Waking Up From Breaking Up

Grief is hard and it can be painful. Many people try to avoid it at all costs, or they suppress it and not deal with the grief because they see it as a negative emotion. Sally Kim on the other hand took her grief and directed its energy to create a positive and joyous life. She is living her life to the fullest, not just for herself, but for her family, her friends, her fiancé, and for her old boyfriend who was taken too early from this world. 

Sally, at the mere age of twenty two, lost her boyfriend at the time, Jon, in an accident while studying abroad in Rome. She has always been known to be an optimistic, cheerful person, but this tragedy triggered something deep inside her. 

Before Jon's death, Sally had never experienced anything as traumatic in her life, and it challenged her positive view of the world like never before. She felt as though her eyes have been forced open to really acknowledge the little blessings in life she's never noticed, nor acknowledged before. Sally realized that there are so many things to be grateful for everyday that she is alive — friends, family, love ... and even the ability to live another day, is a gift. 

Grief is unexpressed love, and holding on to the memories is a way of staying close to the people we have lost. However, it doesn't have to be painful. The pain of grief can be redirected in creating a life that is positive, happy, and full of gratitude. Just like Sally! 

In loving memory of Jonathan Campbell Bennett ... where ever you are, Happy Birthday Kid!

Donation for a bursary in honour of Jon can be found in the University of Waterloo website, here! 

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Like a lot of people, we tend to struggle with imposter syndrome at one point in our lives! Melissa is no different. 

Before Melissa started her interior design business she had this internal conflict with herself and believing that she was a fraud when it came to her career. With the help of her yoga practice and her life coach, she learned to let go of the expectations she had of herself that were based on the opinions of others and societal norms. She then realized that she can mould herself into whoever she wanted to be and curate her own life. When she finally let go of the idea that she had to conform to other people's ideals, she finally became her authentic self. Which gave her confidence to make decisions and to live a life in alignment with her values. 

Connect with Melissa on Instagram @melissa_interiordesign and @the_auspicious_dragon.

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Sometimes the best ideas come to us in the most unexpected places. Maxine Tamoto came up with her skin care brand when she was on the toilet. She pursued that dream and launched Kids Sister Skin Care prior to the release of this episode. With the support of her family and friends, Maxine took a leap of faith and started a company that she is proud of.

Sometimes people wait to be "fully" ready to pursue a dream, but there is no perfect time. Sometimes you just have to muster up enough courage and go for it! 

What Maxine learned is that having a great support system has helped her a ton, but what has helped her the most is to understand that no matter what you do, someone is going to hate it. She had to let go of the fact that she was not going to be liked by everyone. Once she accepted that, she gained the confidence to be herself.

Check out Maxine on Instagram doing her thing with her two companies: @kidsisterskincare (skin care brand), and @malumi.photography (photography account). And the website for Kid Sister.

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Scott Mendonca is a budding actor and we talk about rejection in the entertainment industry, in society, and life in general. We touch on topics from appearance and it's role in the industry, how rejection is a form of feedback, and to not let our careers define who we are, but instead it's our character that should define us. 

To pursue a dream to be an actor, you have to learn to not sweat the small stuff, and to not worry so much about the opinions of others. And to learn to persist in the face of adversity, which in part is learning to redirect your relationship with rejection.

Check out Scott on Instagram @scoots_ma_goots

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Sometimes, the hardest breakups are with people who take advantage of us and our kindness. After Gee's last breakup, the experience forced him to isolate himself from people, the world, and his environment (he did this pre-covid and mandatory distancing). The time he took for himself allowed him to find love within himself and put his needs and wants a priority. His time in isolation allowed him to breath, reflect, and assess the people he was attracting in his life. He released relationships with people that he once believed was going to be in his life forever. 

Gee is now making the appropriate changes and trying to set healthy boundaries with the new community and tribe that he is building and surrounding himself with people who he finds value in and that do not take advantage of his kindness.

We get a choice who we let into our lives, and we should find people that inspire, encourage, uplift us, and genuinely make us happy. 

Connect with Gee on IG @Gsadiua_23

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Like many people in the world, Laura Mohr's life changed drastically due to the pandemic. In the episode she shares her WUBU journey. She talks about how the hardship she went through when she was forced to leave her entire life, and the people she loved in Canada, and let go of everything that she believed made her who she was.

During the 2 years of the pandemic she went through a lot, especially sadness and pain. Her WUBU moment came to her in a sweat lodge, where she realized that she is thankful for everything that happened, including the pain she endured. She came to the realization that she is supposed to be exactly where she is. She now owns a property in Peru and is creating the life and community she never imagined she would prior to the pandemic. She feels peace and for the first time in her life, she feels completely content staying exactly where she is and doesn't feel the urge to be constantly traveling the world. By letting go of the life, dreams, and future she once imagined, she has become her authentic self, and her most fulfilled self. She is more herself now than she was, when she was a successful, international traveling business owner.

Check out Laura's current journey on her YouTube Channel and on Instagram @littlemohrwild.

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We talk with the founder of Esmerelda Eso Es, Bee. Esmerelda Eso Es is a pleasure toy brand created by a woman for women. Bee shares her WUBU moment as she discovers breaking away from the traditional systems and environments she grew up in. She realized that there was no shame in exploring her body, desires and pleasures as long as she was safe and happy. She broke up from the limiting beliefs of a culture that shamed female pleasure and has now created a business that helps women discover full pleasure and their goddess within by using unique pleasure toys designed for intimacy, thrills, and fantasies. Bee talks about the struggles she had growing up with a religious background when she started dating, feeling shame about expressing her sexual desires, her curiosity about sexual toys, and the societal judgement regarding female pleasure.

Check out Esmerelda Eso Es website and on Instagram @esoesesmerelda.

Use the code "WUBU" to get 15% off your purchases from Esmerelda Eso Es!

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Hi! I am Yra Jai and I am so excited that you've tuned into, Waking Up from Breaking Up, or WUBU for short. This podcast is NOT JUST about healing from a romantic breakup but it’s about breaking up with old versions of yourself and becoming more aligned with who you want to be and all that you are meant to be! 

It’s about freedom, inspiration, resilience and the journey that comes when you are going through something transformative. I believe that sharing our personal stories of failures and triumphs can make a positive impact on someone else’s life. I will be talking with ordinary, and everyday people with universal, relatable and powerful life lessons. This podcast is about understanding that a key part of human evolution is learning to let go of what wasn’t meant for us, and just because something didn’t work out doesn’t mean that it was a waste of time. For every "failure" there is a lesson.

My journey isn’t unique. It's relatable. Even though this podcast doesn't just focus on romantic breakups, my story started off with a romantic breakup. A breakup is a breakup (seems minuscule because everyone goes through breakups), but it hurt like a bitch and it completely changed me. The events that unfolded before, throughout, and shortly after the breakup should have broken me. To be honest, it nearly did. Somehow and faster than anyone (including myself) expected, I not only survived but also came out stronger and more self aware than ever before. That relationship, the experience, and the hardship during the healing process has led me to share my perspective on how to get over breakups, and then now has led me to this.

WUBU is an auditive reminder that breaking up is not a failure, it is opening a door for change. And change allows us the opportunity to create the best lives beyond what we have ever imagined. Waking Up from Breaking Up is a hand you can hold through your journey to personal growth. A journey that is not meant for the faint of hearts, and not to be done alone. 

Thank you for tuning in and joining us on this incredible journey! 

Special thanks to: the geniuses behind the branding and marketing team Elevin Elevin who created this magical brand. To the diligent audio masterminds in Hear Now Mastering. To all my guests who were patient with me as I maneuvered and learned how to use my equipment during our interviews. And finally to all my friends and family who tirelessly listened to me as I came out with ideas and topics and constantly talked about this podcast for the past several months/years! 

To continue to create and release some incredible stories, I have started a Patreon community. Please check out our website Waking Up from Breaking Up for further information.

I am truly grateful and appreciate for all your support!

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