Stories From Women Who Walk

Hello to you listening in the Town of Flower Mound, Texas!  Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for a story) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.   Long ago, Father Sky gave Anansi the spider a large clay pot. This pot contained all the wisdom in the world - every secret, every solution, every insight that had ever been or ever would be. Anansi was thrilled. He clutched the pot close to his chest and began climbing up the tallest tree in the forest, thinking he would hide the pot at the very top where only he could reach it. All that wisdom would be his alone. But as he climbed the pot grew heavier and heavier. Wisdom kept spilling over the sides and falling like rain on the forest floor below. The harder Anansi tried to hold onto the pot and the tree the more wisdom fell to earth. From far below his young son called up: "Father, wouldn't it have been easier to tie the pot to your back?” Anansi stopped climbing. His own child had wisdom he didn't possess. He looked down at the forest floor where the spilled wisdom was taking root: flowers of understanding blooming, streams of compassion flowing, creatures gathering to drink from pools of imagination that sparkled in the sunlight. In that moment, Anansi knew he was wrong. He hurled the pot down from the tree where it shattered on the forest floor. All the wisdom scattered to the winds, settling into every corner of the world. That is why the old ones say no one person holds all the wisdom. It lives in each of us, waiting to be shared, waiting to be joined with others, waiting to become something greater than any one person could create alone. Story Prompt: What is the singular wisdom that you hold in your story that is ready to be shared? Write that story and tell it out loud!   You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during re-construction, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Lopez Island, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Why is my Quarter Moon Story Arts logo a lighthouse? I was inspired! Admiralty Head Lighthouse here on Whidbey Island served as a critical navigational guide back in the day of sailing ships traveling from the Pacific Ocean through the treacherous Strait of San Juan de Fuca. Sixteen miles from Admiralty Inlet ship captains could see the white light in the darkness warning them to steer a hard right to starboard, avoid the cliffs, and continue safely south through Puget Sound and on to Seattle. How did the captain know he was seeing Admiralty Head Lighthouse? Each lighthouse - no matter where in the world - has its very own distinctive light pattern, or signature, like an address on a house. Lighthouses mark points of navigation, warn about dangerous coastlines, and guide ships into safe harbor. But harbors are not created equal. Different harbors for different boats. A lighthouse stationed at a harbor entrance doesn't run up and down the coast beckoning all boats to its harbor. It serves a particular sized boat. Lighthouses don't chase boats; why do you chase clients? Question: What is it only you have to offer? Who needs and wants it? Who is meant to be drawn to your harbor? How will you attract your particular client with your own distinctive beacon of light? And, how will they know you are signaling them? CTA: If you could use a hand with your lighthouse questions, email me at info@quartermoonstoryarts.net and we'll get working on the answers. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during re-construction, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Create Space, Langley, Washington!  Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Not too very long ago I saw a man wearing a tee shirt with these words: “Many things in life will catch your eye but only a few will catch your heart. Follow those.” He was gone before I could ask him: What's the story behind your tee shirt?  How did you come to have it? What things in life have caught your eye? What caught your heart? And when you followed those what happened next? Today more than ever women need the stories that catch their heart. The storytelling tradition is alive in you. Each time you share a story, you've grown. You catch something new. You see yourself differently. As a woman navigating a professional world that doesn't always invite your full story, you may have learned to edit yourself — to show up with credentials and minimize the rest. But your personal narrative is your most powerful asset. It connects, persuades, inspires, and leads. You don't have to wait for permission to tell your story. This is your invitation to discover the stories shaping your life, and to unlock the full power and energy of your voice. Because when women tell their true stories, they don't just change the room. They change what's possible. Your voice is ready. Are you? CTA: I'll be offering more classes on The Art & Craft of Telling Personal Stories at Create Space, at gatherings on Whidbey Island, and online. Learn more here and on Substack as we build a story community of women for women.   And thank you for listening! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during re-construction, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.  

Hello to you listening in Dublin, New Hampshire! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Imagine this: It's February 1998. You are 89 years old. You have arthritis and emphysema. You live in a small town in New Hampshire. You laid to rest your husband of 65 years after caring for him with Alzheimer's the last 10 years of his life. Your best friend of 50 years has also died. Now what, asks your son? What will you do? I have an idea, you say. Money is the big divider between people and politics. The tycoons with the money are buying the politicians and making all the decisions. Someone has to tell the American people about the need for national campaign finance reform. I can do that. How, your son wants to know. I'll go on a walk. And so she begins getting in shape walking 2 miles a day, 5 miles a day, 10 miles a day, and carrying a backpack. After 7 months she declares herself ready to go on a walk and tells her son she is starting in Los Angeles, California. After collecting petitions on a beach in Los Angeles Doris Haddock, a.k.a. Granny D begins 14-month walk across America through California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Arkansas and on up to Washington, DC. She has no GoFundMe account or any real plan except to get out and talk to as many people as she can about the need for campaign finance reform. My friend Granny D eats with the people she walks with along the way, sleeps in a spare bedroom, on a couch or in a church basement. She gives talks about national campaign finance reform at rodeos, county fairs, schools, and local gatherings. 10 miles a day, every day, walking across America in her 90th year. By the time Granny D arrives in Washington, DC a blizzard has blocked traffic so she cross-country skies to the Capital to meet then Senators McCain & Feingold who sponsored the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act which will become law 2 years later in 2002. The primary purpose of the Act was to eliminate the increased use of so-called soft money to fund advertising by political parties on behalf of their candidates.     Of her walk Granny D always had her doubts; but she persisted. Here we are 25 years later and deeper in soft-money shit than she could have imagined thanks to the bought and paid for SCOTUS decision in Citizens United that equated money with free speech, kicked open the floodgates to a tsunami of dark money, and tilted political influence toward wealthy donors tycoons, and corporations.     I knew Granny D, we wrote letters back and forth. Sometimes I wonder: What was the point? What difference did 14 months of walking and talking do? I'll tell you. It did this: I'm still talking about her and the wild possibility that she actually realized. She was one Ordinary Person who took up a cause she believed in, talked to thousands of people as she walked across America in her 90th year and kept on talking until she died at the age of 100. Like every good story Granny D lives on to inspire, motivate, and remind each of us - young and old - what we are capable of, what we can achieve before and even after our 90th year.   Yes! we are Ordinary Persons standing shoulder to shoulder with other Ordinary Persons drawn together like filings to a magnet building an Army of Ordinary Persons to Free America, unbalance the status quo, and create a Citizen's Future of hope, dignity, and inclusion. We are the stories of light we struggle to write in these dark times and will be proud to share with those we leave behind when we walk on.   Story Prompt: Who are you? What is your declaration of wild possibility? How are you shaping the future for good? Write that story and share it out loud ! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Bow-Edison, Skagit County, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. “Being underestimated because of gender (or any other reason) is an advantage when you're a spy on the street trying to move around unobserved. Being underestimated is a problem for everybody when you are a woman in a national security community trying to make yourself heard about something important you have discovered.” [The Sisterhood - The Secret History of Women at the CIA by Liza Mundy]   Reading those words from The Sisterhood - The Secret History of Women at the CIA reminded me of all the ways in which women feel underestimated, personally as well as professionally. How do we correct that? It starts with unlocking the power of clarity and intentionality that is Your Who. We each have a particular story at the core of our lives: our Origin Story. Our Origin Story reveals how we got from There to Here. When we own our Origin Story we stand in courage and confidence. How so? By trusting the hardships we've faced and achievements we've won we connect with our self-worth, what we stand for, what we won't stand for, what we no longer fear. We have something to say because we discovered WHO we are. This gives us the power to be heard and listened to. CTA: If you're curious about how to make yourself heard by creating Your Who, email me (info@quartermoonstoryarts.net) OR tap the Link in the Episode Notes to schedule a no-obligation Discovery Chat.  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Helsinki, Finland! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. These days it takes more than the usual effort to stop trying to burst people into flames with my mind.   What's going on? What isn't? The craziness is triggering our uncertainties, raising our blood pressure, interrupting our sleep, and worse. My dad used to say, Diane, Nie mój cyrk. Nie moje małpy. Not my circus - not my monkeys!   Practical Tip: Do not sell your soul for peanuts to feed the monkeys at the circus. It's not your circus. It's not your monkeys. Instead, find a moment of beauty and shelter in that for now. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in San Jose, California! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. If you don't know where you're going, how do you know you're on the right track, how close you are, not headed to somewhere else, or even, if you've arrived? Lazily drifting on a river of a summer afternoon is a worthy use of time. But if you want to move along with purpose, focus your energy, and track your progress, the smart and savvy traveler will define her destination, break the journey into manageable phases, and keep heading intentionally, consistently toward the place she wants to be. She also keeps track of where she's been to know how far she's come along the path. As the old ones say, When we understand where we've been and where we're headed, we clarify the potential we have to make our ideas, visions and goals come true.   Story Prompt: Think of a moment in time when you felt lost. Where have you come from? Where are you now? Where are you headed? How will you get there? Write that story and share it out loud!     You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening wherever your feet touch the ground! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Today marks the 6th anniversary of Stories From Women Who Walk that launched (no fooling!) on April 1st 2020. As you may remember the first year I interviewed woman who were walking their lives when a conflict unexpectedly showed up causing them to make choices, accept consequences, change who they were into who they became. The conflict that caused me to pivot from my interviews to my singular 60 Seconds format was COVID; we were no longer commuting in cars listening to longer podcasts. Here we are 6 years, 1,300 episodes, and over 250,000 plays all over the world! Who made it possible? You did! Our global community. I'm still here because you're still there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Going forward we still have work to do as Ordinary Persons gathering into a growing Army of Ordinary Persons to demand a better way of life for all of us. You can count on me to provide ongoing 60 Seconds episodes to support, encourage, inspire, delight, illuminate, provoke, and energize! You can expect resilience and resistance balanced with hope and stories to help us live each day trusting that our collective decency, goodness, and strength will birth something so much better than what we have right now. I welcome you and each of you on the journey! Write your stories, share them out loud, be well, do good work, and stay in touch! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Forres, Scotland! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. The Scots word “smooring” is an old practice of subduing a fire with ash or peat to keep the embers warm overnight until they're rekindled in the morning.  Maybe like me something or someone smoored your self-expression.  Perhaps you were told that you were a handful, a free spirit, loudly curious, or just plain too much. After a time you conformed to what they wanted. You smoored your self-expression. You stopped freely sharing your feelings, ideas, curiosity, and thoughts. As your self-expression was subdued, you became less visible.   And yet, like a smoored fire the embers of your self-expression are still there waiting to be rekindled into flame so that you regain your visibility. 4 Practical Tips: I have four tried and true tips for you:   1. Nurture self-awareness so that you become visible to yourself. 2. Awaken natural talents to reignite the fire of your self-expression.   3. Seek out the people and places where you belong, where you and your self-expression are welcome 4. Practice saying what you mean and meaning what you say as the courageous act of a warrior. The question is no longer: Who will let me?; the question is: “Who do they think they are to try and stop me?     Thank you for listening! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening all over these still United States! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. I'm a long-time fan of the TV series, The Big Bang Theory. No matter how many times I've re-watched an episode I always learn something. Like the time Raj and Howard helped Amy with a dating app for her phone. Howard commented that one day there would be something to choose a date for her. AI was hovering in the wings. Two of the characters are physicists. In physics every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When it doesn't work because the laws of nature are broken by corrupt, power-mad, ego-maniacal psychopaths you end up where we are. In unprecedented threatening chaos. This aberration of power must have an equal force to not only keep it in check but to keep it confined. We the People are the Force acting to knock this wannabe king and all the king's men (and women) off the throne once and for all. Story Prompt: Remember a time when you felt that a situation was unjust, you were forced to act, and your actions made a difference for the good. Write that story and tell it out loud!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me (info@quartermoonstoryarts.net) to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening wherever your feet touch the ground!   Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for an important announcement) for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. NO KINGS Rally 3.0 is another national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses from Trump's regime. This regime has cracked down on free speech, detained immigrants, killed American citizens, defied the courts, threatened anyone who would not bend a knee, enriched themselves and their obscenely greedy tycoons with unprecedented corruption, and started an illegal, idiotic war putting us on the eve of destruction. On Saturday March 28th Americans are once again taking to the streets of our nation. Here on Whidbey Island, Washington, our protest (organized by Indivisible Whidbey and supported by peacekeepers from SOS Whidbey) will  focus on defending democracy and civil rights. Demonstrators will speak out against the illegal war in the Middle East, sending troops into communities to carry out aggressively lawless actions by ICE, and the ongoing attempts to subvert voting rights and the midterm elections.   “It's more important than ever to speak out, to come together and demand a different path”, said Carrie Krueger, an event organizer from Indivisible Whidbey. “American citizens are being disappeared or killed in the street; our soldiers, including those from Whidbey Island, are in harm's way for a war that is illegal and devastating. The very foundations of our democracy, including separation of powers and free and fair elections, are being actively and intentionally dismantled.” The event will feature music by Singing Resistance and chants led by local student leaders. We will also raise money for the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund, a grassroots community fund supporting immigrants with financial assistance for food, housing, transportation and immigration legal fees. All of us are committed to non-violent action including de-escalation of conflicts. Peacekeepers will be on hand to ensure a peaceful and positive event. Our event will take place in Oak Harbor to support the veteran and active duty military who have served and are serving our country. Saturday March 28, Noon to 2 Northeast 4th Avenue & State Route 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Click HERE to learn more about No Kings Rally 3.0 and how you can get involved with Indivisible Whidbey  Click HERE to register to attend No Kings Rally 3.0 in Oak Harbor, WA  Click HERE to find No Kings Rally 3.0 events near you  Click HERE to access a comprehensive No Kings Rally 3.0  website  CTA: We're no longer watching history - we are making it - to save Democracy and work together for a world that supports life for everything and everyone. Thank you for listening, for being one of us, and see you out on the streets March 28th! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you women professionals listening wherever your feet touch the ground! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.   Since the beginning of time, humans have connected with each other by gathering together to share our stories.  Around ancient fires, elders recited genealogies aloud while listeners traced how their own lives wove into the larger tapestry of the tribe. Creation tales, love stories, acts of heroism were passed from voice to heart, generation after generation. Some cultures believe that each time you hear a story, you arrive as a different person seeing the characters and plot line through fresh eyes. That's the quiet magic of telling personal tales: you see how far you've traveled and who you're becoming. Though many of our formal storytelling traditions have faded, they don't have to stay lost. You can reclaim that power in your family, your community, your career. Your stories matter. Your voice carries energy that no written word can fully capture. CTA: This is your invitation to discover the stories you've been living and learn to tell them effectively with the full resonance of who you are. When women share their stories, something powerful happens. Come find out what that is. Email me at info@quartermoonstoryarts.net for a no-obligation Discovery Chat. Thank you for listening. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me (info@quartermoonstoryarts.net) to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Barking, East London, England! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Sometimes in passing he would whisper: dit, dit, dit, dah dah dah, dit dit dit. Morse Code for SOS, Save Our Ship. I'm thinking of a skinny, 18 year old inner city kid hunched over a Morse Code machine in a radio room on a warship tapping out messages somewhere in the Pacific. During World War II US Navy warships used Morse code to speak to each other while they were out at sea. My dad was a radioman. As I watched a WWII era training film to learn more I could imagine dad's finger on that code sending device. Click HERE to watch a 1943 US Navy training film demonstrating sending Morse Code.   Dad didn't talk much about serving as a US Navy radioman on a warship in the Pacific. Like so many stories our loved ones thought were inconsequential we end up cobbling them together from memory and archives. But I do know this: I chose to become a US Navy Nurse motivated by my dad who chose to go war with his brothers and their friends to defend our democracy because that's what you did then. You served your country.     Story Prompt: Who or what motivated your career choices? Write that story and share it out loud!   You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening wherever your feet touch the ground!   Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for an important announcement) for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. NO KINGS Rally 3.0 is another national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses from Trump's regime. This regime has cracked down on free speech, detained immigrants, killed American citizens, defied the courts, threatened anyone who would not bend a knee, enriched themselves and their obscenely greedy tycoons with unprecedented corruption, and started an illegal, idiotic war putting us on the eve of destruction. On Saturday March 28th Americans are once again taking to the streets of our nation. Here on Whidbey Island, Washington, our protest (organized by Indivisible Whidbey and supported by peacekeepers from SOS Whidbey) will  focus on defending democracy and civil rights. Demonstrators will speak out against the illegal war in the Middle East, sending troops into communities to carry out aggressively lawless actions by ICE, and the ongoing attempts to subvert voting rights and the midterm elections.   “It's more important than ever to speak out, to come together and demand a different path”, said Carrie Krueger, an event organizer from Indivisible Whidbey. “American citizens are being disappeared or killed in the street; our soldiers, including those from Whidbey Island, are in harm's way for a war that is illegal and devastating. The very foundations of our democracy, including separation of powers and free and fair elections, are being actively and intentionally dismantled.” The event will feature music by Singing Resistance and chants led by local student leaders. We will also raise money for the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund, a grassroots community fund supporting immigrants with financial assistance for food, housing, transportation and immigration legal fees. All of us are committed to non-violent action including de-escalation of conflicts. Peacekeepers will be on hand to ensure a peaceful and positive event. Our event will take place in Oak Harbor to support the veteran and active duty military who have served and are serving our country. Saturday March 28, Noon to 2 Northeast 4th Avenue & State Route 20 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Click HERE to learn more about No Kings Rally 3.0 and how you can get involved with Indivisible Whidbey  Click HERE to register to attend No Kings Rally 3.0 in Oak Harbor, WA  Click HERE to find No Kings Rally 3.0 events near you  Click HERE to access a comprehensive No Kings Rally 3.0  website  CTA: We're no longer watching history - we are making it - to save Democracy and work together for a world that supports life for everything and everyone. Thank you for listening, for being one of us, and see you out on the streets March 28th! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in New Taipei City, Taiwan! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. How do you connect with and lead others? By using your voice to create stories with imagination, emotion and sensory detail. Curious to learn more? Take a listen. I am beyond lucky to have shared a wonderfully enjoyable and value-packed conversation with my longtime friend and colleague Frank Zaccari, best selling author, keynoter, CEO of Life Altering Events, and the host of Bounce Back - in Business & Life podcast for anyone who wants to make sense of life and overcome its challenges. Join Frank and me as we explore why your voice is one of the most powerful leadership tools you possess. Together we share practical insights for anyone who speaks, leads, teaches, or presents. Here are a few: 1. Prepare — don't wing it 2. Avoid rote memorizing word-for-word 3. Use movement to practice your message before you deliver it 4. Master the pause to draw people in Bottom line: Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint. Use it with intention to inform, inspire, and move people to action. Listen now to the entire 36-minute conversation: Your Voice Is Your Power — Are You Using Yours? on these podcast platforms:  Buzzsprout Apple Spotify Check out the many ways to follow, connect with, subscribe to, and work with Frank Zaccari.  Frank Zaccari, CEO, Life Altering Events, LLC 5x #1 Bestselling New Release & 4x TAZ Award Winning Author, NAMCA Speaker Trust the Process CoFounder Email: frankzaccari@gmail.com Phone: 916.718.5517 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4jSFziDx5ZQXP2ZY5-M0-w https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankzaccari/ https://www.frankzaccari.net/ https://fzaccari.substack.com/? http://www.authorstrusttheprocess.com/ You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Grants Pass, Oregon! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Once upon a time there was a young girl who lived with her wicked stepmother and wicked stepsister. One day the girl went to the well to fetch water. While there an old crone asked her for a drink of the cold water she was drawing up from the well. The girl gave her a drink and as a reward for her kindness the crone said, “Each time you speak pearls, jewels and roses will fall from your lips.” Seeing this magic the wicked stepmother sent the wicked stepsister to the well to claim her own reward. At the well a beautiful princess asks for water; but the wicked stepsister says, “Draw your own water! I'm not your servant.” “Ah,” said the princess, “That is unfortunate. From this day forward scorpions, lizards and toads will fall from your lips when you speak.” Click HERE to learn more  Story Prompt: What if we could see our words even before we spoke them? How might we practice kindness and loving speech? Write that story and share it out loud!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together.  AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Aukland, New Zealand! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. I've been walking in the rain to settle my restless, anxious spirit. I live in Washington. It rains. If don't walk in the rain I'd probably never walk.   As I walked I reflected on something my teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said about people and the sturdiness of trees, “When you look at the tree during the storm you can see that the top of the tree is not solid. You can only see the tiny branches and a number of leaves on the top of the tree swaying back and forth under the effect of the wind. You have the impression that the tree is very vulnerable but if you look down to see the big branches and the trunk of the tree you see that the tree is strongly rooted in the ground. The impression that the tree is vulnerable will vanish. You see that the tree is much more solid than it looks at the top. We are like that, too." Practical Tip: When you feel anxious, uncertain or vulnerable you can practice to get solid and peaceful again. The stability of your body will help bring about the stability of your mind. Sit beautifully and practice saying: “Breathing in I see myself grounded, breathing out I feel solid, peaceful.” And so you will become. Guaranteed. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together.  AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Brisbane, Australia! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. It's wretched madness, stupidity, corruption, and greed! Yes, this is the time we're living in. While chances are it could get worse, I can also say that it is impermanent. When does it end? How does it end? No clue. But then again I don't know how electricity works. I can't see it until it flares in a lightbulb. Maybe electricity is like faith: “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What I have seen is the growing momentum of good trouble. Will it continue? Count on it. I've lived long enough to believe that We the People have the momentum to crush the madness. What this growing momentum is made of, how it will manifest, or where it will come from is yet to be seen.     Meanwhile, “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” [~ Harriet Beecher Stowe] Guaranteed! You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together.  AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Alexandria, Virginia! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Growing up in a family of 9 I remember a never-ending stack of dishes, cups, bowls and silverware to wash and dry. There was also the never-ending arguing about whose job it was to wash the dishes. Eventually our parents caved and bought a dishwasher; but the arguing didn't end there. Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to stack items in a dishwasher? Who knew? Dishes face this way, cups face that way, silverware goes like so. One person's different system was perceived as wrong by someone else. Believe it or not, one of the advantages of living in a big family is the ever-present teaching moment, like this one: "Just because you do things differently, you are not wrong.” Story Prompt: When in your personal or professional life have you done something differently only to be told it was wrong? What happened next? Write that story and share it out loud!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Woodburn, Oregon! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. We all want it - don't we? Perfection! We wait to ship our work until it looks right, feels right, sounds right. We hold back on letting go of the paintbrush and calling it art. We want another rewrite of the story before we're willing to share it out loud. We want our work to be perfect. But what did perfect ever do for you? Your being perfect won't help the world get better; but I guarantee you that shipping your imperfect work into the world will. How do I know? I've seen it happen. I'm not saying my imperfect work changes the world; but I‘m not saying it doesn't. When we trust ourselves to ship our imperfect work, we gain an opportunity to feel the magic of taking a leap of faith, welcome the unexpected, and connect with someone who has been waiting for our work. Join me! And thank you for listening!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Auckland, New Zealand! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate  Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. As the oldest of 7 children I learned early on the innate wisdom toddlers bring to the game of life. They know how to say No! And then the world shows them the error of their ways. We grow up saying Yes when we mean No! What changed? We were taught that saying Yes is right, good, proper, helpful even and saying No! is just plain wrong. The problem is the more we say Yes when we mean No we forget how to make choices in our own best interest and well-being. This self-sabotage robs us of our ability to choose wisely, of our personal power, of our legitimate right to say No! with certainty, confidence, and clarity. Of course, there's nothing wrong with saying Yes so long as we agree with ourselves, are not limited in our options, feeling compelled, or thinking we will be rejected or worse.  It takes practice to practice saying No! As you get better at it you will come to value saying what you mean and meaning what you say.   Practical Tip: When asked to take on work you want to decline, say this, “No. It's good work; but it's not my work.” And thank you for listening!    You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Pasadena, California! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. I've been binge-watching The Big Bang Theory TV series as I do this time each year to humor me through our Pacific Northwest November to May Rain Festival. As you might know a consistent theme is the characters' devotion to comics and superheroes. Why? The characters are highly intelligent, socially awkward nerds who have difficulty navigating society whereas the superheroes possess save-the-day abilities, rare powers, and bravery. Comics can be a safe place to fantasize living idealized versions of themselves as the nerd-turned-hero. But what do the Superheroes have to say about living life as a Superhero? Following are 7 quotes: 1. “When you decide not to be afraid you can find friends in super unexpected places.” — Ms. Marvel 2. “Everybody's story begins “once upon a time,” and it's up to us to cherish the time we're given to ensure we live happily ever after.” — Scarlet Witch 3. “I have no idea where I'm going to be tomorrow but I accept the fact that tomorrow will come and I'm going to rise to meet it.” — Donna Troy 4. “The fate of your planet rests not in the hands of gods. It rests in the hands of mortals.” — Thor 5. “The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight.” — Martian Manhunter 6. “The door is more than it appears. It separates who you are from who you can be. You do not have to walk through it… You can run.” — Franklin Richards 7. “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended.” — Batman Story Prompt: For a long time your character has felt that she is more than she appears to be but does not believe she has what it takes to show up fully in her power until one day a door appears in a wall and she .... write that story and share it out loud!    You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Olympia, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. I am a storyteller of the old school. What do I mean? For over 30 years I've taught (and continue to teach) my clients and students the same thing: “Put down the paper and nobody gets hurt!” Why? Because storytellers have something to say that comes from their aliveness, which is what people most want to feel and connect with. Sharing our stories out loud brings them to light and life, and  encourages us to do what most folks fear more than snakes: stand up and speak up in public.   Story spoken aloud is what we leave of ourselves in another person. A story is an intimate lasting legacy, a permanent inheritance much like a vow or an oath. When we share our stories out loud, we connect with each other, we belong to each other. We might not realize it but we are creating a verbal promise, a vow, an oath of belonging. Think about how many times we've heard  someone say, "Repeat after me: I solemnly swear..." Marrying couples pledge faithfulness through the challenges and joys of marriage. Lawyers uphold the law, maintain client confidentiality, and act as an officer of the court. Doctors focus on ethics, patient care and societal responsibilities. Politicians preserve and defend the Constitution. US military support and defend the Constitution against all enemies. Immigrants becoming US citizens swear the Oath of Allegiance to the United States during a formal naturalization ceremony. From the time we are children in school we recite The Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic promise of loyalty to the United States flag and the republic for which it stands. What happens when we share our stories out loud? They become real. We say what we mean, we mean what we say. We—and those hearing us—know what we stand for and what we won't stand for. Yes, you might write a story but it needs to be shared out loud to enrich and include the wider world. That's the legacy of the stories we leave in those who have heard them spoken aloud. CTA:  If you'd like to learn more, email me at info@quartermoonstoryarts.net for a no obligation Discovery Call. And thank you for listening!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Spokane, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Christopher Armitage writing The Existentialist Republic on Substack posted an article entitled Democrats Can Launch Criminal Investigations into DOGE, Today. According to Armitage dozens of state investigations have the power to bring criminal actions to hold Musk/DOGE accountable for pirating private Social Security Administration (SSA) data and releasing it to third parties. Click HERE to read the article and get ready to take steps to e-mail your County Prosecutor, Governor and Attorney General.     Following are three email templates you can use if you live in the Great State of Washington. For all other states, please check the Substack article comments to find yours. If you don't see your state, comment in the post to receive your state's relevant statutes and templates to email. Thank you for listening and taking action wherever your feet touch the ground! Email 1: To your Washington State County Prosecutor Dear, I'm writing to request that your office refer a matter to Attorney General Nick Brown for criminal investigation under RCW 43.10.232. In a January 16, 2026 court filing in AFSCME v. Social Security Administration (D. Md., No. 1:25-cv-00596), the U.S. Department of Justice admitted that employees of the Department of Government Efficiency, while embedded at the Social Security Administration, transferred agency data to an unauthorized third-party server called Cloudflare outside all SSA security protocols. The SSA has confirmed it cannot determine what data was shared or whether it still exists on that server. A DOGE team member also sent an encrypted file believed to contain the names and addresses of roughly 1,000 people to the Department of Homeland Security and DOGE leadership, and the SSA has been unable to access the file to verify its contents. The filing further revealed that a DOGE employee signed a "Voter Data Agreement" with a political advocacy group seeking to match Social Security records against state voter rolls to overturn election results in certain states. The SSA made two Hatch Act referrals to the Office of Special Counsel as a result. Separately, NPR has reported that DOGE engineer Aram Moghaddassi contacted the Florida governor's office about state voter data while working simultaneously at SSA and DHS, and that a DOGE associate publicly claimed to have matched SSA data against voter rolls at a political rally. SSA records include the personal information of Washington residents in [your county]. This conduct may constitute violations of Washington's identity theft statute (RCW 9.35.020) and the Washington Cybercrime Act (RCW 9A.90). Federal officials do not have blanket immunity from state criminal prosecution when they exceed the scope of their authorized duties. I'm asking you to refer this matter to Attorney General Brown so his Criminal Justice Division can investigate whether Washington residents were victims of state crimes. The AG's office has confirmed it needs a referral from a county prosecutor or the governor to act. You have the authority to open that door. Thank you for your time and your service to our community. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] Email 2: To the Washington State Governor Ferguson Dear Governor Ferguson, I'm writing to request that your office refer a matter to Attorney General Nick Brown for criminal investigation under RCW 43.10.232. In a January 16, 2026 court filing in AFSCME v. Social Security Administration (D. Md., No. 1:25-cv-00596), the U.S. Department of Justice admitted that employees of the Department of Government Efficiency, while embedded at the Social Security Administration, transferred agency data to an unauthorized third-party server called Cloudflare outside all SSA security protocols. The SSA has confirmed it cannot determine what data was shared or whether it still exists on that server. A DOGE team member also sent an encrypted file believed to contain the names and addresses of roughly 1,000 people to the Department of Homeland Security and DOGE leadership, and the SSA has been unable to access the file to verify its contents. The filing further revealed that a DOGE employee signed a "Voter Data Agreement" with a political advocacy group seeking to match Social Security records against state voter rolls to overturn election results in certain states. The SSA made two Hatch Act referrals to the Office of Special Counsel as a result. Separately, NPR has reported that a DOGE engineer contacted the Florida governor's office about state voter data while working simultaneously at SSA and DHS, and that a DOGE associate publicly claimed to have matched SSA data against voter rolls at a political rally. These actions may constitute violations of Washington's identity theft statute (RCW 9.35.020) and the Washington Cybercrime Act (RCW 9A.90). The personal information of millions of Washington residents is contained in SSA records. Federal officials do not have blanket immunity from state criminal prosecution when they exceed the scope of their authorized duties, and a state conviction cannot be erased by a presidential pardon. The Attorney General's office has confirmed it requires a referral from a county prosecutor or the governor to investigate and prosecute criminal matters. I'm asking you to make that referral so Attorney General Brown can determine whether Washington residents were victims of state crimes. Thank you for your leadership. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] Email 3: To the Washington State Attorney General's Office The Honorable Nick Brown, I understand that the Washington Attorney General's office requires a referral from a county prosecutor or the governor to investigate and prosecute criminal matters. Toward that end I've written to both my [insert your county's name]  County prosecutor [insert the prosecutor's name] and Governor Ferguson requesting that they make such a referral. Specifically, I've asked them to refer the matter of DOGE employees' handling of Social Security Administration data, as described in the January 2026 DOJ court filing and subsequent reporting, for investigation under Washington's identity theft statute (RCW 9.35.020) and the Washington Cybercrime Act (RCW 9A.90). I wanted your office to be aware that this request is coming, and I hope Attorney General Brown will be prepared to act when the referral arrives. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Samish, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Imagine this: a storyteller in a room full of litigators. No! Not alligators - litigators. Trial attorneys who are curious about learning the tools to engage with their own narrative so that they could connect to the stories of their plaintiff clients - not as lawyers but as people. Once they know how to access their own stories they can engage the experiences of the jury, find common ground with the plaintiff's story and, be well on their way to winning the trial.Over 30 years my clients have learned that before you tell someone else's story be very clear about your own. Do the hard work of an archeological dig on your narrative. Once we understand how our narrative shapes and re-shapes our life, our purpose, the relationships we have with others we are well on our way to knowing what we stand for, what we won't stand for, and how we can be of service. Our story can become one of advocacy, leadership, and healing. Our story can shift attitudes, behaviors, even cultures.CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE? Email me at info@quartermoonstoryarts.net for a no-obligation Discovery Call  Story Prompt: Your life isn't about what happened to you; it's about what you did next!  What have you learned as you journeyed from There to Here, and how might it be a healing story of growth? Write that story and share it out loud!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Bellingham, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.There is nothing quite so still as an old growth forest to settle the anxiety I feel in these times of madness. Walking deep in the woods of the island's old growth forests a stillness beckons me to stop and listen deeply. The stillness asks if I can hear the immense power and depth of silence. I am reminded that all sounds arise from silence and fade back into silence.When we take the time to stop and experience silence we calm our mind, still the crazy chatter, breathe more deeply. Allow stillness. Stay with silence as long as you can. Tune in to your intuition, see clearly, hear your heartbeat, feel the blood coursing in your fingertips, and sense the steadiness of your breath coming and going easily. Remind yourself that we are alive and connected to all beings.Question: How does it feel to seek a bit of refuge in the stillness of the present moment? How does it feel to be alive, vibrant, and in tune with silence?   You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening all over the world as we get ready to greet the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse last celebrated in 1966!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Imagine this: you're a podcaster, storyteller, writer, or entrepreneur. You have honest-to-goodness talent, outshine all the rest of the competition on the field talent! But, what if talent isn't enough? What do you need? Connection!We are connected to allies, friends, colleagues and supporters who believe in us, who want us to succeed, who will go the distance for us. Think of your cohort of connections as a mini-culture. When we belong to a culture that embodies our beliefs, dreams and values they know us, we know them. We can ask for a trusted hand up when the time comes. What do we do in the meantime?Practical Tip: “Each One Lift One is the way we roll here!” Before you ask for a hand up, give a hand up. Look around for those talented unheard voices you could help. Be a generous champion for them and their skills. In turn, someone will do the same for you. Guaranteed!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Layton, New Jersey and Hancock, New Hampshire!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday the 13th and your host, Diane Wyzga.I'm an East Coast Girl born and raised. Winter was always a time of mystery and majesty. All that snow! All that wild and welcome time to trek, ski, snowshoe, winter camp, and skate frozen ponds. I yearn for the winter activities being enjoyed by my family still Back East; but even more I want what is yet to be. I want Winter's Promise.Winter's Promise“I do an awful lot of thinking and dreaming about things in the past and the future…the timelessness of the rocks and the hills... all the people who have existed there.I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape,the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it,the whole story doesn't show.” –Andrew WyethStory Prompt: What is the promise your life holds for you now? What will you do to realize that promise? What are the stakes? Write that story and share it out loud!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Long Beach, California! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.  Might there be an antidote to what feels like escalating badness and madness in the world? Yes! The good in our lives. Some may say I'm a Dreamer, but I'm not the only one.Inviting the good - even if we do it grudgingly - has the power to lighten and brighten our life. Donald Altman created a particularly useful approach for creating a positive attitude toward life. Of course it's called G.L.A.D. Click HERE to learn more:Practical Tip: At the end of your day record a wee bit of Gratitude granted, a Lesson learned, an Accomplishment accomplished, and a Delight that delivered wonder, curiosity, maybe even discovery. Take a chance, give it a go; the GLAD is guaranteed!   You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in South Bend, Indiana!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk With 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.  The line on the birthday card from my sister goes like this: “The sun is up and you are alive to see it. Start there.” [Lin-Manuel Miranda] It's just what I need to light my way in the early morning dark to the coffee pot in the kitchen.  Following are 5 inspirations chosen for you. Dance with the one that calls today:  “Well, I've often felt that dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask.” [David Duchovny playing the character Fox Mulder The X-Files 1995)]“Roll out, snakes! It's daylight in the swamp!” [The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich]“Always remember Bilbo, when your heart wants lifting, think of pleasant things...  Eggs and bacon. A good, full pipe. My garden at twilight.” [Gandalf & Bilbo Baggins]"When nothing's working, it might be a cosmic conspiracy to get you to experiment." [Caroline Casey]“What's really important is not the big things others have created but the continuous, each-by-each little things you are bringing into being. Never underestimate your singular power as a creator.” [Diane Wyzga]And thank you for listening.You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Marion, Ohio!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.They say that when Marco Polo returned from his decades of travels through Asia along the Silk Roads, he had gems sewn in his cloak to prove the fantastical nature of his stories.Where might we find the fantastical, the unexpected gift in our stories? What did we bring home from our journey? What was the agent of change? How were we transformed? And does any of it matter to someone else? “It's strange to think that there might be things we know that people who live one hundred years from now would like to know. We forget to say them.” [William Stafford]The story we bring back from our journeys is the gift of grace that was passed to us as we journeyed through our fears, doubts, and failures bringing us from There to Here.Story Prompt: What insight, glimpse of wisdom, shiver of compassion, or wee bit of knowledge have you received as you walk the story of your life? Write that story and share it out loud.You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Stellenbosch, South Africa!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.It's a tradition to light the candles on a birthday cake and say, Make a wish! Blow out the candles!Where did this tradition begin? Maybe it's true or maybe it isn't, but as the story goes the ancient Greeks in the time of Zeus brought round-shaped cakes adorned with lit candles when they visited the temple of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the moon. The Romans called her Diana. As you can imagine, the lit candles made the round cakes glow like the moon. Others believed that the smoke from the candles carried the wishes and prayers heavenward where they would be granted - in time - although not always in the form they were expected.  Practical Tip: What Birthday Wishes of yours might have come true but not in the form they were expected? When it's your birthday light the candles, make a wish and expect the unexpected will again come true for you. Birthday wishes are like that! Guaranteed!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello and Happy Birthday to you listening in Daniels, West Virginia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.I'm often asked: What was the most difficult lesson on my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage? Letting go. Letting go of the way I was. Letting go of my old self. Giving myself over to the walking.You think it's easy? Get up in the dark, pack in the dark, head out in the dark. Walk 15 or 20 miles a day, no matter how hot or cold or wet you feel. No matter how rocky or lonesome or tired. Nothing prepares you for walking Camino but to walk Camino.How do you do it? Here's a tip: surrender. Give yourself over. You are here now. Make the most of it. When you want to stomp around and make furious gestures, make the most of that. Make the most of your joys as well as complaints. Give voice to them all.And then give yourself back to the only job you have: to walk. Every day my Camino lesson shows up like this: “Just walk it off, Diane!”Question: What single-minded purpose of yours guides you along your way? And how are you walking? You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

Hello to you listening in Gaborone, Botswana!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe like me you have spent time looking for something even if you don't know what it is.  After feeling stuck in the cross-roads of my life where the true way was wholly lost to me, I set out on a new road. I left everything I knew: a home, a community of 20 years, a successful national litigation consulting practice and drove 1500 miles north washing up on the shores of Whidbey Island. Why Whidbey? Pretty place, nice people, good pie.Little by little over the past 7 years I've cobbled together a home, a community, my Quarter Moon Story Arts business, a global podcast (still holding in the top 3% worldwide), and being of use.I'm forging the life I want even if I don't know all that it could be.  I'm curious to learn, “What happens next? And now what?”Story Prompt: What you're looking for is looking for you. How are you preparing yourself to meet it? Write that  story and share it out loud!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Corning, New York!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.One of the first signs of recognition a new mother looks for in her infant is - a smile. Look! She's smiling at me! Yes! Baby sees you. Baby recognizes you.From earliest days we are cued to the smiles of other human beings. Remember what we missed in the COVID time with masks masking our smiles? Sure, we crinkled our eyes to signal a smile but it wasn't the same as receiving a smile from another human. Sometimes the tone of our voice was a good substitute. The “music of the spoken word” stood in for our smile. We did the best we could with what we had.  Like a smile, the "music of the spoken word" brings written text to life with inflection, pause, tone, emphasis, and  cadence. Reading text alone is quick, cheap, and easy but the human voice lends expression and emotional meaning.I create each 60 Seconds episode with you in mind to offer a measure of hope, delight and imagination, as well as thoughts to ponder, stories to share, a practical tip to lighten and brighten your day. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my podcast episodes. My voice is me smiling at you.  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Mountain View, California!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.  Hand on heart: I can still behave like an over-stretched, over-committed, dutiful, responsible, and driven first-born daughter. Do it right or don't do it at all.Maybe like me you find yourself doing it all wrong by trying to do it all right. We have these notions--born of long-ago outdated, outmoded stories--about what we're supposed to do, have, create, earn, market, publish, reconfigure, reorganize, envision, and connect. But I can't and I don't want to do it all perfectly. I want to Be rather messy in my life.  Practical Tip: Let's stop for a moment. How would it feel if we “should” less on our own good selves? What if - even for a moment - we invite the power of the pause, peace and space. Did you just breathe a deep sigh of relief? Perhaps drop your shoulders? Maybe even smile at your silly human self? Me, too. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Torino, Italy!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories With Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.I spend 2 hours every Thursday afternoon with my wonderfully supportive, encouraging, questioning, criticizing, hot seating, creative MasterMind Group. Before we get together we exchange our 4Rs from the prior week detailing our Results, Reaches, Resistances and Resources.Ah, Resistance! Tricky is thy name. It's the step you don't want to take because you're afraid, bored, uncertain, anxious, tired, or just plain disgusted with it all. As the poet David Whyte reminds us: "We must start close in taking the first step - the one we don't want to take."Click HERE to listen to Whyte recite his own poem, Start Close In.If you're like me you've probably learned that the sooner you face up to your resistance and move toward your task or project the more confident you are likely to feel and perhaps begin asking yourself, “What took me so long?”Story Prompt: What was powerful, striking, exciting, maybe even liberating about the notion of taking that first step, the one close in? Now, where will you go? Write that story! And tell it out loud. Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something.   All that matters is you have a story.You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Bethesda, Maryland!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories With Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. When I launched my communication consulting practice, Quarter Moon Story Arts, I established a uniquely forward-looking, story-based business founded on the power of story to profoundly and positively shift our awareness, our behavior, even our culture. Like magic, the sorcery of stories is this: they help each of us to be seen and heard, to understand and be understood.As the eldest of 7 children, an incest survivor, nurse, attorney, litigation consultant, and professional storyteller I had to teach myself again and again how to be seen, heard, understood, and listened to. How did I do that? I learned to tell my personal and professional stories in my own words with my own values in my own way. Always it was a now-or- never chance to become a stubbornly courageous speaker willing to give life to my authentic voice.  My mission is language. Language is power. Your stories, visions, ideas, and messages are powerful; but only if they are brought to life. What if you could tell the story that advances your business, creates clarity in life choices, persuades your clients, or produces effective results from your ideas?CTA: If you have a desire to say what you mean and mean what you say, come as you are and change inside Quarter Moon Story Arts.Book a Discovery Call and get your story going => Email me =>  Info@quartemoonstoryarts.netYou're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. Thank you!

Hello to you listening in Bywong, Australia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories With Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.I remember taking part in a 2-week Outward Bound mountaineering trip high in the Canadian Rockies with 5 other women. In pairs we climbed up and then rappelled down the rock face of a near vertical mountain wall. The guides were far above us, out of sight, having anchored the ropes. With fear in her voice my climbing partner froze partway up her ascent and cried out: “I can't find anything to hold on to.” Time passed. From far above us a voice replied, “Grab it with both hands...” It worked! She trusted the guides, their advice and herself sufficient to climb all the way to the top and descend the rock face. I can still see her triumphant smile when her feet touched rocky soil again.  Question: What if Life grabbed you with both hands and offered you an unexpected opportunity? Would you trust what Life was offering you? How would you know? What would motivate you to find out and take it?    You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Stillwater, Oklahoma! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.    As a storyteller I've had many opportunities over the decades to learn about and use the power of the pause. I've come to know that inviting the space of silence in a story creates an opportunity for teller and audience to rest, live and breathe inside the story. Our job is not to rocket along to the end, but to sit together quietly in the beating heart of the story. To inhabit that world together. That's the "sorcery of stories" I work with.Story Prompt: Pause. Be. Here. Now. As long as it takes. What happens next? Write that story! And, share it out loud!You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on LinkedIn.  Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story ArtsALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Ferndale, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.Earlier in life I had tendencies toward behaving like a spring-butt. You know the type. The over-eager know-it-all with her hand in the air. Teacher! Teacher! I know! I know! Think Hermione Granger in the early years of Harry Potter.  Over time I learned to take to heart what my mother always said: “Just because you thought of something, Diane, doesn't mean you have to say it.” I can still hear her voice as mom continues to pull me back from “I know! I know!”  Practical Tip: Prompted by Jim Burke in a recent BizCatalyst 360 Friendship Bench discussion, I offer 3 questions that might have the same effect on you that mom's voice has on me:Does it need to be said?Does it need to be said now?Does it need to be said by me?  I know. I know ..... You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and Substack.  Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story ArtsALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Keenesburg, Colorado!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.  If you followed my New Year's Day Polar Bear Dive story published in Episode 774 and Episode 776 it might have sounded all too easy: show up, scream, run, dive in, go home.I'm here to tell you that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool introverted kinda gal. I do not do well in settings where I have to show up alone, don't know anybody, have to make small talk, and may end up looking the fool.  The Polar Bear Dive was a real challenge for me. Not the part where I dove into the 43 Fahrenheit degree water of Puget Sound but showing up. I could have stayed in bed, stayed at home, walked onto the beach and turned back, stayed on the beach but hung out in the background watching the others. You know what I'm talking about. And, no one would have known. I could have lied about what I did or didn't do.But that's not how I live anymore. Practical Tip:  Here's what I've learned: the courage isn't about getting to the Finish Line; the courage is agreeing that you will start. And once you start it's all Finish Line from there on out! Guaranteed!You're invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts.  Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Hello to you listening in Falkenstein, Germany!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Like a story in the making we are balanced between what was and what will be. All we need is the middle: what happened.  A whole story can be daunting to write; but a sentence is manageable to give you a structure that gets you started. This 3-part template is designed to celebrate the challenges you have overcome, the doubts you have erased, and the fears you have undone to change what was to what is.Three phrases and you fill in the blanks, like so:  If you had told me 20 years ago that I would [fill in the blank]I might have [fill in the blank]but instead if you could see me now I'm [fill in the blank].Here's mine: "If you had told me 20 years ago that I would walk 500 miles across Spain estoy solo on a 5-week pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago carrying all I needed in a red backpack weighing 15 pounds I might have snorted my coffee and shaken my head in disbelief at such a ridiculous notion but instead if you could see me now having made that journey when I uncovered what I love and discovered who I am ... now ready for next ... come what may!"  Story Prompt: Now you. Write that story and share it out loud!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.Perhaps you are feeling open, poised for the race ahead, curious, or, maybe a little apprehensive now that 2026 has shown up all ready to rock and roll. I have a suggestion that might make it easier for you. Did you know that what you're looking for is looking for you? It is!  As David Wagoner reminds us in his poem, Lost:Lost"Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside youAre not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,Must ask permission to know it and be known.The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,I have made this place around you.If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.No two trees are the same to Raven.No two branches are the same to Wren.If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knowsWhere you are. You must let it find you." From Traveling Light: Collected and New Poems. Copyright 1999 by David Wagoner.  The Poetry Foundation 1971You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Shah Alam, Malaysia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.The beginning of a New Year can feel daunting. All those plans to kick start, days to fill, resolutions to keep, and more to do! There's no shame in admitting feeling a wee bit wobbly-legged about going forward in the face of wide open frontiers.  What to do? Gain some courage by reversing your Bucket List. Instead of a list of what is yet to be done, what about a list of what you've accomplished from the littlest things that you felt made a difference to the biggest things you never thought you would achieve. You might begin by asking yourself:What made me proud?What have I learned?How did I transform my thinking about strangers to compassion and kindness?Who revealed the meaning of true love to me?Where did I find the hope and resilience to face whatever came my way?When did I feel most content or fulfilled?What would I do all over again just for the joy of it?What did I long for as a child?  What have I created or, at least, not destroyed?Who have I lifted up?How have I defined my life?  What dreams came true? And, which was I happy to leave by the wayside?  What or whom did I fight for and why?When did I take time to play?  In my experience the Reverse Bucket List invites us to pay attention to what we've done, won, gained, lost, learned and kept on living no matter what. It's proof that over and over again we have stepped outside our comfort zone to strive for something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for! Give it a go. Reverse your Bucket List and shine a light on you. You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

Hello to you listening all over the world!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday in the New Year and your host, Diane Wyzga.Old Man Winter sighed, letting go of the last snowflake as midnight chimed, releasing tiny, glittering sprites of memories from the past year to dance away, making room for the mischievous, bright-eyed Spirit of New Beginnings, who whispered, "Twelve new chapters, 365 new chances!" as the world filled with fresh hope and the promise of endless possibilities, readying us to honor the coming days with compassion, loving kindness, and adventure.Story Prompt: Imagine this: the old ways of being have faded and a heartwarming spirit has arrived, full of potential, ready to inspire visions, curiosity, imagination, and even a bit of magic. Let's embrace the Promise of the New Year, letting go of what was, welcoming second chances, and stepping forward with hope and gentle optimism for the future we'll create. Write that story and share it out loud!  You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you, Marilyn, listening in Hancock, New Hampshire!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington, this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Wednesdays on Whidbey—this final day of the old year—and your host, Diane Wyzga.      Shoveling Snow With Buddha by Billy Collins"In the usual iconography of the temple or the local Wokyou would never see him doing such a thing,tossing the dry snow over the mountainof his bare, round shoulder,his hair tied in a knot,a model of concentration. Sitting is more his speed, if that is the wordfor what he does, or does not do. Even the season is wrong for him.In all his manifestations, is it not warm and slightly humid?Is this not implied by his serene expression,that smile so wide it wraps itself around the waist of the universe? But here we are, working our way down the driveway,one shovelful at a time.We toss the light powder into the clear air.We feel the cold mist on our faces.And with every heave we disappearand become lost to each otherin these sudden clouds of our own making,these fountain-bursts of snow. This is so much better than a sermon in church,I say out loud, but Buddha keeps on shoveling.This is the true religion, the religion of snow,and sunlight and winter geese barking in the sky,I say, but he is too busy to hear me. He has thrown himself into shoveling snowas if it were the purpose of existence,as if the sign of a perfect life were a clear drivewayone you could back the car down easilyand drive off into the vanities of the worldwith a broken heater fan and a song on the radio. All morning long we work side by side,me with my commentaryand he inside the generous pocket of his silence,until the hour is nearly noonand the snow is piled high all around us;then, I hear him speak. After this, he asks,can we go inside and play cards? Certainly, I reply, and I will heat some milkand bring cups of hot chocolate to the tablewhile you shuffle the deck,and our boots stand dripping by the door. Aaah, says the Buddha, lifting his eyesand leaning for a moment on his shovelbefore he drives the thin blade againdeep into the glittering white snow."My New Year wish for you: As the old year folds onto itself and the new year dawns I wish for you that your everyday activities, even the very simple tasks, bring humor, contemplation, and a sense of magic in the ordinary. May you find your way on the path following a compass heading of True North. May the love you seek wend its way to you. May you dream well, journey far, and be sustained in hope that what you're looking for is looking for you.You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Suffolk, Virginia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more for an important story) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Each one of us - if we're determined - finds a way to compost the regrets, poor decisions, failures, shames and blames that are part and parcel of living life into something almost beyond description: personal transformation. My long time friend, podcasting colleague, disabled military vet, and avid hiker, Keith McNally, is a man finding his path to transformation.His goal? Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail beginning on March 29, 2026, crossing 14 states on the East Coast and finishing 2,197 miles 5 months later. Some of the challenges include constant rough terrain with difficult footing, a series of steep grades, climbs and descents, as well as river crossings balanced on logs, extreme weather, insects, and rock scrambles using hands for climbing. The elevation profile of the AT over its length is akin to summiting Mount Everest from sea level and back approximately 16 times. So yes, physical fitness is a must to take on the AT; but it is mental fortitude and the ability to adapt to unforseen challenges that is key to finishing the hike.Keith's journey will be a test of perseverance, a tribute to the beauty of the natural world, and an opportunity for personal growth. Even more importantly, Keith is setting the groundwork for a non-profit foundation to help military veterans find their own Trails to Transformation. This first hike is just the beginning.  But here's something else. Keith is not walking alone. He has also been steadfastly training an indefatigable Aussie cattle dog he named Ashley after rescuing her from a shelter. Click HERE to watch a short video entitled:  Introduction to Ashley - Trail Partner and Training CompanionAs you can imagine, an expedition like this one does not come cheap. I know money is dear. And, here I am asking you to please reach deep into your pocket to give what you are able to Keith & Ashley's GoFundMe project. On the GoFundMe site you'll find all the details as well as a punch list of expenses so you can see where your contributions will go.    Click HERE to access Keith's GoFundMe, add what you can, and invite others to be part of the mission. I did!  If you are curious about keeping up with Keith's training, stories, photos and more, click HERE to access his  overwhelmingly popular newsletter published on Tuesdays on LinkedIn [Keith J. McNally | LinkedIn]Thank you for listening and giving a hand up because Each One Lift One is the way we roll hereYou're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Services, arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening in Hannover, Germany!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.  Once upon a time long ago and far away there lived a farmer. His most treasured possession was a fine stallion. Oh my, said the neighbors: what good fortune to own such a fine horse! Perhaps, said the farmer.One night the stallion ran off in a storm. Oh no, said the neighbors, what a disaster to lose your horse! Perhaps, said the farmer.But after some time the stallion came back and following him a mare and a pony. Oh my, said the neighbors: what good fortune! You had no horses and now you have 3! Perhaps, said the farmer.        One day the farmer's son galloped off on the mare, hit the branch of a tree, fell to the ground, and badly broke his leg. Neighbors found him, carried him home and said, Oh no, what a disaster for your poor son. Perhaps, said the farmer.The son was in bed with his broken leg when a tribe from the north descended on the village. Every able-bodied man and boy went out to defend their homes and farms. Many died that day. But the farmer's son who could not fight —through no fault of his own— was spared. Oh my, said the neighbors, what good fortune your son was spared! Perhaps, said the farmer.And so the old ones say that just beneath good fortune crouches disaster but always perched above disaster one finds good fortune and it is impossible to know which is really which.Story Prompt: Life shows up in such integrated complexity, how can we know whether what happens is good or bad?  What about you? How do you know what's what? Write that story and share it out loud!    You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Services, arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.