Recently, I’ve found myself scrolling through Instagram, only to be left with feelings of jealousy, resentment, and self-pity. Why? Because sometimes I forget to use social media as a tool, and instead I use it as torture.

In this episode, I invite you to contemplate whether or not you’re using your social medias or if they’re using you. This is a slippery slope and one that we’re all susceptible to because our phones are our way of communicating, sharing ourselves with the world, learning, and soothing boredom. They’re also designed to keep us coming back for more. So, no need to beat yourself up about it if you are feeling a bit attached to your phone.

I hope by sharing my feelings around this topic and how it’s been affecting me can help you understand that you’re not alone, and that there are ways to mitigate this issue in our lives.

I provide advice and easy-to-implement tools to begin taking back your control today.

I hope this benefits you. And if it does, please share with a friend, leave a review, or simply let me know how it helped.

Episode #16 Are You Avoiding Silence? Let’s Find Out.

In this episode, I invite you to explore your own life patterns and see where you may be avoiding inner space and silence.

I have found that introducing silence into my life gradually over the last few years has helped me to cultivate a more calm demeanor, process my thoughts/emotions, and relieve stress.

Signs that you may be avoiding silence/stillness:

•You always have something on in the car, with or without passengers. (Music, talk radio, podcast, etc.)

•At home you always have something playing/a screen on. (Phone / Music / podcast / tv)

•When spending time with someone, you often fill empty space with words / check your phone / eating, etc. instead of holding space & practicing presence.

**These are just three common examples of how we avoid silence and are also great opportunities to begin practicing presence and silence daily.

If you’d like to start learning more about inner stillness / presence, here are a few books & people to look into-

The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

The Seat Of The Soul by Gary Zukav

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Episode #15 My Breakup With Makeup (And How You Can Do It Too!)

In this episode, I share my experience of releasing my attachment to makeup in hopes of developing a stronger sense of true confidence in myself.

I explain how I became so intrigued by makeup, and how I began to lose myself in it. I express how I longed to be one of those girls that felt confident in her own skin, without makeup.

I share how difficult it was in the beginning to accept the face I saw in the mirror and how I feared showing this bare face to the world. Self-doubt and comparison to polished face I once knew caused my anxiety and insecurity to increase, yet I was committed to this change.

Although I am still on the journey, I am certainly much further than where I began three years ago. I can truly say that I don’t feel I need makeup to feel good about myself, and I can finally see the true beauty in my “real” face.

I finish this episode up by giving you tangible tools to use in your daily life in order to begin building true self-love & confidence whether you choose to wear makeup or not.

Louise Hay “Mirror Work” - https://youtu.be/VZFcN5qB8yM

“My Breakup With Makeup” YouTube Video - https://youtu.be/nhe45dt_ZWI

Episode 14 : Overcoming Addiction, Practicing Yoga, And Learning to Love Life at Every Age with Nancy Enke.

This conversation with Nancy Enke (owner and instructor at Nspired Yoga in Rockford & Roscoe, IL) is filled with inspiration, wisdom, and tangible tools to help you center yourself in this busy world.

At almost 68 years old, Nancy is filled with light and life energy that is contagious. Her trust and acceptance for the aging process gave me hope and helped me relax into my age of 27 just a little bit more than I had before.

Nancy shares her experience of finally quitting her addiction to nicotine and how using the breath, running, yoga and mindfulness helped her along the way.

When she began her Yoga Teacher Training she was nervous and doubtful because of her age and lack of experience, but that didn’t stop her from gliding forward into further trainings and ultimately opening her own yoga business.

She’s an inspiration and a beautiful soul. I hope you find as much peace and insight in this conversation as I did. Enjoy.

*Nancy would like to offer you the opportunity to come and try a class at either of her Nspired Yoga studios for a HALF PRICE drop-in fee of only $5.00! Just mention that you heard her on the podcast and receive your discount!

Nspired Yoga -

http://www.rockfordyoga.com/

February Yoga Teacher Training -

https://www.yogafit.com/find-yoga-teacher-training/level-one-foundations-Rockford-IL-2586/

Episode 13 : An Introduction To Herbal Medicine With Abbie Bradford.

Some things we cover in this episode :

•What is herbal medicine and why might we consider it as an alternative to western medicine?

•What are the different categories of herbs and what benefits do they provide to our body?

•I ask Abbie to describe how she has witnessed the healing power of herbs within her own life.

•Abbie explains briefly how Discovering Wellness offers herbal medicine as a way to aid your body in its natural healing process.

•We discuss the different ways to ingest/use herbs and the benefits / precautions of these different ways.

•The Tree Of Life - http://www.treeoflifeteachings.com/tree-of-life/tree-of-life-chakras/

•Basic intro Video to Chakras - https://youtu.be/Mg6zbsaFyQI

•Abbie’s event at Choices Natural Market - http://www.choicesnaturalmarket.com/new-events/2018/2/7/herbal-immunity-class

Episode 12 : Emotional Triggers, Feeling Small, and Finding Your Intuition with Abbie Bradford.

I initially planned to meet with Abbie to record a podcast about herbal medicine (coming soon) but instead felt called to share an experience that had happened just moments before I arrived to our meeting.

Do you ever find yourself in an emotional state that you thought you had grown past? Maybe something triggers you and you’re sent into a smaller, less confident version of yourself and you think... “Really? This still bothers me?” Or “After all this work on myself, where is my growth?”

It’s wild how one conversation or one small incident can throw us back into a feeling we used to feel when we were younger, or in a different place in our lives.

In this episode I explain how I was reminded that I definitely still have shadow parts of myself that are in desperate need of the light of my consciousness.

If I bring awareness to these feelings as and after they happen and objectively look at why they came up, then I can dissolve them and gradually let go.

Abbie reminds me that it took many years to accumulate the conditioning that I currently have, and it may take many years to rewire my brain for the better.

Good things take time. Be patient with your growth. Practice self-compassion. Trust that you’re exactly where you need to be. Breathe. Continue forward.

Episode 11 : Relationships - Toxicity. Personal Responsibility. Communication.

In this short episode, I briefly summarize my previous experience in a young relationship that turned toxic, why I think it went this way, and what I could’ve done differently.

I express the importance of personal responsibility in relationships and the dangerous tendency to place blame outside of ourselves.

I give you practical tools that have helped me tremendously over the last few years in my current relationship including “The Work” by Byron Katie and simple cues of communication from John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus.

I hope this helps you process your past relationships, navigate your current relationships, and/or move forward into future relationships with more ease and understanding.

References made in this episode :

Byron Katie “The Work” Questions & Turnaround http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/4-questions-that-defeat-negative-thoughts

John Gray - Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus BOOK https://www.amazon.com/Men-Mars-Women-Venus-Understanding/dp/0060574216

John Gray on Bulletproof Radio https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bulletproof-radio/id451295014?mt=2&i=1000389031846

BONUS RESOURCE* TRACY MCMILLAN interview "Why Relationships are meant to trigger us" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eWwRl_CNLR8

Episode 10 : Contemplating the Illusion of Control.

Recently I have been feeling quite challenged by the cold Midwest winter, as well as the lack of routine during this holiday season.

I am reminded that although we can do our best to create order out of chaos, ultimately we aren’t quite as in control as we may think.

As you listen to this episode, I invite you to contemplate where in your life you are clinging tightly to control and see if you can loosen your grip just a bit. The goal of this practice is not to give up on structure, rituals, or routine. These things are incredibly important to our happiness and fulfillment. But instead, this practice of awareness around your attachment to control and routine is a healthy way to bring yourself out of the “Matrix” and into a more relaxed state of being.

The more you practice letting go, and releasing the grip on your illusory control, the better you can flow throughout life and enjoy it as it unfolds.

Acknowledge your attachment.

Notice how you feel when your control is challenged.

Ask yourself if you can relax into the flow of life regardless of whether or not it goes as planned.

Feel yourself uncoil, breathe deeply, and just simply be.

Episode 9 - “The Bachelor” 4 years later, and I’m still not over it.

I felt like journaling, but decided to speak to all of you instead.

In this episode, I explain a recent experience that emotionally triggered me and brought a heightened awareness to my ego and showed me where I am still clinging on.

Although my experience on “The Bachelor” was brief, and happened several years ago, the feelings it ignited in me still linger.

I have come so far, but I always have learning, growing and healing to do in all areas of life. There is no destination with any of this, and all I can do is notice when I am being unconsciously triggered, and shine my light even brighter in those areas so that I can awaken to my authentic self and help you continue to do the same.

Here are the main takeaways from this experience and this episode -

An important skill to acquire and refine is the ability to distinguish between an opportunity to be seized and a temptation to be resisted. (I still need a lot of work in this area.)

“The slightest reaction reflects the subtlest clinging. This is a meaningful clue to where you are still holding on. Simply watching your reaction makes everything a teaching.” - Ram Dass

Life is happening for us, not to us. So as long as you search for meaning in your past and present experiences, you can find gratitude for the simple fact that it is bringing you one step closer to full self-awareness and ultimately helping you become your most authentic self.

This episode was sponsored by Bath & Body Fusion. https://bathandbodyfusion.com

Shop online or in store & receive 20% off of your purchase when you use coupon code : ComingClean

Kathie Toulouse is the co-owner and operator of local health food store, Choices Natural Market (one of my favorite places in Rockford).

She is a mother, a former grade-school teacher, wife, bright spirit, and passionate local business owner.

Join us as we discuss taking a leap into a new chapter in life, navigating the complex world known as the food industry, balancing entrepreneurship with relationships, and so much more.

[0:42] Kathie explains how she and her husband, Trace began their journey as owners of health food store - Choices.

[5:15] Kathie expresses her new awareness of clean eating and how she began to value healthy foods more than ever before.

[9:10] The standards of choosing products for Choices’ shelves.

[12:50] Vote with your fork.

[16:00] Your eating doesn’t have to be perfect. Guilt gets you nowhere.

[18:15] The importance of slowing down to be conscious and present in life.

[21:00] The difficultly of eating well in a busy life and possible solutions.

[22:40] The benefits of cooking.

[24:50] Intentions matter. Water Crystal Study - http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/water-crystal.html

[27:20] Stop saying “sorry”.

[29:25] Allow life to flow. Have patience.

[31:40] How Kathie navigates her relationship and entrepreneurship with her husband.

[37:05] The support Trace & Kathie receive as small & local business owners.

[42:08] Focus on what you can control. Where focus goes, energy flows.

[43:25] The importance of setting an example and laying a foundation for children.

[45:45] Cravability. What is it and why should you be skeptical?

[49:00] YOU can change the food system with your choices.

[51:02] The initial discomfort and fear that Kathie felt when her husband first left his corporate job.

Visit & support Choices! http://www.choicesnaturalmarket.com/

This episode was sponsored by Bath & Body Fusion. https://bathandbodyfusion.com

Shop online or in store & receive 20% off of your purchase when you use coupon code : ComingClean