In this episode, Amanda McKoy Flanagan shares her journey through multiple losses, spiritual awakenings, and discovering how to break generational patterns of emotional protection. A New Yorker turned Colorado resident, Amanda opens up about losing five family members in three years, saving her marriage to a 9/11 first responder, and learning that what first appeared as emotional breakdowns were actually spiritual breakthroughs.

Amanda discusses the "great myth" passed down through generations - the belief that we should love less to protect ourselves from inevitable loss. Through therapy, meditation, and deep inner work, she discovered how this unconscious operating system affected her relationships and ability to connect. She shares insights about marriage, PTSD, and how couples can heal together through understanding their generational patterns.

The conversation takes an unexpected turn into meditation guidance, with Amanda offering practical wisdom about different ways to meditate and connect with higher consciousness. She emphasizes that meditation isn't about achieving a quiet mind but rather an open one, and that it can take many forms beyond sitting in silence.

Key Takeaways:

1. When experiencing major life changes, recognize that even positive changes involve loss - of familiarity, routine, and certainty.
2. Meditation doesn't have to be perfect - find your own way in through whatever puts you in a flow state, whether that's running, walking, writing, or sitting quietly.
3. Consider how your family's approach to grief and loss has shaped your own - these patterns often go back generations.
4. Focus on being "all in" with yourself before trying to be all in with another person.
5. Trust that painful experiences can lead to spiritual awakening and growth, even if it doesn't feel that way in the moment.

Learn more about Amanda:

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Music credit: Limitless by Bells