Overcoming Our Identity

"With not eating AND dancing so much, I started to get super weak and headaches all the time, super fatigued, and dizzy… I started to get better at dance too, though" 

This part of the podcast you are about to hear absolutely broke my heart…and so many women are in the exact same position. What seemed to be a correlation at the time wreaked havoc on Grace's health and thankfully she is recovered today and here to share her vulnerable story.

Grace Valentic is a holistic health and nutrition coach who helps women redefine their relationship with food and their bodies (you know we love that around here). Grace and I have been friends for years and, while yes I did say this wasn't going to be a podcast about health and fitness, it is a part of all of our lives and it's important to share these stories and journeys.

In Part 1 of what quickly became a long discussion that I want to split into two parts, Grace shares her entire being and story with us from what she does outside of her profession to the inner work she's done over the years to become the coach and woman she is today. We also talk about her eating disorder and start the modern medicine/health conversation that we'll discuss more in depth in Part 2!

Time Stamps for Part 1

(0:00) Future Alex Here With An Intro

(4:25) Health and Fitness Is Apart of All of Us

(5:07) Welcome Grace To The Podcast!

(6:29) Why I Didn't Want to Talk about Health and Fitness Initially

(8:03) Who Grace Is Outside of Her Career

(14:27) Grace's Inner Work

(20:57) Where Your Thoughts Are Coming From and Limiting Beliefs

(24:55) Grace's Story

(26:47) Battling an Eating Disorder and Food Control

(37:29) Being Sick a Month in A Row and The Burnout Cycle

(47:17) Doctors and Nutrition Knowledge

(51:17) Nutritionist vs Registered Dietitian

(55:45) Future Alex With An Outro For Part 1

Follow Grace on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthgritandgrace_/

This is what they don't tell you about being in your twenties...

People talk a lot about grief after losing a loved one...but what about when you lose what you thought would be your dream job? What about when you lose a relationship that you thought would be your forever? You aren't just grieving the loss of That Thing...it's so much more than that. 

In this week's episode, Gina and I talk about how we've processed our grief that naturally comes as a part of shedding an old identity. She tells the story of why she burnt her (very successful) health and fitness business to the ground, what that meant for her as a person, and how she's taking action to build something BRAND NEW in a way that actually aligns with her NEW identity. Sound familar? ;)

Let's get into it!

Follow Gina on Instagram @confidentlygina_
Get on the waitlist for her Confidence Boosting Course HERE

PART TWO IS FINALLY HERE!!!

We are going to SERIOUSLY reflect on your life during this episode today.

If you want to achieve your goals and build a life that you are ridiculously in love with...you HAVE to change your identity first. 

You might be thinking...why? Why is that important? Why can't I just white knuckle it through life and expect my new habits to ACTUALLY STICK? 

I'm going to tell you in this episode.

Then, you might be thinking...okay, I have to ACTUALLY overcome my identity (that's why you're still reading this, right?)

But where do I even start?!

This podcast is going to give you a lot of thought provoking questions, journaling prompts, and essentially, a framework to help you do EXACTLY THAT - start overcoming your current identity and begin stepping into what it means to be the absolute BEST version of yourself.

I can't wait to hear what you think!

This episode is PART 1 of a two-part episode series!

It's time for us to talk about a FUNDAMENTAL PILLAR of THIS ENTIRE show....HOW in the world do you ACTUALLY "Overcome Your Identity"? 

How do you systematically create your DREAM LIFE? 

How do you ACTUALLY step into the identity of a person who is already LIVING your dream life? 

That's what we're going to talk about in these episodes. BUT FIRST....

I need to let you all in on a little secret...

I am actively in the process of creating a BRAND NEW IDENTITY for myself, too! 

Part 1 of this two-part series is all about WHAT that brand new identity actually is for me, what it means for me, and ultimately answers the question of: "What the heck is happening in my life right now?!" (Do any of us ever actually know? Lol)

Let me know what you think!! I'm internally screaming!!!!!

Have you ever wondered if your therapist is just as unhinged as you are?

(Spoiler alert: they probably are)

Join me today with Tara Anderson, a self-proclaimed knowledge sponge and certified EDM-lover, as we learn how to embrace all of our inner characters and "feel our feelings" using somatic therapy, meditation, and "going absolutely feral".

Tara shares her biggest takeaways after meditating for 7+ hours per day, and together, we intertwine the concepts of Internal Family Systems (aka Parts Work) with our journeys into true self-discovery.

If we, as a whole, are simply comprised of multiple "parts" that come together to serve varying purposes, then what does that mean for our identity outside of the various labels and containers that we define ourselves by? 

And how in the world can somebody sit in silence for 2 weeks straight?!

Listen to this episode and find out :)

In this episode, we're sitting down with one of my favorite humans, Chris Page, for an incredibly raw and authentic conversation. Let's just say...we love a man who can admit that he cries in the shower sometimes. 

But in all seriousness, Chris opens up about how he is currently navigating a toxic relationship and struggling to let go of something that he KNOWS no longer serves him. We talk about using Mirror Work as a tool to heal our relationship with ourselves, and how profoundly the relationship with ourselves and our inner child impacts the relationships with others that we're navigating today. 

What starts as a casual life update between friends, ultimately turns into us grappling with the spiritual aspects of self-reflection while learning how to embrace these very new (and very scary) phases of our lives.

While some of the things we discuss may seem a little "out there", we hope to leave you all with actionable pieces of advice that you can begin implementing NOW, no matter where you are in your self-development journey!

Let us know what you think! :) 

Connect with Chris on Instagram

Listen to Chris's Podcast too!

BUCKLE UP baby because I am about to take you on a JOURNEY.

As you listen to this episode, I invite you to open your mind and transcend with me beyond the boundaries of ordinary perception. I will be fully immersing myself (and you, dear listener) back into my first-ever experience with psilocybin (mushrooms) where we unveil a new layer of reality...spoiler alert, it's pretty incredible.

I share everything from my trip preparations and magical hallucinations (but were they really hallucinations, though?) to my profound spiritual awakenings and life lessons that I still utilize in my day-to-day reality.

Honestly, using psilocybin has significantly improved my mental health and my overall perception of the world. Here, I try to break down the walls of stereotypical psychedelic misconceptions and enlighten anyone who will listen to the potential that these plant medicines have to offer. 

And while the concepts discussed in today's episodes may not make sense to most ordinary people...if you're here, you're probably not very ordinary ;) 

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! 

In this episode, I dive deep into this question of: "Who Am I?". Because let's be honest...aren't we all just trying to figure that out? 

We are ever-growing, ever-changing, and ever-evolving human beings. Who I am in THIS moment (at the time of recording this podcast) may not be who I am in a year, ten years, or even tomorrow. If there's one lesson that you take away from this episode, it's that you have permission to be your most authentic self in EVERY moment of your life, and that you are not tied to the person you were yesterday. You have every opportunity in front of you to make choices that align with your HIGHEST self, and with who you truly WANT to be in this life! 

PS - since recording this episode, I've thought of numerous other things "about me" that I would LOVE to share with you all. More on those in coming episodes! :) 

Hello!! And welcome to the first episode of my podcast, "Overcoming Our Identity". I'm Alex Long, and in this episode, I share a glimpse (and I mean glimpse) into the transformative rollercoaster of a journey that I've been riding over the last few years. From some of my deepest mental health struggles and relationship turmoil, to reigniting my passions, getting married, and finding a purpose, we are embracing vulnerability in this episode and I hold NOTHING back! At the end of the day, I want this podcast to be a space where we can all be our most authentic selves. To connect with our fellow humans and have real, raw, and honest conversations about...well...anything and everything. Because sometimes, being a human is weird, it's messy, and it's not easy. But you don't have to do it alone! 

I think I'm supposed to say something along the lines of "hit that subscribe button"...but in all seriousness, I hope you join me in discovering what it's like to live WITHOUT labels and learn how to break free of the box that society has put us all in for FAR too long. I want you to walk away from this podcast feeling inspired to take action, speak your truth, and ultimately become the unstoppable force that you were ALWAYS meant to be. Or, at the very least, maybe you'll just be excited to listen to my next episode :)