I've changed my podcast name to "Interpersonal with Sou" because beyond me using this medium as a way of sharing my personal relationship experiences and what I've taken and learned from them, it does have the potential to develop into more than just me sharing stories. This feels like a bridge to me helping others beyond helping myself. I just didn't want to sound preachy. But there is a point to sharing stories and speaking about our personal experiences. Therein, lie lessons and perspectives that others can take from and learn themselves. So instead of concerning myself with not being preachy, I am going to intentionally focus on the interpersonal communication skills that get touched on anyways.

Expectation can lead to disappointment, so you might decide you will lower your expectations or try not to hold any altogether. But lowering your expectations doesn't mean your standards need to be lowered or changed.

Yesterday, I had a very difficult conversation with my step-father. It was one I had wanted to have for years but was also reluctant to having. My step-father experienced a great amount of abuse as a child and has never fully healed. In this conversation I had with him, I tried to help him see his own reluctance to holding himself accountable for the pain he has caused. It isn't easy or pleasant to confess to your wrongdoings, especially when you revert back to how others have wronged you and default to telling the same story, hoping to be given a break. But it is not someone else's responsibility to deal with your load and relive your trauma because you have not healed. We all deserve support and nurturing, but that can be abused and it isn't fair to expect someone else to accept mistreatment because there's a reason or explanation. It is our responsibility to do better than the wrong that was done to us.

After learning to hold grudges and hold things against others, choosing not to forgive people for years on end, I want to come to forgive quickly and easily. For my own peace, I choose to release.

I recently started therapy again and my therapist encouraged my to speak with my father and his mother, and to forgive them, not for them but for me. It's been a lot to hold onto and I believe holding against them what I did made it easier to hold things against people versus forgiving, and I don't want to live that way. I want to forgive and I want to be at peace because I deserve to be at peace. I'm glad I'm here today and that my mother chose to have me. I continue to heal from both my own experiences and the experiences I've spiritually inherited from my mother, and the mothers before her. I pray you can forgive if there's anyone or anything you need to forgive for your own peace. You deserve it, but only you can grant yourself that. Be well. Until next episode...

Welcome to my podcast, named after myself for simplicity. This first episode is a formal, energetic introduction, sharing my desires in a home & a partnership. I give thanks and thank you for listening.

This is the first episode of a first series of me sharing personal relationships, perspectives, and experiences. I talk about grief that I am feeling post break up and touch on how getting clear on what I want is helping me during this transition period.

For my first episode, I wanted to focus on the importance of transparency and essentially keeping it real. Also essential, the quality of our environment. Is it supportive to us? Is there room/space to grow? Do we feel inspired or discouraged? All of these things make all the difference in the trajectory of our life, in whether or not we will be successful. And success, another thing, is something for us to determine. For one person's idea of success might not be ours while both being absolutely valid (if we're keeping it real). I implore you to peel back the layers, really get to digging, and uncover your beautiful self. Your life will be far more fulfilling when you take to your calling. Big love, Souvany P.