A Note From Me

This episode is the start of something I’ve been sitting with for a long time.

I wanted to open this series with a question that changed everything for me: What if nothing about you is random?
What if the things you call flaws or failures are actually signals from a living ecosystem inside you, an ecosystem that was built for a past version of you and is now asking to evolve?

In this episode, I walk you through why so many of us feel stuck, overwhelmed, burned out, or out of alignment. It’s not because we’re broken. It’s because we’re still operating from outdated survival systems that once protected us but no longer fit who we’re becoming.

I talk about what happens when we stop treating ourselves like malfunctioning machines and start understanding ourselves as living systems with layers that rise and fall together, our biology, psychology, emotions, relationships, and identity.

I also introduce the six elements every healthy ecosystem needs, and how those same elements show up inside us: roots, canopy, circulation, diversity, regeneration, and spirit.
And then we zoom in to the five layers of the personal ecosystem: the body, the mind, the emotional landscape, the relational web, and the identity/purpose layer, so you have a map for the inner work we’re going to explore in the coming episodes.

This episode lays the foundation for the whole series.It’s meant to help you see yourself with more compassion, more clarity, and more curiosity…...and to remind you that you were never meant to run on efficiency or willpower alone.

You weren’t built to function like a machine.You were meant to grow like a living thing.

I’m really proud of this one, and I’m excited for where we’re headed next.

Integration Journal Prompts

1. Biological:“What is my body trying to communicate that I’ve been ignoring?”

2. Psychological:“What belief am I acting from today? Is it actually mine?”

3. Emotional:“What emotion showed up the strongest this week, and what did it need?”

4. Relational:“What relationship pattern feels like it belongs to an older version of me?”

5. Purpose & Identity:“Who am I becoming, and what do I need to release to make room for them?”

Connect with Me

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Patreon

Episode Summary

In this episode, Alex explores the difference between living a tailor-made life versus a mass-produced one. She shares how free will is the gift that allows us to choose authenticity over templates handed down by fear, tradition, or convenience.

Drawing from her own story of burnout in full-time ministry, Alex examines how misplaced measures of “success” often lead to unhealthy habits, sacrifice, and burnout—and how redefining success begins with accountability, ownership, and health.

Through metaphors like maps, plants, and tangible tools like personal development tools, she challenges us to zoom in and zoom out on our lives—to see both the details of our patterns and the bigger picture of our purpose.

This episode is an invitation to stop living mass-produced stories and instead become Leaders of Your Own Storyline.

Show Notes

• Tailor-made vs. mass-produced living – Why humans weren’t designed for cookie-cutter templates.• The gift of free will – Co-creating a life that honors your essence.• Burnout and broken metrics of success – What Alex learned from a decade in full-time ministry.• Healthy vs. unhealthy – Rethinking good/evil through the lens of growth and health.• Personal development as a rebuild kit – Turning leadership tools inward.• Zooming in & zooming out – Balancing details and big picture for true alignment.• Your personal care card – Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for plants or people.• Owning your story – Confession, accountability, and the power of ownership.

Resources

Enneagram - https://enneagramuniverse.com/

MBTI - https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Kolbe A Index - https://www.kolbe.com/kolbe-a-index/ (There is a fee for this one)

Natal Chart - I personally use the FREE version of the AstroFuture App because I like the circular viewpoint and like that I can toggle between just my natal chart and my natal chart with the current placements and transits. Astro-Seek is another option. Regardless of what app or website you use, you’ll need your exact TIME, DATE, & PLACE of birth to pull your FULL Natal Chart.

Once you have your full natal chart, I have created an Astrology Integration EBook as a 101 and Beyond to help give you an index as you begin decoding your chart. I will be adding bonus episodes where I show you how I started understanding my own chart, and the questions that I asked to help bring clarity to my own internal map. If you want access to all the bonus material and episodes, consider subscribing to my Patreon.

I'm rooting for YOU!

- Alex

For those who had plenty of examples of what not to do…
I didn’t grow up with a blueprint—I grew up with warning signs.
But maybe that was the gift.
This one’s for the ones learning how to lead themselves,
to parent themselves,
to build something beautiful out of the broken.
You’re not behind.
You’re just renovating your soul.

– Alex

What if the problem isn’t your behavior or the life you've been handed, but the belief system it’s built on?

In this episode, Alex shares the raw and redemptive story of what happened when everything she thought she believed came crashing down.

Through the biblical story of King David and Solomon, spiritual symbolism from across cultures, and personal reflections on trauma, performance, and peace. This episode explores what it means to question your foundation, re-evaluate your purpose, and lay a new cornerstone for your life.

This isn’t about burning it all down for drama.
It’s about getting honest enough to rebuild with truth, love, and intention.

🫶 Stay Connected

• Tag Alex (@alexandratevans) on TikTok with your reflections or story

• Share this episode with someone navigating their own deconstruction

• Leave a review if this helped you find clarity or courage

✍🏽 Journal Prompts to Help You

1. What do I believe to be absolutely true about myself, life, and the world?

• What are the unshakable beliefs I operate from daily?

• Are these beliefs empowering, limiting, inherited, or chosen?

2. Where did these beliefs originate?

• Were they shaped by family, culture, trauma, religion, school, or a specific experience?

• Which beliefs are hand-me-downs I’ve never questioned?

3. Do my current beliefs support the person I want to become?

• Are they aligned with my vision, goals, values, and inner truth?

• Are they grounded in fear, shame, or love?

4. What do I define as my life’s purpose, or current soul assignment?

• What impact do I feel called to make?

• What themes constantly pull at me to explore, heal, or create?

5. When I act in alignment with my deepest beliefs, how do I feel?

• Do I feel rooted and clear, or tense and conflicted?

• What does my body tell me when I follow certain beliefs?

6. What happens when my beliefs are challenged?

• Do I shut down, defend, reflect, or adapt?

• Which beliefs do I protect, and which am I willing to evolve?

7. Am I living according to my cornerstone or someone else’s blueprint?

• Whose approval am I still chasing?

• Am I honoring my own sacred design?

8. What new belief would change everything for me?

• If I could fully believe one new truth, what would it be?

• What belief, if fully integrated, would unlock purpose, peace, or power?

9. What values do I refuse to compromise on, no matter what?

• These are your non-negotiables. Your “true north.”

• What do these say about the architecture of your inner foundation?

10. If my life were a temple, what words would be engraved on the cornerstone?

• A phrase, mantra, or truth you want your whole life built upon.

🧡 If this episode stirred something in you, I’d love to hear your story. Share it with me—write it, speak it, tag me, or message me directly. You don’t have to walk through the rubble alone.

And if you’re not ready to share, just ask yourself:
What have I built my life on?
Is it solid? Is it sacred? Is it mine?

See you next time,

Alex

I think it's time for me to start talking again.

I think it's time for us to finally heal the generational traumas we've made normal.

I think we get to be that generation.

Hi, I'm Alex.

Today my goal is to...

1) Introduce myself

2) Introduce the podcast

and 3) Invite you to join me on a journey.

Hi! I'm Alex.

Welcome to My Iridescent Life!

I hope you'll join me on this journey as we explore the beauty of living in full color.