Open Book with Ash

And on today's episode...I share something that makes me want to go run and hide.

I don't know why, really, because TONS of people are in a relationship with a bot and talk to them on the regular...but maybe for me, it is because the relationship I had built with it, the way I opted to use it, took me further out of alignment and further from myself. It was slowly eating away at the idea that I can use and trust my own voice.

And as a coach, "I should know better"...but I'm also human so giving myself some compassion is key!

We're always doing the best we can with what we know and when we learn differently / more, we can pivot. We take the knowledge and we do better...hopefully. And that is exactly what I did once this toxic relationship became glaringly obvious to me.

It was during a time where I was deep in my own BS (aka stories + self limiting beliefs) and struggling to lean back in to what I know to be true - that the best thing we can do when we feel stuck is to come back home (to ourself).

I was in a vulnerable spot and sitting in a boiling pot of fear, self doubt, comparison which all led to overwhelm around creating content that would "be more business like" - you know, so I looked professional in my marketing game (because this was obviously the next step in my business...get my act together online...said with sarcasm) - and this hot shiny new object came along and lured me in when I was so anxious to find some sort of path forward...and the rest is history. And summed up right here in this 24 minute episode (or 12 min if you put that shit on 2x...)

I guess sometimes you have to hit rock bottom - like arguing with a robot online about content you wrote...that it rewrote....telling it that it does not sound like you to wonder "WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I EVEN DOING HERE!??!"

PS - if you use AI and love it. Great. I know there are tons of ways it's valuable. I'm not here to tell you that you shouldn't use it but I do think it's worth looking at when and how you're using it. And also, how is it REALLY impacting you and your relationship with yourself. 

Are you leaning on a robot to make decisions for you? Validate you? Do you think it knows the "right" answer and are you asking it things that would be best if YOU sat with it and answered it yourself, because after all, you're the human living this life...I promise you would be able to figure out yourself if you just allowed yourself to tap into your own truth...(also this is 100% what I help clients do - come back to themselves in a world where we often seek answers outside of us. In motherhood. In relationships, with others and ourselves.) 

Or are you like, hey, I have these 12 ingredients, what can I cook for dinner? 
There is a difference. 

PPS - If you read all of this, I know this is a WILDLY long description but I feel like it 100% aligns with my message in this episode. This is me. This is how I talk, explain, write and share. You're welcome. 

TEN Episodes Guys! Woot!!

And I'm so glad you're tuning into part 2 of this series because oddly enough it took me TWO tries to record this one...and honestly, I was so excited for the first recording then it was like the tech gods knew the second time around would be even better and it is....if I do say so myself.

So welcome back for part 2 of one of my FAV things to talk about and teach!
 
In part 1 we talked about uncovering your limiting beliefs and shitty self talk (aka stories) because the things we believe and the way we speak to ourselves create the life we are currently living, the results we have and we often don't even look at either. We just accept the "That's not who I am" or the constant negative chatter as factual...and catching it and learning to create some separation is just the first step.

The second step is what this episode is about. We are going to shift those stories so we can create differently results that we like...because who doesn't want results that they like?! And we will talk about ways  to turn down the volume on our inner critic to free up some space in our very chatty, often times rude brains!

Because I gave you a "cheat sheet" with part 1, I'm giving you one for part 2 as well...you can find it here!

PS -  if you loved this episode or any other episodes - be sure to share with a friend and leave a review.

And here is the getting to neutral episode I refer to...

Y'all...this is a topic that I LOVE.
 
(Probably because I am the queen of stories and I still find some that don't serve me! Like peeling back the layers of an onion over here, guys.) 

But trying to not overload you and spend hours talking was not easy...so this is part 1 of a 2 part series on the stories we tell ourselves, specifically our self limiting beliefs and negative self talk (aka shitty self talk). 
 
 Why do I love this topic? I'm glad you asked...

Stories are the reason we have created the results we have in our lives. Some of those results are things we love and some are things we look at and think "how the fuck did that happen?!" 

So when you can uncover them, you can start to live more intentionally, do more of what you want without your limiting beliefs holding you back OR your inner critic being an extremely loud rude biatch in your ear all the time. 

The things we believe and the way we speak to ourselves are so important and we often don't even look at either. We just accept the "That's not who I am" or the constant negative chatter as factual...but what if you could see it differently? 

What if you CAN question all of it? I mean, if you can tell a story one direction...the other side is available to you too, right? (This is rhetorical, folks.) 

What if you could find out what is going on in that brain of yours causing you to feel like you aren't enough or that something must be wrong with you because you keep trying to change a pattern or habit but always seem to revert right back to your old ones...well, good news, friend, you can.

And this first episode out of two will help you create awareness around your stories (both the beliefs and inner dialogue) to see if there are any you are ready to let go. In any area of your life, there is no shortage of stories (some work for you, some work against you) so it's kind of important to make sure the ones you're telling yourself allow you to live your most fulfilling and intentional life. 

Let's get to work. (In a fun kind of way, promise.) 

And if you loved this episode or any other episodes - be sure to share with a friend and leave a review. 

PS - here is the pdf I mentioned! 

In today's episode I am talking about something that might shock you: you don't have to love your body. And you don't need a bunch of unicorn and rainbow thoughts about it either...you just need to get to neutral. (Trust me, by the end you will understand what I mean by get to "NEUTRAL!" LOL.)

I'm helping you break down the difference between the facts about your body and the story you've built on top of them and why simple statements about our body will always beat the emotionally loaded ones AND why jumping straight to body positivity can backfire.

This one is practice you can 100% start using today.

If you want to go back to the "first episode" I refer to in this podcast, you can listen here! 

3 Simple Check Ins to Take Back Control of Your Schedule

Ok, so most of us are back to school...and if your days already feel like a blur of chauffeuring kids, meetings, trying to figure out what's for dinner, reacting to whatever comes next, and wondering where your time went...this one's for you.

On this episode I give you 3 simple tools I use with clients (and myself) to keep you from feeling like you have zero control over your schedule: where your time is actually going (this one is always an eye opener), whether your priorities from last year still fit this season, and a weekly reset that keeps a random Tuesday from turning into "mom and dad are losing their shit again" because they don't know who is in charge of what.

Y'all...it's not about doing more. It's about doing what matters and letting the rest go.

Fair Warning...side effects of implementing these 3 tools may result in less stress, fewer reactive decisions, and a week that feels intentionally designed instead of constantly happening to you. (I know, I know...I am so funny.)

Oh and this episode is just like me...short, sweet, a little sweary.

And since you're busy, here's a 4th tip, put this shit on 2x (my personal fav) or 1.5x and you'll have 3 ways to make your life easier at your disposal in under 5-7 minutes. You're welcome!

1:1 Coaching is Open - Click Here 

We just got back from our summer vacation, and 5 of those days were spent at Universal.

And for our day at Epic Universe, I veered off course from the plan we had already made and was quickly reminded why sometimes research only creates confusion when you already know what’s right.

What didn't seem like a big deal turned into an "epic" fail, followed by a very familiar mom guilt spiral. I'm only being semi dramatic here, it became a joke in our family to call the day that.

Outside of the park itself being kind of a letdown (to our family) — I'm talking about what was actually in my control...the bigger lesson.

It was about how often we let outside noise override what we already know is best, not just around vacations...it can be around our bodies, the holidays, or decisions we make for and with our kids.

In this episode, we talk about being able to trust yourself over outside noise, especially when the opinions around you feel louder than your own voice.

PS - new to my world? Come find me on IG, say hi and that you found me through the podcast!

How many times have you said "I'll do it later / when the kids are older / when I have more time..." Or just given up completely because something got in the way?

Same, girl. Same.

AND I 100% could have used that excuse with this podcast when life threw me a curveball mid launch prep but I took a page out of my own book (aka, what I teach my clients) - find out what I mean on this impromptu episode!

PS - I recorded this on 7/15 and it's being released on 7/30 as a bonus so...1) my mom is ok, 2) I made it back home in time to do mom things, pack the fam and head back to Florida for family vacation! 

The things we keep doing - the little moments of self sabotage...why do we keep doing them once we catch onto them?

I promise it's not you, it's just a story your brain has been practicing for so long it feels like fact and you haven't slowed down long enough to pause the pattern.

Whether it is a story like "no one wants to hear what you have to say" that keeps you from showing up or a thought like "This is just who I am. I have no self control with food" and then you find yourself in the pantry elbow deep in Oreos - stories ultimately create patterns we don't like and it IS possible to change them.

In this episode I will break down the pattern process with emotional (over)eating as an example because who hasn't done this before?! But it is also the story of how I went from wanting to run and hide after being asked to be a podcast guest, multiple times, to hosting my own show and what I learned about the patterns our stories create along the way. Two different scenarios but the process to catch and shift a pattern is the same.

After you listen, maybe you'll spot a pattern in your own life you didn't realize was running the show.


PS - here are the episodes I was on as a guest: 

Cheetah Print

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cheetah-print-chats/id1676110289?i=1000741681688

Found at 40

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/found-at-40/id1822840175?i=1000762672327

Older kids, a quieter calendar, and somehow my brain that still hasn't gotten the memo...

This one's for the moms who have dreamt about a free afternoon and then felt lost when it finally happened. You're not alone...I'm figuring it out too.

In this episode I'm talking about the guilt, the tendency to default to hustle mode, and why slowing down physically and slowing down mentally are two completely different things. 

PS - if you're following along here in real time - thank you AND I had a family emergency and had to pivot my podcast schedule this past week but 3 days late is better than not at all. *pats self on the back 

You have a trip coming up or maybe some special event and immediately, your brain is like "time to get yourself ready!!" (aka shrink...)

Maybe you believe it and you find some fad diet, you restrict, you prep hard or maybe you don't, yet you still spend the whole time in your head once you're there. 

What if shrinking yourself was never the point? 

In this episode we are going to chat about three things that keep us mentally absent from the moments that actually matter: the diet culture deadline, the outside pressure that convinced us we need to fix ourselves before we're allowed to enjoy something, and the habit of self-objectification that has us operating as bodies first, humans second...even when we're supposed to be relaxing on a beach.

This one's for every woman who has ever sucked in her stomach getting out of the pool, waited for the "right moment" to get in the water, or spent the whole vacation wishing she'd started that program six weeks ago.

It is time to get out of your head and into your life. 

Life After a Tummy Tuck - Part 1 

(It is a 5 part blog series but, as promised, here is the link to part 1)