In Flow + On Fire

It's so easy to just take whatever our brain tells us as absolute truth. In fact, many of us are under the mistaken assumption that our brains are simply offering us observations of all the stimuli we're taking in, when in fact our brains are sorting through all of that stimuli by making it all MEAN something (or nothing).

I speak with women regularly who share with me the beautiful dreams they have of creating or building something, like a business or something better for themselves or their families.

However, do you want to know how many of them are actually acting each day in alignment with creating what they want? Probably 1% (at most).

The majority of women I encounter are holding themselves back, waiting for the "right" time, wishing they had more support, and letting life get fully in the way of actually doing the thing they're dreaming of doing.

But why? Because our brains are messing with us... in the name of trying to protect us.

Instead of questioning what our brains are telling us about ourselves and life, we just go along with all of the B.S. ideas our brain throws at us about the limitations and the reasons why it can't/won't work. This leaves us feeling exhausted and unfulfilled... waiting and hoping for life to someday, somehow get better, rather than being consistent about creating the life we want to live.

*Enter the work of Kara Loewentheil*

Kara Loewentheil, host of the Unf*ck Your Brain Podcast and creator of The Clutch (https://unfuckyourbrain.com/), has done extensive work in this arena. As a lawyer who spent much of her professional career working on the front lines of womens health, feminism and equal rights, she has determined that the feminist movement that really needs to happen (that could make the world a better place for every human) is the revolution inside our brains.

Inside this episode I share more about the 4 mindf*cks of patriarchy that Kara teaches -- people pleasing, imposter syndrome, perfectionism & validation seeking.

Now, I've done a LOT of "belief breakthrough" and "change your beliefs to change your life" types of work over the past 16+ years. However, I have really appreciated this fresh, super-logical approach to understanding what is actually sane ways to think vs. what are the ways I've been subconsciously undermining myself and getting in my own way without realizing it (and feeling pretty crappy and anxious a lot of the time as a result).

This isn't about getting the law of attraction on your side, which can be a fun rabbit hole to go down for a little while, but ultimately feels MUCH harder to try to manage. It's about understanding how our thoughts create our feelings and our feelings lead us to action/inaction, which then create the results we experience in our everyday lives. It's simply a natural consequence. So if we want to change our lives, we have to understand what thoughts we're believing so we can question them and see if we may want to practice and integrate more helpful thoughts.

I am so grateful for Britt Hartley helping me identify some areas where I've still be so stuck in unhelpful patterns and thought habits. She recommended Kara to me as a really solid, research-based, logical approach to reprogramming our brains (especially after religious deconstruction).

This podcast is the end of a 3-part series where I've been sharing my story and the most helpful aspects that have helped me in my journey to find more sanity, peace and wellness overall.

Are you working on a big dream or goal? Are you wanting to build more income or grow your dream business? If so, I just posted this special bonus episode of the In Flow + On Fire podcast for you 🎉

If you're trying to grow your dream business or your online brand, NOT having these 3 crucial things in place can make it incredibly difficult to reach your goals. None of them are rocket science answers, but you'd be surprised how nearly every creator, entrepreneur and business that I work with MISSES at least 1 or more of them consistently... which can really slow them down and even compromise their ability to reach their goals.

After having mentored and worked with everyone from moms dreaming of creating $500 more a month for their families to mulit-million dollar businesses who want to scale and serve more people, I have seen the SAME MISTAKES happening over and over again.

Everything I share in this episode is based on these 4 all-too-common mistakes I see holding far too many people and businesses back (& keeping them overwhelmed & frustrated instead):

1. NOT having clear goals – sure, we know goals are important, but are your goals setting your dream up for success… or making it harder? So many times we think we have a clear goal, but 99% of the goals I hear are NOT as clear as they need to be in order to be supportive.

2. NOT having a clear action plan & strategy – "action" is the key word here. You can have an impeccable plan, but if it's not leading to actions that will naturally bring you closer to your goal, your plan is worthless. Inside this episode I share the 1 VITAL mindset shift that will strengthen your action plan immediately with implementation.

3. NOT tracking all of your activity – most mompreneurs, big dreamers and companies do not have great tracking and results measurement in place. This often leads to getting lost in "shiny object syndrome" where instead of being consistent and investing in figuring out what works, you change strategies every month (or day) which ultimately makes it so that none of your efforts ever really take root and grow.

4. NOT getting the support needed – even someone who just graduated with a fancy business or marketing degree would still need help figuring things out. If you're trying to leverage social media and online tools to grow your dream, remember that these strategies are changing all of the time and it can be difficult to keep up without support. Ask more questions and be more selective about who you take advice from.

If any of these common mistakes resonate with you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I know these mistakes so well because I've also made them many times over the years. But now as I'm building up my new dream business and it's going so efficiently, it's reminding me how much harder it can be.

That's why I made this episode: I want to save you from the heartache & struggle. Growing your business and dream can be really rewarding… and even joyful.

Looking for more support to reach your goals and create your dream business with digital marketing strategies? Join my Patreon community for more support https://www.patreon.com/QuinnCurtis

Life can be lovely & joyful… Until it isn't.

Suddenly, often when we least expect it, things can change overnight. Over the past 5 months, this has been my experience.

As Charles Dickens said, it has been "the best of times and the worst of times." And yet, from what I'm hearing, I know I'm not alone. This has been a hard year for many of us. To make matters seem even harder, I believe the age of us buying into the "top 10 tricks" or the latest product sensation to make us feel better has ended. It was great marketing for awhile, but the charm has worn off. As a collective we're recognizing the need for feel good solutions that actually work and last. Complex problems don't often have simple solutions. It can be all too easy to get stuck in the messy middle where we don't quite know what to do to really make peace with our life circumstances, but also don't know how to cope and grow through them in really "in flow + on fire" ways. There is a mass epidemic of anxiety, depression, loneliness and loss of meaning and purpose. Instead of thriving, we're waking up to the fact that no matter how much money we have or if we're with our "soul mate" or if we've lost those 20 pounds… we're still just mostly surviving. If you're currently struggling or loving someone through their own "dark night of the soul," today's In Flow + On Fire podcast episode is for you. In today's IFOF episode, "Facing Our Darkest Fears," I'm giving you an exclusive in-depth view of what it's been like to successfully walk through one of the darkest nights of my soul thus far. I decided to hold nothing back in sharing my story because I believe that we don't talk about these types of struggles enough, which keeps them scary and unknown, and makes it so lonely and hopeless when you or someone you know is struggling in similar ways. Hoping in sharing what helped me move through this, especially in a way that truly felt like a massive step to greater wholeness, that it will help lighten you or someone you love's load, while also bringing you hope. THERE IS SOOO MUCH HOPE. But, it requires courage (& skill) to claim it. ❤️‍🔥 And hopefully knowing someone who has walked through this will help you find that courage even more easily.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Britt Hartley, Spiritual Director

• God is Dead: Nietzsche's Most Famous Statement Explained

• Life is Absurd! Exploring Albert Camus' Rebellious Philosophy

What does it actually look like to make brave choices with our lives? What is required to make those leaps of faith? What about when everyone around you isn't supportive of the changes you want to make or what you want to create?

In this episode I share some context of my own background of being raised in and eventually leaving a really strict, controlling, high-demand fundamentalist religion, as well as being misdiagnosed for over 2 decades with a mental illness (which was actually just somatic effects of childhood trauma).

My hope in sharing my story is that it will give you context to understand the perspectives that I share here on the In Flow + On Fire podcast, while also hopefully inspiring you to honor your own story and be brave with your life.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of pushing through the discomfort of developing your skills and getting better at what really matters to you. We talk about the struggle of living mediocre lives instead of being brave with our lives and trying new things, and how to overcome the fear of being bad at something or not being willing to go through the discomfort of learning and getting better.

Listen in to discover:

• The crucial gap between "skill and taste" that can help you stop shaming yourself and instead show up consistently for your goals and dreams
• How normal it is to be extremely uncomfortable with doing something (anything) different
• Why it's important to develop your skills and get better at what matters to you
• The struggle of living mediocre lives vs. creating lives we love
• How to overcome the fear of failure
• How to move through the discomfort of learning and getting better
• How to really improve at something
• Whether or nor "having talent" is something you need to worry about
• What it really takes to get better at something

What skill do you want to develop? What are you afraid of? What is one small step you can take today to push through the discomfort and get better? This episode can arm you with a powerful mindset shift to take on anything your heart is calling you to do.

Hoping this episode inspires you to be more brave with your life and going after what you really want.

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Resources mentioned in this episode

Creative Pep Talk Podcast by Andy J Pizza

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast

Over the past 15+ years I have been studying joy and what it actually means to live more joyfully. This pursuit led to creating the "Joyful Living Podcast" years ago with 100+ episodes about this powerful and life-changing subject.

In this episode I'm sharing the top 10 lessons I've learned over the years about joy.

We'll explore the different aspects of joyful living, including:

• What is joy?
• How is joy different from happiness?
• Why is it important to prioritize joy?
• How can we tap into our inner state of joy?
• How can we deal with challenges and setbacks without losing our joy?
• How can we connect with others through joy?
• How can we use joy to attract more good into our lives?

If you're ready to learn more about joyful living and how to bring more joy into your life, then this episode is for you!

BONUS: Here is a quick list of the most popular episodes on the Joyful Living podcast. Excited for these episodes to provide you with even more tools and resources for living a joyful life.

1. Ep. 103 - Developing Your Skill Set to Create a Life you Love with Dr. Phil Wilhelm
2. Ep. 102 - Living a Life that Truly Feels Good with Kate Bee
3. Ep. 97 - Building Confidence & Self-Worth with Laura Richer
4. Ep. 101 - Fueled with Joy in Motherhood with Ashlee Miller
5. Ep. 96 - Finding Your True Purpose with Lynde Mott
6. Ep. 99 - Developing & Leaning Into Your Intuition with Dez Stephens
7. Ep. 95 - Setting Strong Intentions for a Breakthrough Year with Kelly King Anderson
8. Ep. 90 - Feeling Good within Your Own Skin with Lisa Schrader
9. Ep. 80 - Finding Joy in Everyday Moments with Pam Baumeister
10. Ep. 74 - Freedom Beyond Stories with Calli Lewis

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Resources mentioned in this episode

Joyful Living Podcast: https://www.quinncurtis.com/podcasts

Untethered Soul Lecture Series by Michael Singer

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Ask & It Is Given by Esther & Jerry Hicks

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast

Could you use some breathing room? Does life feel a little chaotic and crazy? One of the most powerful tools we have to use as humans stories. So much of how we experience life is all based around the stories we tell ourselves, the stories handed to us as we were growing up and the stories our society all seems to believe in.

When we change the story, we can change our life.

This is one of the many reasons why I LOVE myths, fairy tales, parables, fables and legends. Stories have the power to activate us in ways that simply talking about a subject can't do. Stories can help guide us when life gets messy and they can help us remember who we truly are.

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite Jewish parables that has helped me navigate those stressulf + FULL seasons of life... as well as really opening up to letting in more goodness.

I'll share a few examples of how this principle has shown up in my life, especially in regards to getting to the heart of why our lives get sooooo dang full of stuff and busy-ness.

If you're ready to claim more breathing room, more goodness and more joy, this episode is for you!

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Resources mentioned in this episode

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast

Link to parable read In this episode: http://ourbuzzards.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-jewish-parable.html

Untethered Soul Lecture Series by Michael Singer

Ready to get out of your own head and embrace the "call to adventure" in your life? Are you baffled at how life seems to feels so dang hard (and you're kind of getting worn out from it all), even though your life is full of so many good blessings and you know you should be more grateful?

Want to "be the change you wish to see in the world?"

Living "in flow" means living "in flow with life," from a place of non-resistance and openness.

Living "on fire" is all about living full of your divine spark, love, joy and passion.

The concepts are easy enough, but the actual daily application can feel difficult.

In the "In Flow + On Fire" podcast you'll discover key concepts and strategies to help you live with a deep sense of inner peace and to clearly know what to do with your life (led by your own intuition).

Over Quinn's career as a Brand Strategist & Marketing Executive who has helped everyone from big corporations to scale and small businesses / solo entrepreneurs to take off, she has seen that the biggest thing blocking us from creating something better with our lives and bringing our dreams to life is US.

We get in our own way.

And... until we start to see the patterns and places that keep us stuck, we'll continue to get in our own way and that elusive dream/vision will stay out of reach.

We all have genius, greatness and magic within us. It's not just in some of us, it's within ALL of us.

But we can't access all of that goodness and make the world a better place if we keep it stuck inside.

Whether you're wanting to improve your health, make a career move, start your own business, lean into a hobby, take an art class, spend more quality time with your loved ones or just simply feel better in your everyday life, tuning into the "in flow + on fire" zone within yourself can make all the difference.

You may not always feel supported to follow your heart, bring a dream to life, or just make important changes to improve the quality of your life (and those you love). That initial leap of faith (and the steps taken afterward in the dark) are scariest and the most tempting place to stop and just go back to the way things have been. Honestly, your friends and family may even be relieved when you do give up and just go back to the way things were.

Even good change, can be scary.

No matter how uncomfortable your current reality is, it's likely more comfortable than believing in yourself and stepping into the unknown.

However, if you can just see it through and stay in a more receptive space to walk through the darkness a bit longer and keep taking that next step to create a life in line with where your heart is calling you to go, you'll get there.

I promise: you really will get there.

As you keep going, you can fine-tune your ability to hear your intuition/inner voice so you can be more effectively led, setting yourself free from fear.

Everyone has baggage from their past and family lines. Now isn't the season to just survive, it's the season to come into greater alignment with your life and path so you can THRIVE (even the stars ✨ this year are lining up to support you in this).

This doesn't mean that everything in your life will go exactly as you want it to, but it does mean that you'll step into something even better.

Listen in to this episode to learn more about what living "in flow + on fire" actually looks like and how you can start today. Quinn will share what "in flow + on fire" living has meant to her over the years, as well as the evolution of these concepts and how they've directly supported her life and those she's worked with.

You've got one beautiful life to live! How do you want to live it? Start today.

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Resources mentioned in this episode

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast

How do we set ourselves free from our deepest fears & struggles? What about when the worst case scenario happens? Or how about when life surprises us with something heartbreaking?

Eeek... life can feel insanely difficult and our fears just amplify that struggle.

We've all heard that we should "face our fears," but what does that actually look like? It's great advice, but how come most of the world is still stuck letting fear run their lives? Our fears of what we don't want to have happen actually happening and our fears of not getting what we want can keep us stuck in our heads and living small, instead of leaning in to natural joy, beauty and magic of life.

Facing our fears liberates us to fall in love with our everyday lives, opening up the space for our dreams to blossom and supporting us to come more fully alive.

Over the past few months some of my biggest fears have hit. It's been a season of facing all the old skeletons in my metaphorical closet. Inside this episode I share some parts of my story around losing my job, questioning everything, choosing alignment over everything else and rebuilding my life.

"Face your fears" can seem like cliche counsel. It's tough to know how to do it. I DEFINITELY am not claiming to be perfect at this, but hope my story shows a bit more of what it looks like in practicality to come into this dark nights of the soul in life and move through it into great alignment and peace.

It really is true that it's our fears that keep us living small & not being brave with our lives.

For example...

If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you do?

If you knew you'd be perfectly supported, what would you try?

SOOO... why aren't you doing these things now?

Oh, right.. fear ;)

The motherlode of all fears, though, that is at the root of so much of why we do (or don't do) what we do is the fear of death (both our own death and the death of those we love). Our stories about death (what it is and how awful it is) are a BIG part of what keeps us from fully experiencing and savoring this incredible gift of life we've each been given.

In my own journey to set myself free from my fears, I've taken a lot of comfort in a story about what death really is. When my grandmother was dying, she was extremely anxious about it all. In a quiet moment in her hospital room, I told her this story and watched a relief and peace washed over her.

Inside this episode I share this story about what death really is and hope it brings you and your loved ones comfort as well. It's so simple, but extremely profound... helping us not only to bravely face death, but also to bravely COME ALIVE.

"And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

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Resources mentioned in this episode

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast

Strengthening your skills to navigate and work with your own brain and emotions is absolutely crucial for the peaceful life. Doing so truly sets us free, liberating us from being a prisoner of our past and our fears.

In this episode I share a deceptively simple, deeply powerful & life-changing skill to set yourself free & experience peace TODAY.

Yes, that's right... no need to keep trudging through life, or wait for peace once you've finally healed yourself and/or overcome everything (eek!! That's a tough and impossible quest. Been there, done that. No thanks.)

Not only is this skill crazy-simple to learn and apply, it's also completely free.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "it's probably not worth much then."

But that's where you're wrong.

It's all too tempting to believe that the things that will really work are expensive and hard to achieve. We tell ourselves stories about how "if only we had more money, more time, more support, etc." then we'd finally be able to live the life we want and be our best selves.

Spoiler alert: that wouldn't work anyways.

As one of the great Masters alluded to about what actually brings us peace and makes life a lot lighter:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)

However, one of the biggest things often missing from western religious experience is actual skills to help us open up to the "lightness" and "easiness" of life.

Why do we need skills?

Because we all arrived here on Earth with these incredibly powerful tools -- like our brain and our body -- and largely have absolutely no idea how to use them. Any competency we have has come mostly from trial and error, as well as what others have told us along the way.

And to make matters even worse, all too often (because it can be pretty intense here) we even start thinking that we ARE our brains and our bodies.

...which just amps up the anxiety, stress & overwhelm even more.

... and makes us think we should do some really crazy, messed up things and shouldn't do some really beautiful, amazing things.

NOOOOOOOO!!!

Think this doesn't apply to you?

Well, let's just ask yourself a little question to see:

What would you be doing right now if you weren't afraid to fail?

... and why aren't you doing that right now? What's holding you back?

You can put the blame on everything and everyone around you, but ultimately, you won't get very far at changing your outer experiences unless you start pointing that finger back around at your own brain.

And YOU, the one who has been believing it.

Our buddy "Webster" defines a skill as:

• The ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance
• A learned power of doing something competently
• A developed aptitude or ability

One of the most important and life-changing skills we can ever gain here on earth is knowing how to work with our own brains.

>> Enter the incredible work of Byron Katie

20+ years ago she wrote an incredible book called "Loving What Is" which outlines the very best framework I have ever seen for getting quickly out of pain and into seeing reality for what it really is.

If you've read or experienced her work before, take this as your love letter from the universe to revisit it.

If you've never heard of Byron Katie, get ready for your world to expand and for life to become more rich and beautiful than you could have ever imagined.

This isn't manifestation or anything else that you have to work towards over time. It's a simple process called "Inquiry" that gives you 4 questions to get out of the illusions that are making your life miserable and get to the Truth.

"Reality is always kinder than the stories we tell ourselves about it." - Byron Katie

Byron Katie's "Inquiry" process looks like asking yourself these 4 questions about any of your thoughts (especially the ones that freak you out or are disturbing your inner peace):

1. Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to question 3.)
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? (Yes or no.)
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. Who or what would you be without the thought?

In this episode I share my experience with really building the skill of inquiry into my life over the past year and how it's absolutely transformed everything for the better. I also share real-life examples of what Inquiry can look like to show you how approachable and easy it is to build this life-changing skill.

Believing your thoughts and that you are your brain are surefire ways to stay stuck and in pain.

Simple skills/practices (like inquiry) can help us go "sane" and actually get to the heart of what is really True in our lives (which can dynamically transform how we do life and make decisions).

It really is possible to step out of fear & anxiety, no matter what's going on in your outer life when you use skills like inquiry.

Still not sure?

Think of someone you're struggling with right now and dump all your angst and frustration into this "Judge Your Neighbor" Worksheet from Byron Katie. Let it all out. Don't hold back. Then, ask the 4 questions about everything you wrote down (following the steps at the bottom of the worksheet).

Can you feel some breathing room now?

Can you see things more clearly?

Is your heart more open now?

I thought so. :)

Learning the skill of "Inquiry" can do the heavy-lifting to transform everything in your life because it changes your experience with your life from being in resistance & staying stuck in old, familiar, unhealthy patterns to be open, adventurous and even joyful.

It's time for more of us to get out of our heads and into our lives.

Really hoping this episode of the In Flow + On Fire podcast helps you to recognize that the really big feelings you're experiencing (or afraid to experience, like anxiety, stress, depression, apathy, overwhelm) are pointing you towards greater peace if you work with them instead of resisting them.

Also hoping that knowing you can turn on Byron Katie's books in the audio format (especially Loving What Is & A Thousand Names for Joy) any time you need some additional support will also give you some confidence and bring that bounce back to your step.

Cheering you on!! You've got this!

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Loving What Is book by Byron Katie
• Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet by Byron Katie
• A Thousand Names for Joy book by Byron Katie

Special thanks to Avasa & Matty Love for their use of the song "What If" in this podcast