From Trauma to Triumph

This week I changed it up a bit and got a little more personal with you. I read an amazing article, thanks to my friend Michelle Scrimgeour-Brown who posted it on social media. It hit me in such a powerful way, I just had to share it with you and then dissected it a bit - as much for my own benefit as for all of yours.

The author is: Aziza Azura and you can access the article here: https://medium.com/@azizabrown.

She opens with: "The empath without boundaries "holds space" for the chaotic expression of somebody else's fear, shame and negativity, unknowingly absorbing it like rain into her skin, receiving the garment of somebody else's darkness. She thinks she is being understanding and compassionate, and forgets herself in the shadow of somebody else's pain."

I mean - Wow!! And the rest is equally impactful and soooooooo beautifully written. Reads like poetry but has so many mind-blowing insights.

Tune in to hear my reflections and some deep-diving of some of the sections. I also will talk about Co-dependency and Attachment Styles which really form the basis of so many unhealthy relationships and is touched on in Aziza's article in her incredibly eloquent way.

In this episode I continued my conversation with Robin Fricke about her incredible journey as a stroke survivor. If you have not listened to Part 1 in last week's episode, please do that so you can hear her story leading up to today's discussion. We really delve into Robin's insights as to why this happened to her and the early signs she missed. Robin also gets really real about how her life has changed and she truly believes that she has gained so much from her experience and journey which has altered her life in so many wonderful ways.

Robin Fricke comes from a military family that allowed her to travel and experience other cultures and different parts of the world. She lived in the beautiful mountains of Alaska where she admired the native spiritual healing modalities.

She was a very ill young woman and was not able to get the answers she needed to heal. When she began her personal healing journey, she knew something miraculous had just taken place. She had deepened her exploration of the world's holistic healing tradition and started to understand the healing power we hold within ourselves. She made a promise that once she found the secret to this mysterious illness, she would share it with the world.

Robin is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practioner. CEO and founder of Root Cause an online women's holistic health practice and a 12-month personal growth and transformation program: The Goddess Circle.

You can learn more about Robin at: https://RobinFricke.com or on Social Media: @RobinFricke

You can purchase Robin's book, an international best-seller: "My Mess is My Message" on Amazon.

Well all I can say is WOW after having this week's guest come on the show. My guest Robin Fricke has the most incredible story of trauma, illness and shock and then the resilience, healing and growth she received - well that part you will have to tune in next week to hear.

Yes there was so much to share that we had to make it a 2 parter. This week in part 1 Robin will talk about some earlier life events and illnesses that she now believes may have contributed to the BIG life altering event that happened just this past spring. And the many signs that she did not take heed to well before the big medical event.

Robin Fricke comes from a military family that allowed her to travel and experience other cultures and different parts of the world. She lived in the beautiful mountains of Alaska where she admired the native spiritual healing modalities.

She was a very ill young woman and was not able to get the answers she needed to heal. When she began her personal healing journey, she knew something miraculous had just taken place. She had deepened her exploration of the world's holistic healing tradition and started to understand the healing power we hold within ourselves. She made a promise that once she found the secret to this mysterious illness, she would share it with the world.

Robin is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practioner. CEO and founder of Root Cause an online women's holistic health practice and a 12-month personal growth and transformation program: The Goddess Circle.

You can learn more about Robin at: https://RobinFricke.com or on Social Media: @RobinFricke

My guest, Shaelene McInnis and I had a very important conversation about the importance of women in particular needing to have more financial equality in their relationships and why it is especially important that women become more financially literate, particularly when things end.

The unfortunate reality for so many women coming out of a dissolution of a relationship, especially marriages, is that they are not receiving an equitable share of the finances in the relationship. Many women are coming out of abusive relationships where financial abuse was a big part of it, and sometimes are not even aware of the extent of it until they are out of the relationship.

As the CEO of Books in Line, an accounting company serving Durham Region, Toronto and Northumberland, Shaelene McInnis is an advocate for financial education for all boys and girls, men and women.

With COVID the disparity in financial literacy and equality between men and women became increasingly apparent. Financial equality is a key factor in achieving women's equality and many women are not aware of how to create and maintain financial independence. With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, it is essential for women to ensure they are financially protected, for themselves and their children.

Shaelene will speak about key steps to ensuring you are empowered financially. She offers sage advice that we all can use!!

Purchase her book: Divorce Self-Defence for Women - A Practical Guide to Assist Women Pre, During and Post Divorce on Amazon.

Reach out to Shaelene on Social Media: @booksinline or her Page on Facebook: Divorce Self Defence for Women

For more information visit: https://booksinline.ca or contact her at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Call: 905-571-2665

Why does it feel sometimes that there is so much negativity all around us? Today I am discussiong something I touched on last week that is one of the things that prevents us from naturally going to gratitude or noticing all the good things in our lives. 

It is Negativity Bias, an interesting and complicated thing that most if not all humans experience at least some of the time and in many cases, it is the prevalent state. And there is a very good reason for it, that goes back to the early human times.

Tune in to find out why we fall into this pattern and what we can do to shift out of it so we can change the pattern and experience to one of more positivity. Which can lead to more joy and calm. And who doesn't want more of that?

There is a lot of information out there about the benefits of being grateful and expressing our gratitude and I don’t think anyone would dispute any of it.

However, I do know that sometimes it can be very challenging to feel grateful and coming up with anything to have gratitude for. I want to look at the science behind the benefits of gratitude and why sometimes it can be such a hard thing to practice.

Sometimes when we are facing difficult times, have had trauma or have anxiety and depression it can be a real reach finding things to be grateful for. We start off saying we need to count our blessings, feel grateful for all the good things in our lives, but quickly our “stuff” gets triggered and we start to go down a very different path. We tend to remember all the things that are not going well, that we failed at, that we don’t have and basically what's wrong with our lives. 

In today's episode we will look at some of the things that can sometimes make is hard to be grateful. Things like negativity bias, ancestral needs to stay vigilant about potential danger, mental health blocks and the science behind the benefits of practicing gratitude. Then we will look at how to get started with a gratitude practice even when it's difficult or feels impossible.

How often do we hear of very successful people having difficult, humble and even traumatic pasts? People like Oprah, Tyler Perry, Ashley Judd and Mark Wahlberg just to name a few. Quite often the success stories we see today had very trying and tragic beginnings. 

My guest today, Kayann Saunders, is someone who can identify with this and even though she is not a celebrity or well-known in the world (yet!) she is someone who not only chose to take a different path from where she had grown up in, but created a wonderful life and business so opposite from what she experienced as a child and teen.  Kayann is a perfect example of not allowing your childhood experiences to inevitably create more of the same but in fact using it as the motivator to create a completely different life.

Kayann is a wife, Mother, business owner, Mortgage Agent and Personal Assistant in Toronto, Ontario.  Kayann owns and operates her very own Mortgage Business and Personal Concierge Company and combines her passions to help people find solutions to life’s challenging situations. Having been in the financial sector for over a decade, it was a "no brainer" for her to start a business that follows that stream. Kayann is constantly exploring various disciplines to broaden her own passions and pursuits and integrating finances and personal services. Her current areas of interest and exploration are her family, serving her community, everything to do with real estate and wealth building.

You can learn more about Kayann and her business at:  https://vincanpersonalconcierge.ca and on all social media: @vincanpersonalconcierge.

This week I have the treat of having a previous guest back on - Rhonda Armour. This time Rhonda will talk about her new book "Before You Start Another Diet, Read This" - "Unsubscribe from the Diet Culture, by Focusing on the Inner Work of Self-Care". 

Rhonda expands on some of the points we explored when she was on in June and goes much deeper into some of the topics in her new book. She will talk about her own journey and how she discovered that self-care is at the basis of all well-being. We discussed things like "Trusting the Process" and "The Power of Choice" and so much more.

As a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach, as well as a Personal Trainer, Rhonda understands the demands on time for today’s woman feeling torn between career and home life. Nutrition and exercise often fall last on a long list of priorities. She once lived this life and understands it’s not easy putting yourself back on the priority list, especially if you have struggled with programs and diets that have left you feeling frustrated and confused. Rhonda wants her clients feeling empowered and back in the driver’s seat!

Rhonda's full life coaching style allows clients to partner with her in a holistic approach that satisfies external pressures and personal goals. She enjoys working with the motivated, but stressed-out woman who is ready to live their best life and understands that it’s not a straight line to success.

Rhonda's greatest desire is to empower women and restore that flame of confidence, competence, and control! 

You can learn more about Rhonda at her website: https://rhondaarmourcoaching.com or on Social Media: @rhondaarmourcoaching. Make sure to take advantage of Rhonda's Complimentary Consultation.

"Before You Start Another Diet, Read This" is available on Amazon in soft cover and Kindle.

Often we get stuck in situations, jobs, relationships or circumstances that we don't really want to be in but don't feel like we can get out of it or change it. 

Why does that happen? Well there can be many factors but what I have discovered is that typically what is at the basis is fear that is influenced by shame and guilt. 

On today's episode I am talking more about why this happens and am referencing the work of Brene Brown, particularly in her newest book Atlas of the Heart where she really identifies why shame is so influential in what we do or don't do. We will also take a look at Guilt and a couple of other emotions that are closely related.

I will also share some of my recent insights and how I shifted out of doing things that were not really what I want right now and how I have let go of those things.

We are back with fresh interviews and this week my guest is Orzala Quddusi. Orzala experienced some of the early symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD by her doctor. All too often people are suffering in silence and to the outside world they can keep up the appearances of everything being good - until they can't and symptoms start to get so frequent and so big that they just can't hide them anymore from the people who are closest to them. In some cases, it is the cultural beliefs and the lack of support from family that keeps people in shame and guilt about their symptoms and so they suffer in silence.

I hope that Orzala's courage to come on and talk about her experiences and symptoms will help others to know that there is support for them, even when that support has to come from outside their circle of family and friends. Orzala got the help she needed and while she still has moments of needing to deal with triggers and past trauma, they are very infrequent now and she is in a place of thriving.

Orzala is a mom of 3 boys. She is a social media marketer, trainer, small business owner and speaker. Her company is Make It Happen Services. Orzala is an active member of the community. Orzala has served on the board of 100 Women Who Care, is a committee board member of the Bowmanville Foundation Hospital. With her spare time, Orzala gives back to her community, volunteering at numerous local organizations. She resides in Ajax, Ontario.

You can connect with Orzala through Instagram:  @makeithappenservices