More Lovin Podcast

Do you ever feel like you don't belong?

I used to as well, but using the acronym I created to practice belonging (yes, there are some key ways I teach to strengthen this skill), you can belong wherever you truly desire, and most importantly, belong to yourself.

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin.

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, Episode #55: Belong

Community is an important part of the human experience. We desire connection, love and belonging. Think about things you belong to. Maybe you belong to a team, a book club, a church, a choir, a neighborhood, a community. There are endless things we belong to.

Belonging is defined as the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. Notice that belonging is a feeling. We know that feelings come from what we're thinking.

So if we're thinking; "I'm included, they get me, I'm understood, I'm at home." Then we feel love, accepted, and that we belong. On the flip side, if we're thinking; "they don't understand me, they don't respect me, they don't trust me," we often feel unworthy, unloved, and that we don't belong. And when we keep thinking these thoughts, we end up not respecting or trusting ourselves, as well as feeling that we don't belong.

Now, everyone has things that they belong to, like we mentioned before, and I'm guessing most of you have also experienced times when you feel like you don't belong. So how can we be more intentional about creating a sense of connection and belonging in our lives?

I created an acronym for BELONG to help us remember things that we can do right now to feel that sense of belonging. In my Lovin Me program for March, we will explore all about belonging. There I will teach my awesome acronym BELONG, so that you will have simple ways to not only belong to a particular group you'd like, but also to belong to yourself.

If you're ready to belong wherever you truly desire, join my Lovin Me program. Come belong to a community of incredible humans, who are strengthening their mental and emotional muscles. Come belong to a group filled with love & compassion, explore what's happening in your beautiful brain, and improve your relationships with yourself and others. Link is in the show notes and in my bio. I'd love to have you belong to Lovin Me and journey together to where you want to be.

Brené Brown has some beautiful information on belonging in her book Atlas of the Heart. She shares, "True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. Belonging is a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are.

When we sacrifice who we are, we not only feel separate from others, but we also feel disconnected from ourselves. Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance." Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to belonging and to love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today and see your in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others ~ I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Love the book Unblended by the amazing Mindy Neal

Highly recommend reading this book and enjoy a little tidbit about it...

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin.

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #54: Unblended

Most of you have probably used or seen a blender. You put individual larger items in, push a button, and it mixes everything together into tiny particles, or a drink, or whatever.

Well, I just finished reading an amazing book called Unblended. I love that title by the way, by Mindy Neal. Mindy wrote this book for women who are blending families, who have kids, have been divorced, remarried someone with kids, and are stepmoms. However, I think this book is extremely valuable for anyone who puts marriage and family at the top of their priority list.

I love Mindy's analogy about unblended versus blended, and how often keeping things unblended can be a beautiful thing. Mindy is real. She shares heartbreaking and hilarious stories. She gives simple exercises for us, the reader, to implement wherever we are in our family journey.

Mindy teaches about the Model, created by Brooke Castillo. This is a foundational tool that I too use, to create awareness and acceptance with our thoughts and feelings. Loving ourselves is intertwined throughout the book, which y'all know that I love talking about.

Mindy mentions, "when someone loves you exactly as you are without trying to change you or make you better, without criticizing the way you do things or who you are, it feels so good that you want to be better, to try harder, to love more. When someone loves you this way, it brings out the best in you." Mindy gives specific ways to help you do this for yourself and for others. So if you want to read an excellent book, I highly recommend Unblended.

Now since it's love month, and I get so excited talking about love and relationships, especially with our daughters-in-law, I have a complimentary 20 minute class to help you create more fun, love, and genuine connection with your daughter-in-law or with anyone.

So if you're listening to this podcast, the day it's released or the morning after, join me Thursday, February 9th at noon eastern time. Register HERE and let's increase the connection you feel with those you love or you want to love more.

One of my favorite quotes from Mindy; "When you embrace your separateness, you get to look for how you are better together in both your marriage and your family." Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to unblended and love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others ~ I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

What does Sticky Tack have to do with Love?

Listen as my cute nephew CJ shares a beautiful analogy telling us how.

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love. I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode number 53: Sticky Tack

Have you ever used sticky tack before? It's quite a magical thing. You can stick little random things everywhere with this sticky stuff, and then when you pull it up, there's no evidence that anything was there.

I have some amazing nieces and nephews, and one in particular, is on a mission. His name is CJ and he's in Bosnia right now. He shared a video recently relating sticky tack to love. He showed how he had taken his sticky tack and put pictures of people and things that were important to him all over his wall.

CJ noted, "that love is the sticky tack that connects us all together." What a beautiful analogy. I've been thinking about this a lot and pondering which relationships in my life do I want to add more sticky tack to, or freshen up the stuff that's getting old and I'm not connecting as well as I'd like.

For me right now, it's my relationship with Jesus, with a particular member in my family, and my relationship with my business. Three very different things, but all that I'm intentionally increasing the sticky tack, or the love I feel to strengthen the bonds with these particular people and things.

What about you? Is there someone in particular that you want to strengthen your relationship with? Is there someone you want to feel more love for?

I get so excited talking about and coaching on relationships, especially with our daughters-in-law. I have a lot of great tools, and tips, and sticky tack to increase the love you feel for her and for you. Now you may be like, wait LeAnn, I don't have a daughter-in-law, but I'm guessing there is someone in your life that you'd like to strengthen your relationship with, and I can help you with the sticky tack, or the love, to make that happen.

February is the perfect time to increase the love we feel for people in our lives. So join me on Thursday, February 9th, for a complimentary 20 minute class. In these few minutes together, I'll help you create more fun, love, and genuine connection with your daughter-in-law, or anyone you'd like to increase the sticky tack with. Click on the link in the show notes or in my bio to sign up. *Sign up HERE

My favorite quote from my sweet nephew CJ is: "Relationships are everything. Sticky tack bonds us together in love." Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to sticky tack and love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others. I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Connect with Mike on Facebook HERE

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, Episode #52: Phases of Love with Mike Houghtaling

I love observing and connecting with other humans, especially noting how they feel and implement love into their lives.

We have the amazing Mike Houghtaling sharing some beautiful love insights with us today. Alright Mike, briefly introduce yourself.

Hi LeAnn, and thank you for the invitation. We have lived in Fayette County for 35 years. We have five kids, seven grandkids, and I've been married to my wife for 42 years.

So beautiful. I love that. Alright, so first question. How do you incorporate love into your business and or your life?

Well, I'm retired now, so let's talk about my life. I was an addict for 38 years, and what pulled me out of my addiction about 16, almost 17 years ago, was finally understanding the true nature of God's love for me.

I thought that I had done so many terrible things that I could not be lovable. I couldn't look in the mirror and value myself. I couldn't say you are a good person to myself. So in all these decades of struggling, I finally got engaged with a 12 step program, and I began to understand God's love in four phases.

First, I came to believe that, to really believe that he did love me, that he didn't just love you and everybody else, but that he did love me, and that was huge. And so I began to believe that and to accept his love.

Phase two for me was I was able to love him back with a part of that love. So I came to understand his true love for me, and I began to love him back in a way that I never had before.

And then the third step for me was, after four decades, I was finally able to learn to love myself. Because if I'm good enough for God, then I'm good enough for anybody, including myself. And for the first time in many years, I could look in the mirror literally and say, I like you, and you're a good person. You know, you are enough and you're worth all of His love and all of these blessings.

And then the fourth step of understanding God's love for me, was with God's love, being able to feel a true, purer love for other people. And so I accepted God's love. I loved him back. I began to love myself, and then I was able to truly love my fellow man.

Oh wow, what an incredible journey that you've been on. Oh my goodness.

Well it took long enough. I'm a slow learner.

No, not at all. And I love just each part of that, and just looking in the mirror and telling yourself, hey, you're amazing. I love you. Whatever. You know, that's so cool. And how incorporating God and others and everything, that's just so beautiful.

Well, I kind of thought that God's love was conditional for me. That I got more love when I did more right. And I was less worthy of love and received less love when I did more things wrong. And I came to learn that you don't earn God's love, it's just there. You either accept it or you don't, but you don't earn God's love.

And knowing too, that you're a hundred percent valuable, and lovable all the time, no matter what.

That's right. Because love is love, and I like to say there's nothing you can do to make God love you more. And there's nothing you can do to make God love you less. Yes. He loves you because he is love. Ah, so beautiful. I stole that from a preacher. That's a good one to steal.

Alright, so question number two. What is something you love about you and why?

Well, that's hard, because in all these years of self-loathing, it's difficult to place value on yourself and accept praise from others, or even, heaven forbid, praise yourself. But you know, I like people, and I like my ability to try to relate with them, and to try to love them, and try to connect with them. And so I think I have a pretty good ability, most of the time, to connect with other people.

Yes, I totally would agree with this, and that's how I've been blessed to connect with you through different things. And that is one thing that I admired and why I wanted you on this podcast is because you radiate love. You are just, everyone is so excited to see you and be with you. And that is such an amazing characteristic. So yes, I agree.

I can give you a list of people that are not always excited to see me, if you would like one That's okay. No, we don't need that. There's always going to be some people, but that's alright. The majority of them, I'd say yes, they do. So that's great, alright. And I love seeing them. No doubt.

Okay before I ask you the last question, is there anything else you'd like to share? And where can our audience go to find out more about you. The only social media I'm really active on is Facebook. And so I'm there as Michael, m i c h a e l Houghtaling and there's a, believe it or not, with a name like that, there's a bunch of Michael Houghtalings on Facebook.

It might be easiest for a viewer or a follower of yours, to go to your Facebook page and then look me up as your friend. Perfect. Instead of just going to Michael Houghtaling and wondering which one. So since we're friends, they could find me that way. Okay, excellent. And I'll also put your link in the show notes as well, so that'll be great. Alright, so the last question. What is your favorite quote about love?

When I was in high school, a high school English class, my teacher, Ray Powell, a queen among queens of English literature, had this poem on the wall of her classroom. And I wrote it down and memorized it, and still reflect upon it, from time to time. But for me, this describes the way that we interact with each other. The way that we show love for each other by being vulnerable and then by showing respect for that vulnerability.

This is by Yates, William Yates, and he said: "Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet. But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Hmmm, something to think about y'all. Thank you, Mike. Thank you LeAnn. Thanks for sharing your tidbits of love with us.

Have a good one y'all ~ and here's to love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others. I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Do you wish you were different than you are? What if you could enjoy being you, exactly as you are right now?

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, Episode #51: Enjoyable You

Most of us want to be different than we are. We want to change this, or be better at that, or stop doing whatever. Sometimes in our quest to be or do things another way, we miss out on enjoying the beautiful experience of being ourselves.

What if you were excited to wake up every morning, and get to be who you are right now, without any changes? This is what we'll be focusing on in February in my Lovin Me Program. Join us there if you're ready to enjoy being you right now.

Do you sometimes have thoughts like these... I should be smarter. I should be more athletic. I should be better looking. I should be more outgoing, or less outgoing. I'm too fat, lazy, tall, short, awkward, skinny. I'm not organized, or I'm too organized. I should have had different parents, different teachers, or different friends. There are things in my life that are terribly wrong.

Notice how it's so much easier for us to believe these things, than it is to celebrate what is, as if it was meant to be that way.

All humans have an idea of how it's "supposed" to be. We know what "should" be going on with our lives. We have an image of how we are supposed to look. We know how the world should work. We believe there should be more good and less bad. We spend a lot of time upset that our life isn't matching up with how we think it should be in our heads.

A little side note here. Notice how many times I just said the word "should". Take a listen to my Should Podcast Episode #37, to discover how to stop shoulding all over yourselves.

Okay, back to where we were. Notice when we have an image in our minds of how our spouse should treat us, or our parents should have raised us, or how the government should be different, and how everything is ruined. Ruined compared to what? To the idea of what life should be and how we should be? Hmmm

This tends to be a little, well, a lot more exaggerated when you compare your life to other people's. Often you will have the story that their life is better than yours. You will think that because they have the things, or the look, or the business, or the family. They are doing their life right and enjoying their life more than you are.

But guess what? That is not true. I have learned this myself and coached hundreds of clients on this. We think it's better there, but really it's the same as it is here. Life is 50/50. The topics may be different, but the misery still exists. No one really has a "better" life than you. No one.

What if we let go of the idea that life is supposed to be easy and happy and good, and instead expected it to be hard?

What if we stopped arguing with the way it is and started enjoying the way it is? What if we stopped rejecting the way we are, and started enjoying ourselves the way we are right now?

In my Lovin Me Program for February, we'll be exploring the value of enjoying you and your life right now. Noticing and eliminating some of the shoulds that create a lot of judgment and disappointment.

Could it be possible that you could be excited to wake up every morning and get to be who you are right now, without any changes? Yes, it is! Join me in Lovin Me and I'll show you how.

Katie McGarry shared some great questions we can ask ourselves: "How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we're not? Even better she said, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?" Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to enjoying you and to love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me Program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others. I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Why are high fives and light switches the perfect way to start your day?

You're listening to the Love Tidbits podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #50: High Five

When's the last time you gave someone a high five? Mine was a few weeks ago when I saw a cute kid I worked with years ago, when he was getting his Eagle Scout Award. I like high fives. They're a fun way to greet or congratulate people. It feels good to me to high five someone. And I really like The High Five Habit book by Mel Robbins.

Y'all have probably heard about my light switch trick, where you turn on a light and tell yourself something that you love about you.

Well, Mel has something similar, where she gives herself a high five in the mirror every morning. When we start our day off with a high five or a light switch, and comment what we appreciate about ourselves; we cheer ourselves on, we give ourselves encouragement, we celebrate us, we self-validate what we're doing, and guess what? When we're loving and caring for ourselves, we're so much better able to love and have compassion for others.

Now, Mel says, there are two reasons we want to do this first thing in the morning. First, it will impact your productivity and how you show up all day. And second, it teaches you to put your own needs first from the moment you wake up.

Her High Five Challenge is something she encourages us all to try for five days and see what happens. You've had a lifetime of high fiving friends, teammates, and even strangers, now let's create a habit of doing it to yourself. See if it doesn't improve your mood and help you achieve your goals. The High Five Habit is an awesome book and I recommend reading it if you want to learn more.

One of my favorite quotes from Mel is this: "Your relationship with yourself is the foundation for everything in your life. How you talk to and treat yourself sets the tone for everything you do. It determines how you feel, what you think, and what actions you take. If you look in the mirror and don't see a person worth celebrating, it's time to change that." Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to high fives, light switches, and love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others. I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Do you have a word of the year?

If not, here's one to explore ~ 2023 Impeccable Me

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #49: Impeccable

Some of you may pick a word for the year, and some of you don't. I've done both ways and we've really enjoyed doing a family word the past few years.

Our word for 2023 is impeccable. I'd only heard that word a couple of times until this past summer when I was in master coach training. Corinne Crabtree taught us about the difference between impeccability and perfectionism. After her insightful lesson, impeccable became one of my most favorite words.

Impeccable means free from fault or blame, which sounds a bit like perfectionism. However, perfectionism means displeasure with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards. So basically, when you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your results. And when you're operating from perfectionism, you find fault and blame and make excuses.

Corinne beautifully shared, that showing up impeccably has nothing to do with being perfect. It's knowing how to be your impeccable self no matter what happens. It's a state of being, not an action or a result.

We were talking to our kids last week about what impeccable would look like in each of our lives. We have four boys and two daughters-in-law, all young adults, some in college, each have some type of job, and they all live far from home. It was interesting to discuss what being impeccable meant to each one of us. A few thoughts we shared:

Being impeccable is taking responsibility for where we are in our lives right now. We ask ourselves what is our next best step? We figure it out. We don't blame others and make excuses.

As we're impeccable, we try different things, and we don't quit when something doesn't work out the way we wanted. We keep going and understand that messing things up is part of the experience. Failing is not even a thing, unless you completely stop trying.

Now, I have struggled with perfectionism in the past, and it still comes up now and then. It's not possible to be perfect, so why do I sometimes beat myself up trying to be that way?

Impeccable, however, is so much more intriguing and attainable. I get to make the choice. I get to figure out the solution. I get to use my mind and heart to move towards wherever I want to go, and as I mess it up, it's not a problem. I get to tweak things and try again and again and again.

What would impeccable look like in your world? It may be a word worth exploring. I am so excited for 2023 and how I'm becoming impeccable me.

I'm pondering this question by Kris Carr: "What if your purpose is to take impeccable care of yourself so that you have the energy and joy to serve others?" Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to being impeccable and to love.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals. Enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law. Appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today, and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others. I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

Connect with Amanda Louder at amandalouder.com

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sided tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #48: I'm Just the Right Amount with Amanda Louder

We have the amazing Amanda Louder, sharing some beautiful love insights with us today. Alright Amanda, briefly introduce yourself.

Hi LeAnn, I'm so happy to be here. So yes, I'm Amanda Louder. I am a sex coach for conservative Christian women and I help them learn to embrace their sexuality and love their sex life. So I love to help women really incorporate a better sex life into their relationships.

On a personal side, I've been married to my amazing husband Kevin, for 10 years. It's a second marriage for both of us, and we have a blended family of five kids that range in age from 14 to 23. And we live in Salt Lake City.

Awesome. And you are helping women everywhere. I love that you've helped me, and I know you've helped so many. So cool. Yes. I love it. Thank you. Alright, so first question, how do you incorporate love into your business and or your life?

Well, I think my entire business is about love. I would have to agree. That's a lot about love. Yes, so I always talk to women that in order to have a good sexual relationship, they need to first have a healthy relationship with themselves, which means loving themselves and all parts of themselves, including their sexuality. To have a healthy relationship with their spouse, which means loving their spouse and really seeking to not just love them, but know them and be willing to be open and vulnerable themselves with their spouse. And then love their sex life. And that means understanding their bodies, understanding what sex looks like for them, what it means to them, creating deeper meaning in their sexual relationships so they can truly love that part of their life and their relationship. So love goes into every aspect of what I do.

Oh, that is beautiful. So business and personal life, it's in everything. It totally is. I mean, my whole life is about love too. Loving my husband, loving my kids, loving my friends, loving everybody around me. And I love that coaching has really taught me how to actually love people unconditionally, and to stop judging them, and to really embrace them and whoever they are. Like I've found that I don't have problems with as many people because I've learned how to actually love them despite all of our inadequacies I guess, we all have them.

Absolutely. We all have them, and I love that we can still love unconditionally and be humans and have all this stuff. Yes. Awesome. Alright, so what is something you love about you and why?

So this has been a really interesting journey for me, in coming to love myself. So, my entire life I've been told that I'm too much. I'm too bold, I'm too loud, I'm just too everything. And it's something that I have not loved about myself for a very long time because I saw other people not being able to love me because of that. And so it's something that I tried to change about myself for a very long time, and really tried to play small and not be so much, in so many aspects of my life.

But as I have been learning to love myself more, I've actually realized what a gift that is for myself. That God created me that way, so that I could speak boldly about this message that I give to my clients and to my community. And without that too muchness, I wouldn't be able to speak the way that I do. And so it's really become an asset instead of a liability, and it's something that I've actually learned to really love about myself.

And I love that about you too, because there are not very many people that would speak as boldly as you do about sex and everything. And I thank you for having the courage to do that and to be too much or whatever we want to call it.

Well, I don't think I'm too much anymore. I think I'm just the right amount for the message that I need to give to people. Yes, I totally agree. That's awesome. Alright, before I ask you the last question, is there anything else you want to share, and where can our audience go to find out more about you?

Yeah, I love the work that you do LeAnn, because I think that really loving ourselves and loving others is just essential to our life here on earth. And so I love that about that. But I, if you're interested in what I have to offer, learning more or working with me, so I have a few different options. I have a podcast called Sex for Saints. We have almost 250 episodes, so it's crazy. And they're good. Yeah, and that's been really an exciting part of my journey with this is having this podcast available to anyone who wants to listen.

I've also recently just launched a new subscription podcast where you can actually hear me coaching other women and maybe even couples on sex, so that you can hear it and start to incorporate those things into your own life. And I've just learned that people love to interact with me because it's about sex from the privacy of their own homes or cars or wherever they are with their phones. And so the podcast is just another, the subscription podcast is another way for them to interact with me in a different way.

And then, in addition to that, I have my Embrace You Elite Society membership. Which is a membership for women who want to better their relationship with themselves, and their sexuality, and their spouse. So the doors are currently closed right now, but I will be running some specials coming up, so they'll open and close. So if you want to get on the wait list for when they open, you can go to amanda louder.com/membership. And in there there's video courses. We do weekly live coaching where you can volunteer to be coached or you can just come watch others be coached. There's classes every month, and you get the backlog of everything that I've ever done in the membership. So there's plenty to keep you going for as long as you want.

Excellent, and I know you do some retreats now and then too, that I was able to come to with my daughters-in-law. That is so good. So if anyone gets an opportunity to do that as well, those are fantastic. Yes, so if you want to come to a retreat, you can just go to my website and go to events and the retreats are there. The next retreat is in February and it is already sold out. So you'll have to get on the wait list for the next one. Super. I love it. Alright and I'll put this information in the show notes as well. Awesome, thank you.

Okay and the last question, what is your favorite quote about love?

So, I mean, it's about love, but it's not about love, but it's; whatever you're missing in your relationship is what you are not bringing. So really, like so many times we want our spouse to be the one to change, and we're like this is missing in my relationship. And so it really just turns it back to you, like what are you not bringing to the relationship that's actually the missing piece. Hmmm, something to think about.

Thank you Amanda, for sharing your tidbits of love with us, so appreciate it. Thank you LeAnn.

Have a good one y'all, and here's to discovering what you want to do with your relationship, and to love. If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you.

Join my Lovin Me Program today and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others, I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

What valuable lessons can you glean from the luckiest animal of the Chinese calendar? Join Lovin Me and find out...

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin

Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #47: The Year of the Rabbit

I was talking to Jeff about something a little more original to talk about in January than goals, and he mentioned the Chinese New Year might be fun to learn more about. Now, sad to say, I knew almost nothing about the Chinese New Year, but it sounded intriguing, so I did a little googling.

Did you know that the Chinese New Year falls on a different day each year? It's usually in late January or February, and the day is determined when there is a new lunar cycle, and it is in the first phase of the moon shaped as the crescent.

In China, each year is linked with a different animal, and the Chinese calendar goes in a cycle of 12 years, each year symbolized by a different animal. It is believed that if you are born in a particular year, then you will have some of the characteristics of that animal. This year, 2023, is the year of the rabbit, starting from January 22nd, 2023, and ending on February 9th, 2024.

The sign of rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. You may ask, why is the rabbit the luckiest sign? Well, in the Chinese culture, the rabbit is known to be the luckiest of all the 12 animals because it symbolizes mercy, elegance, and beauty. People who are born in the year of the rabbit are calm and peaceful. They avoid fighting and arguing at all times, but are artistic and have good taste in life.

Are rabbits loving animals you ask? Why yes, rabbits are very loving and social animals, which means they not only love to spend time with their humans, they require it. Without human interaction, rabbits can get bored, even to the point of becoming lonely and depressed.

Rabbit's personalities vary greatly from one rabbit to the next, even among the littermates. Hmmm, sounds like humans. Rabbits can be silly, timid, shy, curious, and high spirited, regardless of sex or breed type. They show affection by choosing to sit near you, climb on your back, or nibble at your socks. I also remember some great stories about rabbits growing up. What about you?

Well, in my Lovin Me Program for January, we'll be discovering more about the Chinese New Year and what we can learn from the Rabbit, also known as the luckiest of the 12 animals of the Chinese calendar. Come join us in finding out some fascinating and valuable lessons we can glean from rabbits, and integrate into relationships with others and ourselves. Go to leannaustin.com to sign up.

A quote that I found and really appreciate says, "This New Year, do not live in the past for it may make you depressed. Do not live for the future for it shall only make you anxious. Live only in the present for that alone will bring you peace. Happy Chinese New Year. Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all ~ and here's to the rabbit and to love. If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you?

Join my Lovin Me Program today and see yourself in a whole new way.

You're already really good at loving others, I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com

One of my new favorite books Wife On Purpose ~ A great marriage how-to handbook by Candice Toone that I highly recommend.

You're listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you'll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I'm your host, LeAnn Austin Hey y'all, welcome to Love Tidbits, episode #46: Wife on Purpose

I recently finished a Trauma-Informed Coach Certification with Candice Toone. I have always admired Candice and her incredible coaching. Working closely with her has taken my coaching to a whole new level and I'll forever be grateful.

I also discovered she wrote a book called Wife on Purpose, and I just finished reading it. What a fantastic book. If you're wondering how to be more intentional as a wife, to get what you truly desire, and to improve your relationship with your spouse, no matter what situation you're in, I highly recommend reading this book. I like to highlight main points in books I'm reading for later reference. There is so much in here that I highlighted, I had to stop, it's one of my most yellow books.

Anyway, Candice helps women stop wondering if they married the wrong guy, and start building the marriage they thought they'd had when they said, "I do." Even if you're sure that you married the right guy, this book has tools that will help everyone. Candice has so many fun and relatable analogies. One of my very favorites was this one. Candice shares that when something in your marriage seems to need fixing, and you're believing that the problem shouldn't be happening at all, you often feel some version of fear. To illustrate this, she talks about a baby teething...

Teething hurts. The baby cries. No one responds with, "oh no. How could this happen? We gotta make it stop." If we did respond that way, we would have a terrifying first couple years of the child's life. Most of us expect the pain of teething as part of human development, so we keep our sense of control and don't normally freak out when we see our baby swollen gums. We may question the teething process, but we don't normally go on a wild defensive crusade to make teething stop all together. We know it's coming, and we get ready to ease the baby suffering with cold chewy things, medicine and snuggles. Because we accept that teething is supposed to happen, we spend very little time trying to prevent it or change it. We anticipate it, stock up on comfort tools, and love on our littles through it all. We don't blame ourselves or the baby because teething isn't our favorite thing. Instead, we take responsibility for handling teething like a pro. Candice shares, that it is our option to view the challenges of married life through the same lens we use for teething.

If marital scuffles were openly acknowledged to be as non-threatening as teething, it's likely that we'd move through them more easily, and feel more curious and confident as we go. We'd spend very little time trying to prevent or change them. We'd anticipate them, stock up on comfort tools, and love ourselves through it all. So good. Thank you, Candice!

Now, if you're wondering how in the world do I love myself when my relationship with a spouse, or my daughter-in-law, or someone close to me is a mess? This is what I do in my Lovin Me Program. I help you increase the love you feel for yourself, which strengthens your relationship with everyone else.

One of my favorite quotes from Candice's incredible book, Wife on Purpose is this: "You always have a good reason for everything you think, feel and do. Take responsibility for figuring out what your reasons are, then follow those reasons with courage and conviction." Hmmm, something to think about.

Have a good one y'all ~ and here's to being a wife on purpose and to love. If you're enjoying this podcast, please share and leave a review, to help others hear tidbits of love.

What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me Program today, and see yourself in a whole new way💗 You're already really good at loving others, I'll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com