitude from both a spiritual and scientific perspective. And I discuss how and why I believe that, although gratitude does not solve the root of the problem, it may help us cope throughout whatever storm life has sent our way.

I have never claimed to have a fix-all approach to healing.

But I do want to share what has worked for me and why I believe that to be the case.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

Have you ever caught yourself falling back into an old habit or thought pattern and immediately wondered, “Seriously? I thought I was past this.”

Yeah. Me too.

It can be incredibly frustrating to do years of work on yourself, make significant changes, and still have moments where the old stuff shows up.

But what if we're measuring our progress by the wrong thing?

In this episode, I talk about my own recent experience with this, why slipping into an old pattern doesn't necessarily mean we've gone backwards, and some of the ways we might be overlooking evidence of just how much we've actually changed.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

Becoming a published author is super exciting! Right??? 

But what happens when, instead of celebrating that accomplishment, we brush it off instead? 

In this episode, I share my response to holding the first physical copy of my co-authored book. I talk about the reaction that shocked even me, and why I believe I responded the way I did.

That response takes the conversation back to my trip to Mexico, where I share one of the most significant lessons I learned during those five days. 

It’s never easy to see a situation for all it truly is, or the significance it holds, while we are actually IN it. But when we reach a part in our healing where we can see the whole picture, we often realize that not one single detail was accidental. 

Sometimes the scariest part of becoming who you were always meant to be is realizing you can’t hide from her anymore.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

We’re taught a lot of things about emotions. We learn which ones are acceptable and which ones should be hidden. We are told when we should move on or that we should “get over it.” And somewhere along the way, many of us learned how to carry them instead of actually experiencing them.

But emotions don’t simply disappear because we don’t give them space. In this episode, I talk about what happens when we keep adding to the emotional load we’re already carrying, why some emotions seem to get louder over time, and what might change if we started getting curious about what they’re actually trying to tell us.

Because one way or another, emotions have a way of making themselves known. But we get to decide if we want a say in how they show up.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

Boundaries and Bridges

Setting boundaries sounds simple. Actually learning to live by them? Not so much.

In this episode, I talk about my own experience of going from having almost no boundaries, to swinging too far in the other direction, and what I’ve learned about finding the space somewhere in between.

Because maybe healthy boundaries aren’t about building walls at all. Maybe they’re about building bridges — ones that allow the right things in without losing ourselves along the way.

Reflection questions:

What boundary would you set if you stopped worrying about whether everyone else understood it?

Where are you keeping the peace at the expense of your own?

I also share a free resource I created for you — The Journey Within, a 7-day guided meditation series with a guidebook.

Start The Journey Within: https://fireandfairydust.com/the-journey-within

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

Content note: This episode includes conversations about suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, and mental health crises. Please take care of yourself and decide whether this is an episode that feels right for you to listen to today.

This is one of the most personal episodes I have shared.

I'm talking about a period of my life that I haven't spoken publicly about before. I'm sharing what was happening behind the scenes, how much I was struggling, and why I believe conversations like this matter.

There is fear and shame attached to talking openly about suicide and mental health crises. But silence doesn't help the people who are struggling.

So, as scary as it is to share this part of my story, I'm sharing it in the hope that it reaches someone who needs to hear it. And I share it from the perspective of a person who has reached the other side of this struggle.

Crisis support:
In Canada and the United States, call or text 988.

For free, confidential crisis support in other countries, visit FindAHelpline.com.

If you are in immediate crisis, please contact your local emergency services.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

Growth sounds great until it starts changing your relationships, your boundaries, your expectations—and the spaces where you still fit.

In this episode, I share five things I've learned about growth, including some of the less comfortable parts we don't always talk about. The parts that require accountability, restraint, and sometimes accepting that nothing has to be wrong for something to no longer be right for you.

Because growth isn't about becoming perfect. It's about becoming more intentional about who you are, how you show up, and what you're no longer willing to compromise to belong.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

In this episode, Cheryl gets honest about how hard surrender actually is, the lesson that revealed she hadn't truly let go of anything, and why her instinct to control every outcome makes sense but isn’t helpful. It’s a real, unpolished look at what surrender demands when you actually try to live it, not just say it.

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

In episode 9, Cheryl opens up about a comment on her weight that unraveled a lifetime of hiding, and what it's meant to finally stop waiting for permission to live.

In this episode, Cheryl talks openly about:

• The moment a business conversation turned into a comment about her body, and the response she gave that surprised even herself.
• Why the hurt lingered for months, and what writing helped her uncover
• The realization of what nine years of hiding really cost her, and why she’s done hiding

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel

In episode 8, Cheryl gets honest about the messy middle of healing, why there's no quick fix, and why acknowledging your progress matters just as much as the growth itself. 

In This Episode:

• Why healing isn't the constant "love and light" experience it's often made out to be
• Why there's no quick fix to healing
• Why celebrating progress matters as much as the growth itself

Connect with Cheryl and follow the show for weekly episodes about this joyful, messy, upside-down, and wonderful journey.

Website: https://fireandfairydust.com                                                                               Instagram @eppelcheryl                                                                                                           TikTok @cheryleppel