Stories that Empower

Losing her baby as a newborn really shook Alexis. She pulled away from her art initially. After some time, Alexis made peace with it. She realized that we can't control all the things in our lives. Alexis feels there is a mystery to the human experience that we should submit to. Her visual art, a safe and healing place, helps her cope with her depression. Alexis shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom that she learned from her mother and by herself:
- don't hold yourself back
- strive to have a can do attitude
- drill for oil
- keep trying
- be mindful of the words you tell yourself
- there is so much power in language
- say positive things to yourself
- actively choose who and what you let in
- decide when you open yourself up
- who controls your joy?
- we control how happy we are and the success we experience
- take steps to empower yourself
- live the life you want to live
- make your self care a priority

Alexis Marie Chute is a free-spirited and award-winning artist, author, photographer, filmmaker, curator and public speaker with a tendency to burst into song. She’s a mama bear to four children, but is more like a big kid herself. Often underestimated for her goofy and whimsical personality—she’s been described as “awkward but charming”—Alexis is a ground-breaking outside-the-box innovator, storyteller, and cultural connector.

Alexis endured devastating loss and escaped a cult-experience, only to rise from the ashes as a resilient badass who embraces her (many) flaws and empowers others to joyfully do the same. Proud escape room junkie and underdog, Alexis writes the script for new ways of thinking and being in the world today.

Alexis has always believed there is more to life than what we can see in our daily grind. Schoolyard bullying forced her to understand who she is and what she stands for from a young age. Since then, she’s been on an almost four decade search for meaning. Her adventures have taken her around the world, into temples and churches, between the covers of hundreds of books, in front of audiences as small as one and as large as four hundred, with experiments in as many creative materials as you can name. She is a wellspring of inspiration and energy.

Alexis Marie Chute invites you to live large on a spirit-level and infuse meaning into every area of your life. She encourages creative and mindful living. Join her on this amazing journey.

https://alexismariechute.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/alexismariechute/

https://twitter.com/_Alexis_Marie

tags:  Alexis, Marie, Chute, author, artist, filmmaker, curator, photographer, motivational, speaker, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

 

Nancy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was given a 50-50 chance to survive. Nancy knew she still had a whole life to live. She realized that she has the ability to control her circumstances. Nancy sought all of the information that was available. She created 'guide posts', when there were none. Nancy shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - empathy is a way of experiencing the world - absorb the experience visually, emotionally and intellectually - see underneath the surface - live in the moment - be honest with what you're going through - share what you're going through - be prepared for the down times and get help - practice self care - we have the ability to control our circumstances - we can learn a lot by observing people - continuity is a powerful part of being human https://nancylpressly.com/ tags: Nancy, Pressly, art, museum, curator, scholar, consulting, firm, strategic, planning, writer, author, Unlocking, memoir, family, art, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

Nancy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was given a 50-50 chance to survive. Nancy knew she still had a whole life to live. She realized that she has the ability to control her circumstances. Nancy sought all of the information that was available. She created 'guide posts', when there were none. Nancy shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom:
- empathy is a way of experiencing the world
- absorb the experience visually, emotionally and intellectually
- see underneath the surface
- live in the moment
- be honest with what you're going through
- share what you're going through
- be prepared for the down times and get help
- practice self care
- we have the ability to control our circumstances
- we can learn a lot by observing people
- continuity is a powerful part of being human

https://nancylpressly.com/ 

tags:  Nancy, Pressly, art, museum, curator, scholar, consulting, firm, strategic, planning, writer, author, Unlocking, memoir, family, art, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

When Marianne was diagnosed with breast cancer, she realized that she hadn't been living the life that she was meant to live. She wanted to change. Marianne left her husband of 10 years. He committed suicide. She struggled with the guilt. Marianne went on a journey of self compassion, where she learned to be kind to herself. She shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - practice self compassion - treat yourself like a good friend - be mindful of how you speak to yourself - practice self care - make sure your decisions are in alignment with who you want to be - you are stronger than you think - true belonging starts with yourself - life is precious, live it fully, don't play small - we are in this together - suffering is part of being human - sharing our stories is so important - you are not alone Marianne Ingheim is a Danish-Norwegian American writer, teacher, and PhD student at California Institute of Integral Studies. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Out of Love: Finding Your Way Back to Self-Compassion, from She Writes Press. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and stepson. https://marianneingheim.com/ tags: Marianne, Ingheim, writer, teacher, student, self, compassion, Out, of, Love, Finding, Your, Way, Back, to, Self, Compassion, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

When Marianne was diagnosed with breast cancer, she realized that she hadn't been living the life that she was meant to live. She wanted to change. Marianne left her husband of 10 years. He committed suicide. She struggled with the guilt. Marianne went on a journey of self compassion, where she learned to be kind to herself.

Colleen shares some powerful observations during the current Covid-19 stay at home order. She feels that we're on a threshold of the past and future, what she calls a "liminal space". It's an uncertain and uncomfortable time for some. Somehow, Colleen is able to bring some clarity to the current situation. What I found fascinating about my conversation with her was her ability to help me to see it from the outside looking it. I think you will really enjoy our conversation. Here are some words of wisdom that Colleen shares during her interview: - we have the opportunity to become more aware of our feelings, our patterns and our distractions - we are trying to figure out how we can grieve, but yet move forward - these are unsettling times, which can be exciting times for some - let's practice self-compassion, awareness and listening - we have control of our awareness - let's strive to acknowledge our pain and the pain of others - acknowledging is the greatest gift that we give ourselves and others - liminal space can be an opportunity to create for some - we need connection with each other - some things start slowly, then come more and more into focus - perhaps, this is a time of preparation - let's be as intentional as possible - let's continue our daily practices https://www.colleenhaggerty.com/ Colleen is a Soul Tender who works with creatives (those both in and out of the closet!) who want to deepen their relationship with their Soul and their purpose. She provides creative and soul-filled processes that help awaken people to their authentic selves. As a certified Life Coach, trained SoulCollage® Facilitator, published author, and TEDx speaker, she brings a wealth of experience supporting people to use creative practices to integrate past traumas and move into a well-crafted future. Losing her left leg—and nearly her right leg—when she was 17 years old was a defining and formative experience in her life. Being an amputee for 40 years has taught her about many aspects of being human. tags: Colleen, Haggerty, Soul, Tender, Life, Coach, SoulCollage, facilator, author, TEDx, speaker, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

Colleen shares some powerful observations during the current Covid-19 stay at home order. She feels that we're on a threshold of the past and future, what she calls a "liminal space". It's an uncertain and uncomfortable time for some. Somehow, Colleen is able to bring some clarity to the current situation.

Deborah felt compelled to write about her unconventional, charismatic, yet narcissistic mother, more than 20 years after her death. This set her on a creative journey that liberated her from the things that she held as true but were not. The book became an unraveling of the myth with her mother. Today, Deborah feels that her relationship with her mother has made her resilient. She shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - be open to possibilities - reframe to the positive - stay open, curious and inquisitive - let things unfold - everyone is on a journey - we need to go through trials to become our best selves - look at the gifts of each relationship - ideas are entities that they are all around us - embrace the narrative arc - be open to different ways of allowing your story to be told https://deborahburnsauthor.com/ https://www.facebook.com/deborah.burns https://twitter.com/deborah_l_burns https://www.instagram.com/deborah_l_burns/ tags: Deborah, Burns, writer, author, memoir, Saturday's, Child, media, industry, consultant, reinvent, coaching, skirtingtherules.com, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean

Deborah felt compelled to write about her unconventional, charismatic, yet narcissistic mother, more than 20 years after her death. This set her on a creative journey that liberated her from the things that she held as true but were not. The book became an unraveling of the myth with her mother. Today, Deborah feels that her relationship with her mother has made her resilient.

Kathryn shares her author journey. When she was as a large conference, she initially began doubting herself and whether she belonged. Fortunately, Kathryn's supportive community reminded her that she belonged there as much as anyone else. She shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - we are all interconnected - we cannot control what will happen in our lives, but we can control who we will be afterwards - embrace the opportunities that are put in front of you - be open to listen to options - you CAN teach an old dog new tricks - embrace the fear - life is change - believe you can do it - accept the help that is offered to you Kathryn Taylor was born at the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, Illinois and spent much of her life in the Chicagoland area. When she entered first grade, reading came easily. She became a voracious reader. The highlight of her week was heading to the library where she could bring home a healthy stack of books. She could devour a Nancy Drew or a Trixie Belden or an entire family of Bobbsey Twins in a single sitting. Decades before terms such as "peer tutoring" and "collaborative learning" had been coined, her teacher had an inspiring idea. She would allow Kathryn to assist classmates struggling to decode those pesky letter combinations and help them learn to read. She experienced an undeniable sense of fulfillment helping her classmates and licking gold stars onto completed pages. The desire to become a teacher took root. She spent thirty years in the classroom and had taught in Illinois, California, and Virginia before retiring to South Carolina. It was there where the seeds for a book of her own took root. Two Minus One: A Memoir followed the unexpected abandonment by her second husband. She remains an avid reader, enthusiastic traveler, and incurable beach lover. Her rescue dog, Lucy, and Kathryn live outside of Charleston, SC, which affords her the opportunity to enjoy all three. https://kathryntaylorbooks.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbTEnpgOJAdj-3W6HLLosuQ https://www.instagram.com/kataylor15/ https://www.amazon.com/Two-Minus-One-Kathryn-Taylor/dp/1631524542 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-taylor-143ba4145/ https://www.pinterest.com/KathrynTaylorAuthor https://twitter.com/ktaylorauthor https://www.facebook.com/KathrynTaylorAuthor/ tags: Kathryn, Taylor, writer, author, Two, Minus, One, Charleston, SC, storiesthatempower.com, story, stories, that, empower, empowering, empowerment, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, encourage, encouraging, encouragement, hope, light, podcast, Sean