Send us a text

In this episode of The Motion of Gratitude podcast, Shannon sits down with creativity coach, award-winning author, director, and speaker Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, founder of Medicine with Words.

Elizabeth’s life is anything but linear—from moving across the world with two suitcases, to directing films, writing children’s books, and becoming a professor. Through it all, she’s become fiercely devoted to one thing: the power of words to shape our inner world, our sense of safety, and the way we move through life.

Together, Shannon and Elizabeth explore how language can either confine us or set us free, how grief can completely rewire our foundation, and why finding your word (like Elizabeth’s word, “safe”) can become a compass for how you live, love, and create.

This is a heartfelt, thought-provoking conversation about intention, grief, creativity, and giving ourselves permission to live by our own inner algorithm—not the one the world hands us.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• The power of words
  • How the words we were told as children still live in our bodies
  • Why phrases like “be successful” are often empty until we define them
  • The difference between saying words and feeling them
• Finding your “word”
  • How Elizabeth helps people move beyond vague goals into one core word (like freedom or safe)
  • Why her word “safe” guides everything—from where she sits in a restaurant to which work she says yes to
• Gratitude as a felt experience
  • Moving from “I should be grateful” to truly embodying gratitude
  • Simple examples of deep gratitude, like noticing the privilege of opening a fridge full of food
• Creating your own “algorithm” for life
  • How to be intentional about what you consume, who you spend time with, and what you say yes to
  • Elizabeth’s morning ritual and how she “sets her algorithm” for the day so she can end it feeling how she intended
• Grief, love & a reshaped foundation
  • Elizabeth’s experience of losing her beloved dog Chai and how grief has ripped her heart open and expanded her capacity for empathy
  • Why grief isn’t a set of neat stages, but a tunnel that becomes part of who we are
  • How her understanding of feelings and words deepened through this loss
• Autism, identity & a permission slip to be yourself
  • Elizabeth’s recent autism diagnosis and the immense relief and clarity it brought

What if you didn’t have to just survive the holidays this year?
Breathe Through the Holidays is a 7-week guided breathing space to help you slow down, feel calmer, and stay present through it all.
Each week brings a simple, science-backed breath practice and reflection to help you reconnect with yourself — even in the middle of the busy season.
Join now for $33 at TheMotionofGratitude.com/holiday and give yourself the gift of calm.

Stay Connected:

• Subscribe to our podcast to stay updated on future episodes.
• Follow us on social media @TheMotionofGratitude for more content related to holistic well-being.

Ready to step into your life and stop going through The Motions? Let our 28 Day Gratitude Initiative be your new starting point! If you are ready to:
- find the good already in your life that you are missing
- find presence in your life so you don't let life pass you by
- start a consistent daily rhythm to set the tone in your life

Then join us! Purchase Your Experience today and get started! www.TheMotionofGratitude.com


Looking forward to connecting with you!