Tales from the Journey

In this episode, I'm closing out season two with an important conversation about practicing presence, facing forward, and writing ourselves into an aligned storyline. This conversation is about seemingly simple topics, but I promise they're incredibly potent, no matter where you are inside your present journey. In fact, nearly two decades into my own healing and growth work, I recently had to remember the power of presence for myself, and it became such a transformational experience in so many ways. Plus, you can't face forward into what's supposed to come next if you're not here now. I know you're going to gain so much from this conversation, and I'm also sharing some exciting announcements about our upcoming second podcast launch! What to listen for: Launching our newest podcast and other goodies Where to follow me and my updates in the meantime The importance of presence and my own reminder to practice it Feeling silly after doing so much growth work “It has been so healing and has produced such incredible shifts so rapidly. The pace at which I have been getting clarity, getting downloads, feeling more like myself, feeling happier and more aligned and fulfilled and creative and healthy and all these things has just been so accelerated.” Navigating the times when presence is most difficult Grief and trauma are full body experiences This isn't about bypassing the more challenging emotions Holding our vision for the future while engaging with this moment The best ways to practice presence and how it assists our healing Facing forward into what's next and why presence is essential “Facing forward, facing into what it is that we want, this involves presence. This involves being here now and orienting ourselves towards things that we say that we want.” Idealizing the past even when we want change Orienting to ourselves in time and space Don't beat yourself up when you're hooked into the past The visual metaphors that guided my healing “I would close my eyes in this little movie would play. And after I had clawed my way out of the depths of grief and trauma, clawed my way out of this deep dark well, I remember turning away from the well and facing in a different direction. And so we're doing that energetically. We are reorienting ourselves, our whole selves towards the things that we want, even if they're small.” Identifying what you want and orienting towards it What it means to write yourself into a storyline that feels aligned Using our meaning making skills productively How to look at what happened in a way that frees you to move forward The truth about “everything happens for a reason” Deciding how you want to be shaped and how the story will unfold Resources: Grab a copy of, What Really Happened? Break Free from Interpretation and Make the Impossible Happen, along with other products and books in the online shop. Access our free workbook for how to make the impossible happen, and our powerful 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Content warning: mental illness and suicide loss. Today I'm talking to Lark Dean Galley about stepping out of the darkness and into suicide prevention. After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father's trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business. Then, in March of 2019, her 19 year old son committed suicide and sent her deeper on a healing journey that further cemented her purpose in this life. Her goal is to help 100,000 people choose to stay on this planet and step into their greatness. She has done this in a variety of capacities, but in each she has used the tools and lessons learned from her own struggles. What to listen for: How everything changed when her son committed suicide Her background as a driven woman in the corporate world Slowing down and finding more compassion as a parent after loss Her struggles taking over her father's business after his death “If you're used to accomplishing big goals, you tell yourself, ‘just do it.' And you're totally questioning your motivation. What will motivate me to move forward? Or how can I even get out of bed? How can I even comprehend all of these emotions and this loss and just the unanswered questions, especially around a suicide, right?” The signs of her son's impending suicide and her biggest regret Starting to go into the black hole and not wanting to do anything Talking to other families about suicide concerns with their children Questioning herself as a parent and if she'd done enough Starting to talk about mental health and suicide “If I didn't speak up and these kids ended up taking their lives, just like that copycat suicide in the high school, I couldn't have lived with myself. And that's what catapulted me into saying, I have got to talk about this. This is critical. It is an epidemic. And I started talking about it and I became very vocal. Like it was a passion.” Dealing with the stigma of suicide Navigating other people not knowing what to say Starting to speak on podcasts and getting the nudge to write a book Feeling the urgency to get the book out and choosing self-publishing Having strength some days and feeling weak others Allowing her family to be where they are in their grief How loss and grief have changed her “What's interesting is that I react differently. You know, if things in my businesses come up that in the past might have upset me, I'm like, ‘no, we'll work it out. It's okay.' And it's not the end of the world. Whatever happens, happens. It's not the end of the world because I've seen the end of the world.” Perspective shifts and new ways of being Learning to navigate the “what ifs” after suicide loss Choosing to do hard at the beginning Feeling closer to her son now than before his death Her support system while healing What she wished she knew at the start of this journey About Lark Dean Galley: Lark has recently felt called to help and serve those who struggle with their value and purpose. Having overcome immense personal challenges in her 55+ years of life, she has continued to grow in her empathy and compassion towards others. After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father's trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business. Her 19 year old son's suicide in March 2019 reinforced what she'd been hearing from many of her high achieving clients – they felt unworthy and incapable of reaching their goals. Lark went from coaching on the externals to focusing on why each person matters.

*Content warning: depression and suicidal ideation. Today I'm talking to Jevon Wooden, an Army Veteran, certified mindset in perception coach, author, speaker, about learning to live not loathe despite challenging chapters. Jevon faced many challenges while growing up, eventually finding himself facing prison time for assault and robbery charges at just 17 years old. When he was released after praying to God for another chance, he did his best to turn life around and find his way, but depression and suicidal ideation led him to nearly give up completely. Thankfully for the world, Jevon was able to find his way through that darkness and into his purpose work, which is all about empowering others to increase their self-confidence, improve their perception of their worth, and design their lives through a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance. He does this through transformational group and one-on-one coaching sessions, on-demand courses and training, seminars, and workshops. What to listen for: Starting out with a rough childhood in a polyamorous household Getting arrested for assault and robbery at 17 Not caring about facing 7 years in prison until he saw the effect on his family Praying to God in his cell and promising to make a change “When I was sitting there, speaking with my mom and my sister, something came to me. Like, I woke up that day. I was sleepwalking through life the whole time. I was just numb to it. I didn't care. Until I had to look at the people I loved face to face, and I had never seen that look.” Getting an answer to his prayers and avoiding jail Working multiple jobs, signing up for the military, and keeping his word to God Realizing the power of collaboration while in the military Learning to work on his mindset and release negative thoughts Feeling suicidal after trying his best at life and how family redirected him again “I was having PTSD episodes where I was having the same nightmare over and over and over and over and over again. And I was just like, I'm ready to end it. I'm ready to call it, God. You know, I did my best. You know, now I just feel like I want to come home to you, you know, I'm ready.” Realizing that he needed help and entering therapy for the first time Learning how to lean on others and stop feeling like a burden The power of good friends and having a support system His awakening and how it led to his purpose work Having a relationship with God and faith Understanding that adversity is always a part of life “Adversity is a part of life, right? Failure is a part of life that really is put in place, I believe, as the counterbalance to joy and the counterbalance to ease because that helps you to be humble. That helps you be grateful for what you have. I think that you need that, right?” Learning the power of positive thinking The essential questions he asks himself to stay motivated Understanding that pain is temporary How trauma and emotions are stored in the body Starting his business as a motivational speaker The advice he'd give to anyone who's struggling like he did About Jevon Wooden Jevon Wooden is an Army Veteran, certified mindset in perception coach, author, speaker, and the founder of Live Not Loathe, LLC. He has overcome adversity, depression, and PTSD to earn multiple certifications recognized throughout the coaching community and an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith Business School and an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Fordham University. His mission is to empower others to increase their self-confidence, improve their perception of their worth, and design their lives through a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance. He does this through transformational group and one-on-one coaching sessions, on-demand courses and training, seminars, and workshops. He is an avid traveler, voracious reader, and fitness enthusiast. Website and social media:

*Content warning: grief and suicide loss. Today I'm talking with Michelle Anhang, a Certified Life Coach who specializes in supporting individuals and families living with mental health challenges as well as those moving forward after loss. In this episode, she shares what it was like growing up in a household that was very shame-driven, building a life with her husband and losing him to suicide after his struggles with bipolar disorder. She holds nothing back as she talks of the aftermath of his death, the story they told instead, and the feelings that were constantly threatening to bubble up no matter how hard she pushed them down. You won't want to miss this story of how finding and living her truth and healing past traumas has put her on this path to help others do the same. What to Listen For: Her life before loss "It all seemed okay until it didn't." Not knowing the signs of her husband's mental illness until later Watching her husband decline after diagnosis How he hid his symptoms All the ways the whole family covered for his illness while he was alive His final phone call to her before he took his life The decision the family made after his death "They suggested, ‘why don't we say it was an accident?' It was like, okay, yeah, let's do that. And so, we just went forward with that story.” Not being able to grieve the way she needed to grieve Feeling anger and abandonment Internalizing all of it due to shame Stopping herself from feeling and halting her healing How repressed grief leaked out Being afraid of what would happen if she opened the box Stepping into a very toxic way of living and what pulled her out of this way of life "I just had this moment of like, ‘oh, my God, I am the common denominator in everything that's wrong in my life. And you know, that aha moment was like totally devastating. And at the same time, completely liberating because I knew, okay, if it's me, I can change me." The realization she had on her 45th birthday Deep diving into her trauma Finding a new community of people and adopting new ways of thinking The process of processing “It was honestly eight months of crying all day, every day. And I went to work and it was just like, okay, finish work, sit at my desk like, oh, I'm feeling the tears rising, running to the bathroom, bawling my eyes out, touching up my makeup, going back, and keep going until the next burst.” Feeling like she was grieving for three Getting ready to share her truth Starting with telling her kids even though she was terrified “All of my fears were completely wrong. I always say like, fear is a liar.” The realization of how she needed to show up and help people Putting the truth out into the world via a Facebook post The flow of support and love she received after telling the truth Understanding there's no such thing as perfect and allowing things to be messy Learning to lean into trusting herself and her intuition Making a commitment to doing this work What motivates her to keep going on this path The things that dropped into alignment once she shared her truth The role support plays in moving through grief What she wishes she knew about shame when she was younger About Michelle Anhang: Michelle Anhang, BA, PCC, CPCC, is a Certified Life Coach who specializes in supporting individuals and families living with mental health challenges as well as those moving forward after loss. In addition to coaching, Michelle is a motivational speaker who shares her story of becoming widowed at the age of 34 when her husband died by suicide, and how she navigated her way through stigma, shame, and her own mental health challenges to rebuild her life intentionally. Website and social media links: Website: https://www.michelleanhangcoaching.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleanhangcoaching LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.

In today's episode, I'm talking about context, what really happened, and the art of not taking things personally—all things that lead to greater leverage and freedom! These are especially important as we navigate challenging chapters and big life transitions, or when we're comparing our journey to someone else's (which we shouldn't be doing in the first place, because we all have our own process and pacing). I'm giving some examples for what each of these mean and how understanding them can help you move through your growth and healing far more rapidly. What to listen for: What is context and why is it important Internalizing things that are interpreted out of context Being clear on your context and how to make discerning decisions Why you shouldn't compare yourself to anyone else “Even if your situation is very similar to someone who's been on the show, remember that the context is completely different—inherently—because we're different people. We're living different lives. The circumstances are different. The situation is different. Our internal worldview, our internal ecology is different.” Discerning what's right for you on your journey Look for the framework and how it's being modeled Asking ourselves, “what really happened?” Separating stories from reality to keep moving forward “Story pulls us away from what it is that we want, and it keeps us stuck. It keeps us small. It keeps us stalled out. Story is the thing that we are trying to separate out by asking this question, not invalidating our experience and making it wrong. Not gaslighting ourselves or others.” Breaking this powerful question down Grab a copy of my book, What Really Happened? Where our stories come from and why they're not true The art of not taking things personally and how it empowers us Why this isn't a pass or an “out” from taking responsibility The flip side of “it's not personal” that we don't acknowledge “We love this concept in relation to the negative. We feel better. We can say, ‘it's not personal,' when they're mean or don't treat us well. We don't like the idea that it's not personal when they're praising us and appreciating us and celebrating who we are.” How non-attachment creates freedom to live our purpose When to reflect on other people's responses to us Noticing where these play out in our lives and next steps you can take Resources: Grab a copy of, What Really Happened? Break Free from Interpretation and Make the Impossible Happen, along with other products and books in the online shop. Access our free workbook for how to make the impossible happen, and our powerful 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Today I'm talking with Dominion Ezechibueze, founder of Minion Training and a Division I Football player, about finding faith, focus, and purpose after abuse. Dominion is a Nigerian immigrant who wasn't breathing when he was born and experienced physical abuse throughout his childhood, both in school and at home. Finding football in high school was a pivotal moment that changed the trajectory of his life, giving him the skills, support, and purpose he lacked. He's now a personal trainer and host of the Minion Motivation podcast with a mission to spread faith lessons through his journey of overcoming struggles and helping others become their healthiest selves—mentally and physically. What to listen for: Born in Nigeria, not breathing Arriving in America when he was six years old Being bullied in school and abused at home Discovering football and how it changed his life Leaning on the power of fitness "I just started working hard. And that's why I got into fitness. That process helped me find myself. You have to talk to yourself; you have to push past a lot of things internally so you can see the physical attribute of it. I wanted to get better for my football team." Growing up with faith and building a relationship with God The importance of knowing your purpose in life Feeling messed up and navigating life getting harder Experiencing adjustments in football and the effects of it Building trust to navigate life's storms "I'm a very emotional person. So when I'm going through something, I'm not looking at logic. I'm not looking at the word as much as I should be. You have to trust, right? It's hard. It's super crazy hard." Having his faith and commitment tested Leaving a legacy and what we're remembered for Following your dreams and not settling in life "Everybody has a dream. For some people, they take that other route and settle. And you know, I feel bad cause I feel like everybody dreams. You have to keep pushing, keep working. I'm still on that path." Starting his personal training business in high school His dream of playing for the NFL Launching his podcast and motivating others About Dominion Ezechibueze: Dominion Ezechibueze is a young entrepreneur growing his business and chasing his dreams. His purpose is to spread the word of a God through overcoming struggles in his life. Website and social media links: https://miniontraining.com/ https://www.facebook.com/miniontraining/ https://www.instagram.com/miniontraining/ Resources: Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Today I'm talking with Nicola Holmes, a Life Coach who helps people step into their joyful power and realize their boldest dreams, about the road to uncovering your north star. In this episode, she shares with us her journey to start trusting herself more and following her path, including her early years where she felt painfully stuck and allowed her fear of choosing wrong to keep her from choosing at all. She opens up about her biggest “aha” moments, learning to get comfortable in discomfort, and how she started walking the path she's on now. What to Listen For: Struggling to find her own path early in life Feeling stuck, lost, underemployed, and ill-fitting in her early 20s Seeing her friends get jobs they enjoyed and feeling like she was falling behind Longing for a career path that felt more like a calling that went deep and wide Feeling like she was running experiments The despair and fear she felt as she began to worry she would never find a fitting path "I really wanted to make a positive difference in the world and I did have a sense that I had gifts to use. And so that feeling of un-actualized potential was very painful." Her inner voice telling her she was failing at life Struggling to trust herself Fear of making the wrong choice or wasting more time The journal entry she made as a child that proves true for her today Feeling pressure and anxiety to choose her path "No one could wave a magic wand and sort of resolve those inner questions, inner struggles, and the pain where it felt like tensions between the life I was living and the life I sensed was possible for myself. ” Small, courageous, incremental moves, that ended up making a huge difference Closing a 5-year chapter, taking a leap of faith, and listening to a calling Moving across the county Learning to tolerate uncertainty Deciding to stop saying no How she was introduced to coaching The synchronicities that fell into place after that moment Learning to trust herself Stepping into a whole new framework of living "It was very different in some ways than the training that I had mastered as a child and as a young adult. I think I knew how to do that more linear way of living and that's what was so hard when I didn't have a clear-cut goal to work for. " Growing the muscle for our own inner guidance system The shifts she made around partnership in her 30s Understanding that perfect doesn't exist Healing her inner child for a better adult life What she wishes she knew when she was younger Coming to understand that we will learn more by choosing instead of staying stuck About Nicola Holmes: Nicola Holmes is a Life Coach who helps people step into their joyful power and realize their boldest dreams. She works 1:1 with individuals, facilitates a group coaching program called The Expansion Circle, and has an online program called, Level Up: A 6-Week Online Course to Get You Moving on Your BIG Dreams. Nicola's academic background includes human & community development and adult learning and she spent two decades working in the non-profit sector. Along with coaching for the past twelve years, she's mama to two spirited young kids, community-minded, and a voracious reader. Website and social media links: www.nicolaholmes.ca www.instagram/nicolaholmescoach Resources: Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production in partnership with the phenomenal producers at ExploraSTORY Studios.

Content warning: domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide. In this episode, I'm talking to Danny Sanchez, Founder and Executive Director of The City Peace Project in San Jose, about turning pain into purpose and finding peace after prison. Danny is a beautiful soul who had to tuck away his gentle, giving spirit and adopt the "tough guy" persona he thought he needed to fit in. In doing so, he found himself navigating a plethora of challenging experiences, including police brutality, suicide attempts, and surviving multiple stabbings. Danny was in and out of the prison system starting at a very young age until an experience where he truly believed he was going to die, which allowed him to start choosing a different path for himself and his life. Danny is the author of Post Traumatic Quest: My Quest to Transcend Trauma, Turn My Pain Into Purpose, and Find Peace, and he shared so much wisdom throughout this conversation. What to listen for: Growing up in a house filled with guns and violence Developing a coping mechanism of fighting back at a young age Feeling alone and acting out in different ways Elementary school was one of the worst experiences of his life "I wasn't really a fighter, but it was just the neighborhood. If somebody bumped you or said something to you, you just fight. I didn't give it a second thought." What it's like growing up in Silicon Valley How being cheered on during a sixth-grade fight shifted his perspective Wanting to be loved and not having deep relationships His dreams for the future and how they died Masking his sensitive side with drugs and alcohol "I burned so many bridges. I remember many Christmases alone in a rented camper with two 40oz bottles of alcohol, drinking myself to sleep because nobody wanted me around. But I created that for myself." Getting convicted of a felony or 13 years old Flirting with death but never having a wake-up call Feeling suicidal while wanting people to understand his pain "I was stabbed in the kidney, and I was in the hospital for two weeks. They had to do exploratory surgery on me to see where the damage was. And I remember that didn't even change me. Like, less than a week, I was drinking. I just didn't care. " Being in and out of the incarceration system for 13 years Violating parole and scrambling not to get caught Feeling like he was going to die and how that moment woke him up "I remember, I just fell on my knees. And I said, God if you're real, help me. All these years, I have flirted with death. But when I felt like I was gonna die, I wanted to live. I remember that moment; I felt so alive. I never felt so alive in my entire life. From there, like, my life just changed." Finding his faith in God and feeling sober and alive for the first time Removing himself from bad influences and temptations Volunteering and doing things to help other people Learning and taking better care of himself Perfectionism, burnout, and relapsing Learning to have fun through skateboarding "If you come to San Jose and go to a skatepark, and you say, Pastor Danny, the kids will know who I am cuz I go out there and hang out with them and have fun in our community here." Working with students outside their normal circumstances Uncovering the desire to work with the youth community Nothing was planned, but it all fell into place The birth of the work he does now About Danny Sanchez: Danny Sanchez is a highly recognized social entrepreneur and leader in youth violence prevention and redirection. He has been featured in notable media outlets such as Forbes Magazine and The Huffington Post. Danny is a sought-after speaker in his field. His insights around youth violence and trauma have been presented at billion-dollar companies such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google. His service to the community received numerous awards including “Champion of Change” by President Bar...

In today's episode, I'm talking about creating space for healing and growth, letting go of the hands that held us, and reframing scarcity in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. The truth is, creating space is a necessary part of growth, and with growth comes outgrowing. Not always, but often. Since releasing my memoir, Unravel, so many people have reached out to me about finding the courage to let go of relationships that no longer serve them and how to move past the fear of experiencing loss when we start to evolve beyond our present level of living. In this conversation, I hope to normalize the experience of outgrowing the people and communities in our lives without making ourselves or anyone else wrong or bad. I know you'll gain a lot from these lessons! What to listen for: Why this topic is so essential and personal to me Having the courage to lean into your growth and stop fearing loss Letting go need not come with judgment of ourselves or others “It's really important to understand that this is not a judgment on ourselves or other people. It's simply a statement of fact. When we grow, we outgrow things. We know this to be true in a lot of ways, but when we weave in relationships and other people, there's a lot of story around it, both internal and external.” Why space is so vital for healing and growth This doesn't mean isolation unless that's what feels right for you My own stories of consciously choosing periods of isolation "Space means having the room to be with yourself, process what you've been through, process who you are now and who you're becoming, make sense of things, get clarity, and find what's aligned for you… without the feedback of people who are trying to control and maybe even manipulate the situation in their favor or based on their comfort." Creating space to hear myself and my truth again What creating space can look like in your life Figuring out who genuinely supports your process When people “support” us from selfish motivations Finding out who are true friends our during times of transition “You'll realize that the people that you thought would be there actually aren't, and this is painful. This is heartbreaking. This is hard. It's confusing. There's a lot of emotion that comes up with it, but it's actually very normal.” Normalizing these experiences from all angles Our subconscious programming and how it interferes Discerning what's best for you regardless of people's expectations The reorienting process and navigating renegotiation and release “I had to release that relationship because I couldn't hear myself anymore. And I didn't feel like the support that I was getting was actually supportive of what I needed in the moment and supportive of me growing into who I needed to be and healing in the ways that I needed.” Life is continually unfolding, and we're constantly growing Finding people who evolve with us and meet us anew every day There's no scarcity of good people in this world The fear that says we'll end up alone is a lie “Suddenly we're alone. And now we're going to be alone until the end of time. That's a story rooted in fear. That's not true. It's a lie. It is something our subconscious does because it wants us to go back to the known and familiar.” The feeling of “always passing through” during massive growth Opening to new fields and aligning with new frequencies A final reminder that judgment is unnecessary Trust the process and trust your heart Resources: Access our free workbook for how to make the impossible happen, and our powerful 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Content warning: sexual assault and suicidal ideation. Today I'm talking with Tenita “Bestseller” Johnson authorprenuer, speaker, and book coach on a mission to transform pain into purpose. In this episode, Tenita shares with us her journey to find her own purpose through a lifetime of setbacks starting from her childhood where she grew up being told she wasn't supposed to exist. She'll be pulling back the curtain on feeling alone, feeling unseen, and feeling unworthy of love and sharing how she took all the negative things that happened in her life and turned them into positives as well as her mission to do the same for others. What to Listen For: Being born to a young mother and knowing she was supposed to be aborted Feeling like she wasn't supposed to be here because of her upbringing Not feeling seen as a child Defining herself by external factors Not really knowing who she was or feeling strong enough to stand on her own two feet How she empowers women to understand they have purpose "I'm literally on a mission to use every bad thing that happened in my life to turn it for good." What she realized about herself after she got married Feeling broken and unworthy of love Needing a different type of counselor for different chapters of life Therapy is only a piece of her healing journey The role of community and mentors in her healing How she safeguarded herself against going down the darkest holes "These are the people who have the permission to call me out on the carpet if they see me going down these dark holes again.” The transformational exercise she did with a counselor involving her inner little girl The important role of mindset work in your business Her career trajectory "I literally remember sitting at the desk saying, you have to use what's in your hands. So what do you have that people will pay for it that solves a problem?" Being pushed into full-time entrepreneurship The ebbs and flows of self-employment The intentional practices she does to keep herself in the moment Her biggest piece of wisdom for those feeling lost from their purpose. “If you're on the earth, if you still have breath, you're still breathing, there's purpose. There is purpose. It's up to you to dig and find out what that purpose is though" Her standards around work she will do Opening our unwrapped gifts About Tenita Johnson: Transforming pain into purpose is a gift that authorpreneur, speaker and book coach, Tenita “Bestseller” Johnson gives to everyone she encounters. She is a warrior of words with a fierce passion for guiding authors to expand their brand by showing them how to earn multiple streams of income from just ONE book. As the author of 18 books, seven of which have been Amazon bestsellers, she is living proof that sharing your story leads to your destiny. Familiar with rising from numerous fires and coming out unscathed, Tenita has triumphed over suicidal thoughts, depression, low self-esteem, marital storms and blended family woes. She has also endured miscarriages and the still birth of twins the day after she married her husband. Each of these tragedies has added indelible layers to her resilience. With more than 25 years in journalism, writing and editing, she has a knack for creating narratives that are authentic and raw, yet endearingly relatable. She is a vessel with the ability to change lives and impact the world, thus she is a proud “book bully,” who relentlessly urges others to, “Write the book and get paid for the pain!” Website and social media links: www.soitiswritten.net www.tenitajohnson.com https://www.facebook.com/TenitaBestseller https://www.instagram.com/TenitaBestseller https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenitajohnson/ https://checklist.brandbookbestseller.com/ Resources: Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.

Today, I'm talking to Geoff Seow, founder of MindAxis Life Coaching, about getting sober, overcoming burnout, and changing careers. Geoff helps unfulfilled millennials create an inspired vision for their future through overcoming self-doubt with his MindAxis Method™. His goal is to guide individuals to reach their highest potential, through which they can create a life of purpose and fulfillment. In this episode, he's sharing his own journey of realizing he was on the wrong career path and how he course-corrected into his true passion and purpose. Geoff also talks about his experiences during lockdown that allowed him to really get to know who he was and what he wanted and create an entirely new mindset that supported a different life. What to listen for: Graduating high school early and getting his first of three degrees Partying, doing drugs in college, and the lost period in his life “I was very lost. I didn't really have any guidance. So for me, that was the only way I kind of knew how to do it, had a lot to do with my childhood conditioning, but also we were just trying to fit in, you know, just trying to really get into the scene.” Getting his master's degree in biotechnology Opening multiple businesses after school Realizing his career wasn't the thing he wanted to do Reaching a point of severe burnout during the pandemic “I landed in a job that I thought I was destined for because I had worked so long to get myself into the medical field. I realized I did not enjoy it. And I realized this about the third day in, but I continued for almost two years. I just kept going until I reached that severe burnout.” Starting to make internal shifts during lockdown Realizing he was partying too much and not being healthy Buying his first life coaching course to get sober and planting seeds Discovering the world of personal development “I started really reading this book, and it kind of showed me the importance of sobriety, and it clicked in my mind. I was like, wow, everything I want in life is on the other side of what I'm doing right now. So that's where I kind of went down the train of, okay, I need to change things. So I really threw myself into personal development.” Cutting off social circles and throwing himself into his personal development Going to the gym, learning constantly, and getting sober Creating his first Instagram account, which grew rapidly Connecting with people and seeing a new opportunity “What really changed for me is when people started to message me. People were like, ‘man, this is amazing. It's helped my day. This has really changed my perspective.' So many positive messages coming from this page, and that's kind of where it conflicted with my daily life. It really started to get in my head. I was like, ‘wow, I have this online avenue, which is not a business, but people are loving what I do. people are giving so much love and feedback.'” Realizing how soul-sucking his day job was Using his ADHD to his benefit Reaching his breaking point and making the decision to leap Life coaching accreditation, NLP, and CBT therapy Stepping away from security and making a big move “It felt like the scariest thing for me was actually leaving a salary. I realized that looking back, the salary is kinda like a drug, you know. It kind of keeps you dependent on it.” Learning how to quiet his mind during lockdown Getting clear on who Geoff is now Managing anxiety and pouring himself into his business Reorienting to himself after this period and getting sober “I was spending so much time deconstructing thoughts. I became very clear on self-awareness. My clarity during this period in time was amazing. Every single time I felt a particular fear or anxiety, I would write it down, get to the root of it and isolate the memory.” Fear of judgment and making peace with old memories

Content warning: sexual assault and suicidal ideation. Today I'm talking with Amelia Zachry, author of Enough - A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood. She is a survivor of, and advocate for, sexual assault and bipolar disorder. In this episode, she's sharing her authentic story about how sexual assault turned her life upside down and how it took her years to move past her shame and start her healing journey. What to Listen For: Her life before sexual assault How sexual assault affected her life as she knew it "I thought that I had done something wrong and I placed all the blame on myself." Not feeling like herself after the assault Isolating herself and why she felt the need to do this Spiraling into irresponsible and maladaptive behaviors as a trauma response Learning that she had bipolar disorder which had been triggered by the assault "A chain of things spiral happened right after that incident." Her first experience in trying to tell someone what had happened "I did open up to somebody before, who was my college professor who actually said to me, ‘if you hadn't been hanging out with thugs, this wouldn't have happened.' And so after that, I kind of refrained from trying to tell people what happened, but also mostly because I felt shameful. I felt like people would view me poorly if I were to share the story." Opening up to those she trusted years later Her husband's reaction when she told him about the assault The phases she went through after the assault and how she reclaimed her power The biggest catalyst of her healing How therapy helped her begin to process “In therapy, I realized that it was a violation." How her Uncle helped her find hope "He was able to give me a vision of a life that is worth living." Living the stigma of bipolar disorder Her journey to realizing and accepting that she needed help Processing and healing through her writing Understanding that trauma and healing are a journey What she would tell her younger self There are no wrong cards About Amelia Zachry: Amelia Zachry is the author of Enough - A Memoir of Mistakes, Mania, and Motherhood. She is a survivor of sexual assault and bipolar disorder. Enough chronicles Amelia's struggles with PTSD and bipolar as she finds solid ground to stand on now that she has broken the silence. She is an advocate for dismantling rape culture and normalizing mental health. Website and social media links: https://ameliazachry.com/ https://instagram.com/browngirlcrazyworld https://facebook.com/browngirlcrazyworld Resources: Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production in partnership with the phenomenal producers at ExploraSTORY Studios.

*As a heads up, we're switching back to once-a-week episodes at the request of our audience! We want to make sure you have plenty of time to listen to all the incredible interviews. In this episode, I'm talking all about developing intuition, building self-trust, and learning to discern what's right for us as we navigate life and work to live our purpose. These skills are especially critical in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. You've changed at your core, and your life, relationships, and work are changing too. Life is shaping you, and that can be incredibly disorienting! And beyond that, the changes you're going through are scary and uncomfortable for the people around you, and they'll have a lot to say about it (often projections or from their fears and limiting beliefs). You have to know what's right and true for you, but you can't do that if you haven't developed these skills. What to listen for: Revisiting the essential frameworks and processes in season one Where intuition lives and how we hear our distinct “yes” and “no” Developing a relationship with our bodies when we've been disconnected “If we've had traumatic experiences, especially certain types of trauma, there are times that we're not present and grounded in our body. I certainly experienced that after my loss, the PTSD, and the abusive relationship that I was in. It was hard for me to be in my body. And When it's hard for us to be in our body, it's hard for us to really tune in and hear our intuition speaking to us.” Practices for grounding back into our bodies A simple process for building trust in your intuition Understanding how fear confuses how we read our intuitive hits “Sometimes when we feel contraction, that doesn't mean it's a no. It just means that our mind got involved really quickly and triggered fear, and fear can often bring tension into our body. So you have to get to the root of what happened immediately after something was presented to you.” Why intuition is harder for some people Times my intuition has guided me to do totally illogical things Why trusting our intuition doesn't mean things will be seamless “Sometimes our intuition is leading us directly into something that will be challenging and hard and difficult because that is what we need to go through in order to be the person that we want to be.” What it means to build trust in ourselves Having integrity with ourselves and why it matters Pushing our edges and navigating the terror barrier Understanding our subconscious beliefs and why we self-sabotage “Essentially, when we go beyond what's known and familiar, our subconscious comes into play, and it does everything that it can to get us to stop. That's why we self-sabotage. That's why it seems like everything that can go wrong does go wrong.” Learning that we can do hard things The Universe is continually expanding, and how this applies to us Building trust in that greater energy at play How we can cause the world to reconfigure around us “At the very least, decide that you live in a universe that supports your highest good. That its baseline wiring, the way that it is designed to function, is to support you in creating what you want. Decide that the world is not out to get you, and that shifts your perception. That shifts your way of being in the world. And it allows you to create different outcomes.” Only you know what's right and true for you Why these journeys trigger the people around us The many times I've gone against everyone's advice The critical elements of discernment you need to understand “That takes a lot of self-awareness and a lot of ability to be honest with ourselves.” Going against what other people want for us Understanding your subconscious programming Seeing this play out in our incredible interviews Resources: Grab my Reconnecting With Your Intuition Self-Coaching Gui...

Today I'm talking with William Branum, Founder and CEO of Naked Warrior Recovery, a CBD company focused on the recovery of veterans and first responders about the Navy SEAL mindset for navigating big transitions. William spent 26 years serving as a Navy SEAL, leading major combat operations and missions, and began suffering from physical and psychological symptoms that negatively impacted his well-being and quality of life. Like so many others, he used alcohol and prescription drugs to mask the symptoms until he discovered the powerful healing properties of CBD. In this episode, he's sharing the journey that led him to found his company without any entrepreneurial or industry experience, develop his GET NAKED! Mindset, changing the lives of veterans (along with individuals from all walks of life). What to listen for: His background as a Navy SEAL How the transition from military to civilian life was his most arduous mission Growing up in a small town and how he discovered the SEALs Not feeling ready or prepared for boot camp right out of high school Taking a stand and asking for the assignment he wanted “He turns to my commanding officer and says, ‘Hey, is William a good guy?' And my commanding officer says, ‘yes, he was the sailor of the quarter of this quarter,' which is kinda like employee of the month. And so he turns back to me, and he is like, you'll be in the first class after your or time on the ship is up. Six weeks later, I'm off to California to go to seal training.” The transition to SEAL training and how it took 13 months Teaching sniper school, the 9/11 attacks, and deploying overseas Having an “I can do anything” mentality “I just have never been a quitter. I've never really quit on anything. I know that I came from humble beginnings, and I knew that I never wanted to be like that. And so I wanted to be a better me.” Getting diagnosed with ADHD at the end of his career Limiting beliefs from his struggles in school Having to work harder than everyone else “In SEAL training, people made it look easy. They could run effortlessly and swim and fly around the obstacle course and do all these things. And they were natural leaders. I struggled at everything, but I always knew that it was a struggle, and I just had to work harder than everyone else. I was okay with that. I just try to work harder than everyone else because I know that's what I have to do.” The expectation to perform better than the day before How it felt to be in real combat situations Developing noise in his head and how that affected him Drinking to sleep and cope with his symptoms Feeling lost after leaving his work as a Navy SEAL “I had a badass mission. I had a purpose. When I went to bed at night, I still knew what I was gonna do the next day. I knew why I was gonna do it, how I was gonna do it. And so the day that I retired, it was like, I lost everything in my life. I still had family, but I lost my mission. I lost my purpose. I lost my team.” Discovering CBD and how it changed his life The meeting at a conference that changed his life How his dad's suicide ties into his work Getting vulnerable and exposing yourself to heal The work he did before he founded Naked Warrior Recovery Navigating failure and how his SEAL training supported him “Never quit on yourself. Never quit trying to improve your life. If you started a project or a program or something that was hard and kind of stressful, it's gonna be a challenge. If it was important enough to start, then it's probably important enough to take it all the way to the end, whatever that looks like.” Finding the courage to get help and support Starting from nothing and no experience and building his CBD business Sharing his story to help others heal Advice he'd give to anyone still struggling to heal About William Branum: William Branum is the Founder and CEO of Naked Warrior Recovery,...

Today I'm talking with Keisha Greaves, the founder of Girls Chronically Rock, an adaptive fashion company promoting self-love and confidence in the disability community about passion after a chronic illness. With a lifelong passion for fashion, Keisha's plans were momentarily detailed when she was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy at age 24. In this episode, she's sharing her journey from diagnosis and finding her way back to her passion and her purpose, launching her fashion line and working to spread awareness of Muscular Dystrophy, and balancing life with chronic illness. What to Listen For: Starting to get weird symptoms in her body The final incident that led her to her diagnosis What life was like prior to her diagnosis Having a passion for fashion from an early age Knowing she wanted to be an entrepreneur from an early age Creating a business plan to launch her own fashion business named after her grandmother Getting her diagnosis and shutting down "I'm thinking, well, she has to have call the wrong patient. Maybe she got the test results mixed up. Maybe she called me by accident, you know, but I knew deep down inside something wasn't right." Googling her diagnosis and what went on in her head Denial and hiding her diagnosis even as she started to use a cane The moment of acceptance "At that moment when I was writing and saying everything out loud, I'm like, wow, I have muscular dystrophy." Finding support on social media Feeling like she's lived in two worlds Still having days of sadness, exhaustion, frustration Don't let social media fool you! The power of connecting with people who have shared experiences "There's nothing. And I mean, nothing, like talking to somebody who gets it knows what it's like living with muscular dystrophy." The difference between talking with a therapist versus talking with a friend or family member The hard pivot after her diagnosis Reaching a point where she wanted not only to put her fashion degree to good use but also to inspire those with chronic illness “My whole new perspective and vision has changed, but still within the fashion industry." The process of learning as she went to get her business started Her goals for the future "I don't just look at it as a Girls Chronically Tock clothing brand, but a Girls Chronically Rock movement." That advice she would give her able-bodied self About Keisha Greaves: Keisha Greaves, the founder of Girls Chronically Rock, has always been passionate about fashion. Born and raised in Cambridge, MA, Keisha has a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising and an MBA. At age 24, she was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, and her life changed. But far from being bogged down by it, Keisha decided not only to embrace it but to celebrate Muscular Dystrophy and other chronic illnesses, giving life to her dream of starting a fashion line.Today, Keisha is a motivational speaker who talks about spreading awareness of Muscular Dystrophy, balancing life with chronic illnesses, raising money for causes, advocating for disability, and other related topics. Keisha has been featured in several media outlets like Good Morning America, The Today Show, ABC News, and more! One of her proudest moments is when she was featured in Today Style Heroes 2018. She was featured with other celebrities like Gabrielle Union, Drew Barrymore, Debra Messing, Mindy Kaling, and more, for her inspired clothing line. Keisha has also been the Massachusetts State Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association(MDA) for two years. She has worked with Massachusetts' Governor, Charlie Baker, and successfully got September 30th officially proclaimed as Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Day. Further, she also received the proclamation from Mayor Marc McGovern from the city of Cambridge. Website and social media links:

Today I'm talking with Sarah Hockett, a multi-passionate entrepreneur and founder of Sorry For Your Boss, ExploraSTORY Studios, and Resinating Designs about leaving toxic work places and bad bosses behind! In this episode, Sarah will be sharing with us some of the gnarliest experiences she's had in her career from toxic workplaces, to bad bosses, and everything in between. She'll be sharing her journey in which she worked at burnout levels trying to fit herself into all the boxes that weren't meant for her only for the universe to keep shoving her repeatedly towards the path she needed to be on - sometimes these shoves felt like a gut punch and were rather unkind. She'll be talking about the many things that cracked her over and over before reaching a very dark breaking point, and how she began to heal and come back from this dark place. What to Listen For: Multipassionates in the workplace Starting her adult life in the midst of an economic downturn A journey that started with the stress-inducing question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Trying to fit herself into the box of societal norms and getting pushed out of that box over and over, sometimes in really nasty ways Doing jobs that were mentally and physically draining A few of her experiences with toxic bosses and workplaces "It should have been a red flag from day one." A longtime winning strategy of taking on ALL the responsibilities in every job The shocking reason one boss told her she wouldn't be receiving a raise "It's not our fault that your husband likes to play video games. He should be able to support you." Employers that tried to cover being bad bosses with random acts of kindness The job that didn't break her but put the most cracks in place Having the numbers to back up her work, being told she's doing a good job, but constantly having to train a middle man to be her boss Having her job given to a young man fresh out of college with no experience in the industry or the field Still doing the same work while the new boss was getting paid nearly twice as much to basically go to meetings Packing up her desk and being ready to leave immediately "The entire time that I worked there, I was working all the hours at burnout levels, I was there early in the morning and I was there after everyone left at night, and I was exhausted." Leading a new organization for the same employers "When the problem is a cultural fit, you can't fix that with a different position." How the last year and half of working for this employer went Feeling like the organizational stepchild The wild thing that happened when it came time for her annual review The shocking meeting that she thought was her annual review Her bosses confirmed they'd “lost their passion for it and it had become a point of stress” The part of the meeting she never expected "We think the organization has plateaued. So, we think the only way to break that plateau and have it become like a really great organization would be for us to hire you a boss." Trying to be supportive because she wanted to get back to the work she loved Paying a consultant to confirm a lot of the things she'd been trying to push through for the last several years The consultant's thoughts on hiring a new boss Hiring and training her own replacement Overhearing a conversation about how she was about to be let go Being offered three weeks severance after 6 years Extra piece for those who read shownotes. Sarah didn't mention this in the recording but wanted to add an additional instance to the list of bad work days throughout her career. The tale below Sarah lists as probably the worst thing to happen to her in her professional life - but still not her breaking point. “As I drove away from that office for the last time, I felt a lot of things. I felt sadness that I likely wouldn't see some of my international friends conne...

Today I'm talking with Rhonda Daniels, CEO of Natural Radiant Life about building a thriving business after a fall from grace. In this episode, she'll be sharing her journey towards a business that was always calling her, and all the obstacles she had to push through to get to where she is now, running a business that lights her up alongside friends. You won't want to miss this one! What to Listen For: Living her best life and having it crash down around her in the 2008 collapse Grieving the loss of this career and life What she would do differently knowing what she knows now "I was grief-stricken and trying to figure out what's the next step, all the while trying to pay bills and do all the things that we have to do." Taking a job to pay the bills and experiencing the worst nine months of her career Getting back into skincare Thinking she'd found her forever job Getting laid off in January 2020 Applying the lessons from her last job loss "I just said, listen, you get the month of February to feel all the feelings, all the things, let them bubble up, let them come out. Scream, cry, curse, whatever you need to do. And on March 1st, I said, okay, it's done. You have to move on. And that doesn't mean that all of the feelings were gone. It just meant that I had to force myself to take the next step." Stepping into the next chapter by sending some emails Where one of those emails ended up Brining in her friends Taking big, bold action Launching a new LLC in the middle of the pandemic Lessons learned from her second job loss "I could have done so much more because I never expected it to end. I was living the life, extravagant trips and cars and all the stuff. And so while I did save some, there was a whole lot more I could have done. And I recognize that." Being prepared for the leap financially, but not emotionally Losses of loved ones and lessons in grief "My father would always say to me, ‘you can't ask ‘why me?' when it's bad, if you aren't willing to ask ‘why me?' when it's good.'" How she felt taking the job she didn't really want Wondering how she got there Knowing that wasn't all that there was for her Asking herself what she enjoys How working with Avon helped her bring back her confidence and belief in herself Realizing that his prayer was being answered through the people in his life How agreeing to train for a half marathon helped her find a peaceful headspace "Running became cathartic for me. If it was a bad day, if it was a bad week, if things may not have been going the right way, either business-wise or even personally, I could go out for a run and come back and feel refreshed and renewed and okay. I can tackle this thing" A support system of friends Practicing mindfulness to help overcome overthinking How getting angry helps her navigate difficult situations Asking herself the tough questions "I never felt like I was my best self. I was good. I was good enough, but I wasn't my best self. And so when that happened in the midst of the uncertainty and upheaval, as you mentioned, there also was a moment where I thought maybe it's not them, maybe it's me. And maybe there is a calling that I'm ignoring, and that is why this keeps happening to me." An honest conversation with a friend Feeling frustrated when she realized what she wanted but didn't know how to get it Getting up every day and doing something to get closer to it "I couldn't sit still and just hope that it was going to happen. I had to do something to, you know, bring the universe into alignment." Reaching out to her network to learn how to move forward What she tells herself when she's feeling unsure about her path Reminding herself of her history to write her next chapter Keeping her inspiration right on her phone so it's there whenever she needs it Her 24-hour rule and how it helps her feel the feelings without ...

Today we're talking about navigating seasons of healing, growth, and low self-worth, which are the reasons behind why I took such a long hiatus after season one ended last spring! I'm sharing a bit of what I experienced in my personal life and how that led to some transformational work, and updating you on season two. If you're navigating a challenging chapter or big life transition, struggling with low self-worth and an inability to show up fully expressed, or you're ready to make impossible things happen… This season is for you! What to Listen For: Solo episodes going deeper into the topics you want Key lessons I've learned through developing my Journey Mapping process My experience taking time off from the podcast and social media “I took a lot of time off between season one and season two, and I took time off from social media, blogging, and making videos because I was going through my own big growth season. This has actually been one of the most transformational seasons of my life, which is saying quite a bit, considering everything I've been through.” My journey through trauma and loss and how that turned me inside out How this season of my life has been different in terms of healing and growth “This season, in particular, was one of alignment, really shaking loose anything that was no longer aligned with who I'm here to be in the world.” How purpose is the key focus of Journey Mapping “Purpose is my purpose. Helping others live their purpose and understanding the processes that we need to move through to show up fully aligned and fully expressed. Those are my passions and my work in this life.” How a traumatic loss altered me and my life The health effects of trauma and the causes they put into effect “Traumatic suicide loss left me with PTSD. That PTSD led me into an abusive relationship with an addict, and [all of this] caused my business to die a slow death, leading to me ultimately filing bankruptcy as well as some really serious exhausting and terrifying health issues.” Learning what it takes to truly rise and up come back The ways I'm still uncovering how much of myself I lost “I still didn't realize how much of myself I had lost, how far I had strayed from my truest self, and how much everything had really impacted my sense of self and self-worth. I thought that I was healing and growing and doing so much better—and by many accounts, I was. Relatively.” Making better choices in my life, work, and relationships Moving to the mountains and starting to align my life more fully My first relationship after loss and trauma (and the breakup that followed) How our unraveling showed me that I still had so much work to do “I was still not valuing myself, not respecting and honoring myself, not loving myself enough to believe that I deserved a life that reflected who I am, and a relationship that felt supportive and nurturing in very specific ways based on who I am and what's important to me.” Getting thrust into deeper process work after my breakup Confronting my low self-worth, lack of boundaries, and lingering guilt and shame Leadership training with former podcast guest Colby Tootoosis Discovering Lacy Phillips and To Be Magnetic work “I began to really unpack all of these things, and it was gutting. It was so emotionally intense and revealing and just raw. And I felt so held and so supported.” Diving into shadow work to embrace and own all of myself How core wounding, low self-worth, and shadow work play together Navigating letting go, release, and realignment What self-trust actually looks like “It's not always seamless. It doesn't always look like you're a courageous and brave person. A lot of times, it's picking yourself up off the floor and giving something a go one more time or moving forward despite the terror and the uncertainty. And I will say that is what a lot of this year has looked like for me.

Today, we're talking all about the power of persistence, surrender, and faith as we recap some of the amazing highlights from the first season of this podcast and look forward to all the goodness we have coming up for you in season two. We've had some incredible guests in this first season, and we can't wait to share the stories of even more purpose-driven individuals with you in season two, along with more of my own personal journey and teaching on specific topics, processes, and frameworks to help you find healing, uncover your purpose and make the impossible happen in your own life. What to Listen For: Season one is ending Season two coming soon Must-listen (or relisten) moments from season one The power of persistence “Persistence is essential to living our purpose because the path to it is filled with obstacles. It's challenging beyond belief, and it asks so much more of us than we believe we have to give. We are going to get knocked down.” Stepping into surrender “Surrender is about trust, trust in ourselves to navigate the unraveling as it happens, gathering new insight and information as we go making decisions and choices as we need. And knowing that no matter where we ultimately end up, we are going to be okay, maybe even better.” Leaning into faith “While many have a spiritual or religious relationship to faith, not everyone does faith is about belief in the unseen, but not yet happened. It's about trusting in something that hasn't been fully realized or actualized yet. Something we can't explain. Something that might seem crazy to others.” Resources: Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/. Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com. Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production in partnership with the phenomenal producers at Your Voice Better.

Today I'm talking with Kevin Barhydt about overcoming abandonment, abuse, and addiction. Kevin is a YouTube Creator and the author of Dear Stephen Michael's Mother. Listen in as Kevin gets super honest around the compounding traumas that led him to his current path of service. Trauma that including being abandoned by his mother at birth, experiencing sexual abuse starting at age nine, battling addiction by age 11, and living a suicidal lifestyle. Kevin reached a point of dealing drugs and opting for prostitution to pursue his next fix. He's sharing all of this along with the unconventional reason he made massive life changes that brought him to where he is today! What to Listen For: Being abandoned by his mother at birth Being placed in foster care for his first couple of months Getting formally adopted by a loving family How knowing he was adopted impacted his relationships and self-worth "The connection that starts to be made sometimes for not all of us, but many of us is people who love me will leave me. People who love me will relinquish me." Experiencing abuse from his 4H leader at age nine How this affected how he perceived himself and what he's here for How his trauma began to manifest in other areas of his life His dad's heart attack when he was 11, and needing attention the most "When I was probably in need most of 'What's going on with Kevin?' attention, all the attention had to go to dad, and rightly so. Even my attention went to him. But while my attention went to him, I was screaming inside. And then, of course, I was screaming at him because he couldn't help me." His first experience with getting drunk at 11 years old Stealing pills from his father to get high and avoid feeling Ending up on the streets and turning to prostitution as a result of addiction Dropping out of high school in 10th grade His brain functioning so poorly he couldn't spell his last name Going back to school and starting to take care of his physical body Realizing through therapy that he'd been abused Understanding that the things that happened to him aren't his identity "The trauma had compounded so many times by then that unraveling that, or even addressing that was in fits and starts. It was really hard and painful, but that's where the healing began." How addiction made him feel he didn't have worth or value His master plan to stop using drugs and alcohol for one year, and the unconventional why behind this decision Going through withdrawal when he stopped using How coming out of the fog of drugs and alcohol affected his mental state "All of a sudden, without the drugs and alcohol, the lights came on, the window opened a little bit, and I saw the prostitution. I saw the degradation, and I saw what I'd become very clearly. And without the scrim of the addiction, I just wanted to die." Feeling like he should never have existed at his bottom Getting to know himself on the other side of addiction Understanding that he is a mystery that needed unraveling, but that he couldn't do it alone Talking with his sponsor about not feeling a spiritual connection His personal prayer that he prayed every day Realizing that his prayer was being answered through the people in his life His little hopes along his journey Slipping in some of his routines after 12 years sober and finding himself lost and confused four years later "I remember sitting in that apartment in Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. My beautiful wife and two kids sleeping in the other room. It's three in the morning. I'm in the kitchen, looking out this beautiful on this beautiful street, and I've got a straight razor in my hand. And I'm trying to say, Kevin, just do it. Just go. And I hadn't had a drop to drink." How getting fired from his corporate job turned out to be the best thing that could have happened Calling his sponsor and going to a meeting

Today I'm talking with Martika Whylly about grieving with ease and finding our purpose after loss. Martika is the author of Having fun with God, a podcaster, and a grief counselor. After her own experiences with death and loss, beginning with her mother's suicide when she was just 15, she came to understand the path towards healing in a more meaningful way and now guides others as they navigate this road as well. Today, she's sharing about having suicidal thoughts, being angry with God, the signs her mother was with her after her passing, and how her mother and an apparition she calls "the man in black" helped motivate her to write her book.  What to Listen For:  How writing her book helped her find her purpose Ignoring that little voice that was nudging her towards her calling Asking why all these tragedies befell her When her mother married an abusive man "When you're not sure what to do when you're in an abusive situation, I guess she thought taking her own life would be the best way to go." Her thoughts on her mom watching over her How not seeing her mother's body after she died affected her grieving process Learning more about the stages of grief as she got older Seeing the signs her mom was with her The realization she had while watching a TV special about elephants Recalling a scene from the show to help her process her cousin's suicide What she did differently in her cousin's passing that helped with both losses Feeling suicidal herself after losing her mother "I mean, it's not really hard to take a step and fall 20 stories, right? But this force pushed me back, and then it was like a surreal kind of experience where, wow, if I had died, that would have been kind of like a, It's a Wonderful Life experience. That's how I felt coming out of there.  We don't think we're important. We think we're so insignificant, and we all are so vital. We're so important. And we're not told that every single day. But we are; we're so important and vital." The difference the vice principal at her school made Having five moms after her mom passed Losing several more family members in the years that followed Deciding she wanted to find her father "I thought I wouldn't have any problems finding him. It took two months to locate him. And when I finally did, I was told he died two days earlier. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry." Getting angry with God Her experience when she passed out while visiting a friend at the hospital Seeing the man in black and how this compelled her to write How writing has helped her connect with her inner voice and intuition What she told her publisher about her motivation to write before she was ready to share Feeling grateful for going through these losses at an early age Hearing her mom's voice telling her to write while she was watching Oprah Moving to the Bahamas for two years after her cousin died. "I was motivated by that apparition. I started writing and noticed that it was very healing after my cousin Nicky died. I didn't get any counseling. What I did instead was I moved to The Bahamas for a couple of years. I just want to get out of the house, out of Canada, and just kind of get to know me.   So when I came back after spending a couple of years in the Bahamas, the writing just became a compelling thing that lasted for three years. And it's funny because I don't think I've ever sat still that long ever." All the ahas that poured in as she wrote What happened that made her stop asking the universe for things Asking spirit what to do with her money and getting an answer she wasn't ready for What she would tell her 15-year-old self How she wants to go when it's her time About Martika Whylly: Martika Whylly is an Author, Podcaster and Grief Counsellor. Her path to become a grief counsellor became clear sometime after she wrote the book Having fun with God.

Today I'm talking with Rob Tull about becoming limitless after a failed suicide attempt. Rob's an author, speaker, and creator of the Path2 Program. After spending 20 years at a job and in a life that didn't reflect who he truly is, the pressure of keeping up this version of himself that looked great from the outside began to destabilize him. With this unraveling came toxicity and exhaustion. He felt the only way to continue in his provider role was to end his life, and in 2018, he attempted suicide. While this attempt was ineffective from a biological perspective, it was highly effective from an emotional and mindset perspective. After waking up to discover he was still here on this earth to continue this life, he started making the changes needed to be the parent, employee, and person he wanted to be. Now, Rob's dedicated to helping parents find their best path to happiness, fulfillment, and success. What to Listen For:  Working in financial services for 20 years even though, by nature, he felt like more of an artist Being raised as a boy with the mentality that he was responsible for providing for his family at all costs Taking the well-worn path because that's what he thought he was supposed to do "The problem with committing to one path and then continuing to double down on it is that things start to rely on you. I established a family. I now had dependents. I had all this structure dependent on me continuing to follow this path of being a provider on this one avenue until at some point you either run out of stamina or you run out of opportunities. And for me, I ran out of stamina, and I got stuck." Not having a support network that allowed flexibility Grasping at things that could create progress Accepting a highly regarded promotion, working 15-18 hour days seven days a week, traveling every other week, and not enjoying himself Becoming toxic to his family as a result of not getting to recharge Asking his partner about leaving his career to do something different and being met with resistance "My partner didn't tolerate that. It was, 'No, you can't leave your career and walk away from this earning potential. You're at an elite level.' So I was basically told the thing that was a wrong decision from 20 years ago; you can't undo that. And so there was a feeling of being really trapped and so, being a very rational person and being highly analytical. The conclusion I came up with the best solution was, well, how do I get unstuck? How do I get out of this situation, and how do I still provide for a family, like I resolved to do? And how do I deal with the idea that I don't see a future in front of me? Cause everything was just taken away. And so suicide was the most practical solution." Attempting suicide in July of 2018 in front of his sons Having a support system but still keeping things to himself Changing how he saw himself in terms of his identity and ideals Understanding that his identity as a protector, provider, and martyr marginalized his existence Unplugging and getting to know himself How the concept of emptiness helped him put his life back together in a more authentic way The concept of the junk drawer How he knew checking into the treatment facility was the right decision "There were two criteria that I realized I had, which was willing and desperate. I clearly was willing to make a change. I wanted everything to end. I clearly was willing. And I was desperate because I used the most extreme solution I could think of. And it didn't work. Well, now I'm desperate. I don't have the answer." Being able to let go of everything, including his inner voice Letting go of pride and determining what real strength is Identifying the things he needed to do for himself Realizing he felt called to desert areas and allowing himself to make that move Finding a way to keep his job and find joy in it

Today I'm talking with Lindsey Nicole about finding joy after divorce and depression. She's the author of Choose Joy, a collection of spiritual insights designed to remind you how much you are loved and supported on a soul level. Lindsey's an optimist who inspires us to seek joy even amid challenging times. Today, she'll be sharing her journey through an unhealthy relationship, the devastation of divorce, depression, bankruptcy, and the diagnosis of her son with autism all in one year. She's pulling back the curtain on how she navigated these twists and turns, learned what she really wanted, practiced joy, and redefined success. What to Listen For:  How she met her husband The little voice telling her, "This isn't for you" Building a relationship on survival instead of joy and support Realizing she felt different when her husband came home for the weekends "Our weekends together were not pleasant. They weren't fun.   A general ride to Costco would go something like strapping the baby into the car seat, And then he'd just be like, 'what's wrong?' I'm like, 'nothing's wrong.' And by the time we got to Costco, I was screaming at him. And he was like, see, I told you, I told you you're mad. I told you you're angry." Trying so hard to change, to be the person she thought her husband wanted her to be A moment where she realized it might not be a healthy relationship The early steps on her journey to figure out what she wanted Her struggle to find direction Finding power in understanding what she DIDN'T want How the little things started to add up to help her make her next move Leaping off the cliff "Mother's Day morning, 2012, and I'm standing next to my baby's crib. I think we'd fought until three o'clock in the morning, the night before. I knew I wasn't going to be getting a gift. He hadn't remembered birthdays. Those things weren't important to him, but I knew I was a good mom. And I knew I wanted three words, 'Happy Mother's Day,' seemed very simple and seemed very doable. I knew I was worthy of that. And he came in, and the way his feet hit the ground, I knew he wanted to fight. He just started, and I was like, 'I'm done.' And the words kind of came out before I even thought about it. I'm done." Leaving in the face of uncertainty and the calmness that came with that move Losing much of her support network of friends during the relationship Jumping into a hot and heavy relationship after ending her marriage Having to deal with unprocessed feelings from her marriage after the new relationship ended Getting walloped with depression "I just started to feel everything that I hadn't, that I'd like shoved under the rug from before. So it was like a season of depression. I remember dropping my child off at preschool and coming home and just laying in bed until it was time and crying. And doing that for a couple months and just picking them up from school and then trying to make the best of the rest of the day." Making a conscious decision to change and to heal herself Taking time for herself The worst experience that she feels was her rock bottom moment "My son was taken away by CPS and given to his dad for a weekend because of a misunderstanding." Breaking down at that moment and realizing she needed to change so she could keep her son Trying new things and making new friends Stepping into the next version of herself Building her mental state up a tiny step at a time Her son's autism diagnosis as she was starting to feel more like herself Trying to make a purchase and realizing there were no funds in her account the following Mother's Day because creditors had seized the funds Wanting to find inner peace in the middle of life's craziness when she left her husband How her mission for peace fueled her decisions "Every time I would have one of those choices to make, I would think which choice is going to make me fee...

Today I'm talking with Josh Odam about healing, boundaries, and joy. Josh is a Trauma-Informed Life Coach who is the Founder and Curator of Healing While Black, an online platform devoted to normalizing conversations around mental health for Black and Indigenous queer, trans*, and gender non-conforming people. Josh holds nothing back as he recalls the experiences that pulled him to his current coaching path focusing on the Black LGBTQIA+ community.  What to Listen For:  Being outed in 8th grade by a friend he thought he could trust His drive to be the person that he needed when he was younger How fortunate he feels to have had nurturing parents Wanting to be involved in all things political from a young age Where he got his first taste of grassroots activism "I was able to meet David Dinkins, and it was in my senior internship where I was able to meet Nancy Pelosi. Having these experiences as a 17-year-old, an 18-year-old going into high school or going into college, it definitely solidified my want to be active in my community." Why his sophomore year of college was so pivotal Not wanting the role of a charismatic Black male leader Not knowing how to set boundaries at that time and feeling he would be letting people down "A lot and people would always say, you know, 'Josh, you gotta slow down. This is a marathon, not a sprint.' I didn't take their advice, and it led to a point where I just had to sit down for a while. I was running for a long time dealing with very stressful, traumatic instances, personally and collectively and politically, and I wasn't taking care of myself." What happened when putting himself last caught up to him His unhealthy habit of seeking out therapy in a reactive instead of proactive manner His first therapist and how this experience ensured he got back in school and graduated How wanting to get back to his family served as a major motivator The piece of wisdom shared with him on transactional living that really stuck with him Learning to shed the parts of his identity that revolved around being everything to everybody to be validated Incorporating journaling and reading as self-care practices Where the spark for Healing While Black came from How had landed on social work and life coaching vs. psychology or psychiatry "I landed on social work because I had a lot of conversations with my friends and colleagues and mentors who were in all different avenues and fields, psychiatry, psychology, licensed professional coaching. Social work was the place that felt most natural for me because a social worker has to do so many things. No, I'm not a social worker, but that's why I landed on social work as a field to move into." Feeling pulled to do his part to help with all the grieving and trauma of the Black death, Black queer death, Black trans death that has been happening Changing his view on life coaching through research but still feeling hesitant to step into this line of work "You don't play psychologist. You don't play with somebody's mental health. I think there are a lot of fields where you can learn on the fly and kind of figure it out as you go. But I don't think this is one of those fields, especially not right now.  So I was very hesitant about that because I was like, Oh, I don't have the credentials. I don't have the certification. And everybody was talking to me about like, you make the license, the license doesn't make you, and you're not passing yourself off as a social worker. You're a coach; as long as you're forthright and forthcoming with that information, people will gravitate to you. And I was like, all right, I guess and then lo and behold, I did all this stuff. I got my certification, and the response was overwhelming. And now I have a full client load." Working through his imposter syndrome and announcing his availability and specialties within this line of work as he fully stepped into...

Today I'm talking with Jessie Shedden, a British-Australian chicken-loving, cult-escaping badass woman, who has become a sought-after speaker, consultant, and inspirational author of Tomorrow's Not Promised. In today's episode, Jessie is talking about growing up in a cult, her plans to escape, her life on the outside, and her determination to use her experiences to help others. What to Listen For:  Feeling different than those around her starting at age 8 Learning in her 30s that she has dyslexia Being bullied for 23 years Being sexually abused at age 16 by somebody outside the cult Knowing she didn't want to be in a relationship with someone inside the cult The limiting rules of the cult that really didn't work for her How to know it's time to leave a cult "I don't think you ever really want to realize it because you know you're going to have to leave everything behind, and I've had to leave my entire family behind. So you probably know it subconsciously, but you don't want to acknowledge it to yourself. And I knew it was going to have to happen that way from about the age of 18, but I knew I wasn't strong enough. I had the option then. The guy I fell for on the outside of that would have taken me. But I was like, if we don't work out, I don't feel strong enough to continue on my own. I haven't got the street smarts. I haven't got the knowledge. I'm going to lose my job. I don't have much money behind me. I just can't do this. So I didn't do it. Then by the time I left at the age of 30, I had finances. So I was in a much stronger position, but it had taken me doing some self-development exercises in September 2016 to realize that." Considering what she really wanted to do with her life and realizing she wasn't doing that How her mother's cancer diagnosis at just 66 pushed her to leave Connecting with the outside person from her past to start her healing journey Going to see a counselor behind everyone's backs and having to cover her tracks Her struggles in finding the right counselor for her while still inside the cult The loneliness that followed getting out "I'm so glad I didn't know how hard it was going to be. I literally had to escape at the end. I had to do everything behind people's backs, and that was crippling in itself. Cause you love these people. I had to rent a property to move all my bits out bit by bit as I could. And then when I'd gotten out, I was so lonely. I didn't know anybody. I've got no friends. I wanted freedom, but it was a void. A massive void. Hadn't anticipated that at all." Looking over her shoulder even after she left Creating a spreadsheet of all the things she wanted to do on the outside Getting comfortable walking around Worrying people would notice she was awkward and thinking they were going to look at her weird Developing a relationship with herself Learning self-love, how to take downtime, how to relax while finding her style and identity The excitement of discovering her own preferences How it felt to start dating in the outside world "It was kind of fun and scary all at the same time, actually being allowed to. There was a lot that was taboo. A lot that was not acceptable. No physical contact. We were given no sex education; even reproductive pages were glued together in our workbooks at school. So there's a real lack of knowledge, and we weren't actually allowed to spend any time in a man's presence." The freedom of being able to experiment and the vulnerability that comes with it Going into modeling for a year and enjoying the external validation after getting bullied by her parents for how she looked The flip side of that and why she left modeling How a healthy relationship helped her see the ways she was still devaluing herself One of the hardest things she found on her journey on the outside Protecting her energy and doing quick spurts of friends,

Today I'm talking with Althea Richardson about finding self-worth and learning to live after loss. Her journey hasn't always been easy; however, her experiences with divorce, abuse, love, loss, and life have instilled in her a strong determination to help others. Her mission in life is to inspire, encourage, and uplift women and the men who love them to become all they are predestined to be.  What to Listen For:  What is WOVE, who is it for, and how does it help? Althea's thoughts on purpose Looking back at her journey "I had very low self-esteem. I didn't see myself as worthy of being loved, although I really wanted to. I had this desire to be with someone that I can not only make happy but would make me happy as well." Coming to a point in her marriage where she realized there has to be something more Her turning point "The moment that the judge hit the gavel on the desk and said, whatever the words were for you're divorced now, I left out of that courtroom and just broke down completely.  It was just, I never wanted to be that person who was labeled a divorcee. I never wanted that title. And I tried my best in the marriage to not allow that to happen. And yet I didn't have any control over that because I don't have control over a grown man's decisions." Why the divorce rocked her to her core Wanting to be the wife that helped her husband get past his drug addiction Her strong desire to love and be loved and feeling like that part of her was destroyed with her divorce The difficulty in moving forward in the aftermath and uncertainty Allowing music to minister her out of the pit of despair The decision she made when she found the strength to stop crying and pick herself up off the floor How following her passion led her to her second husband "Long story short, the guy that answered the door ended up being my husband of 18 years.  My ex-husband and I were divorced in February, and then I was remarried in May. By no means I planned that whatsoever." Losing her husband and best friend of 18 years to a heart attack The process that got her through losing the man who showed her what it meant to be truly loved unconditionally Learning to live as a single woman and learning to live contently in the place she is now Taking her experience to help Christian singles navigate the waters and avoid pitfalls The role that faith has played in her life How she confirms she's going in the right direction "When you're going along on this path or this journey in life, and then all of a sudden things don't go your way, or the door doesn't open for you, that's the moment that you stop and say, okay, let's reevaluate this thing because obviously, I've tried this door. It's not opening. Maybe there's something else that I need to do. Maybe there's another direction I need to go." How mentors have shaped her and her path "One of the mentors, of course, was my husband. He really gave me a lot of wisdom and insight on different situations and coupled with him accepting me for who I was as I struggled to grow and understanding me and eliminating the guilt and shame of my past decisions. That helped a whole lot in showing that I am the one that can recover and I have the ability to make a difference in other people's lives. Despite my path, I can use my path as a means of helping other people." Participating in Larry King's class and having him answer her question How her own experiences of being molested as a young girl led to her strong desire to join ministry to help women that had experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse Initially helping to the point of depleting herself "I wanted so much to help as much as I possibly could. And so I would be online chatting with women for hours, but it got to the point where it was like, okay, I'm drained now because I'm not only listening to all of the things that they're saying to me,

Today I'm talking with Calion Smith about cultivating joy, peace, and prosperity after abuse. He's founder of Uncover Your Joy, a peer support network founded by and for abuse survivors. The survivor of sex trafficking and abuse, Calion has lived with PTSD, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and a few other disorders. Today he's telling his story of survival, finding joy in the pain, merging his alters into a single identity, and how he has taken his experiences and used what he's learned to help others who have survived traumatic life events. What to Listen For:  Surviving sex trafficking and abuse from a young age Having the sense of wanting more than the typical ways to heal and cope with PTSD How a little pink flower led to a turning point How being groomed for sex trafficking resulted in his identity forming in a different way "My brain had to separate that into compartments because one whole brain that remembered all of the trauma I was going through was just too much to handle. So my brain created these sort of units in a way. And each of those developed just like a normal child would have their own personality." Reconciling all of his identities to form a brand new person that didn't exist before 2020 The critical role remembering played in this reconciliation The power of inner dialogue in dealing with our emotions Getting help starting with his PTSD about six months after escaping his victimizer "I know that I went through trauma, and I obviously needed support for that. So I started getting help for PTSD." A bunch of factors stacking up to create a lot of exhaustion and trauma Dissociating, losing track of time, not remembering tasks like cleaning or eating Noticing different handwriting in his journal Exploring dissociative disorders with his therapist Getting an official diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder when an alternate personality showed up to therapy Reorienting in small instances "We'd go through periods of trauma memories and reorienting to those and gathering more information, but it was really only when the full narrative became clear that reorientation really happened because, you know, DID was something that I had lived with since I knew myself as a person." Learning new lessons in pain through the process Building to a moment where he knew he was ready to go through final fusion "It was very sudden, actually. There were four adult alters—those of us that felt like we were adults—and there was one child alter, which is a very common experience. He was five years old, is how he identified. So the four adults in the system, which is what a group of alters is called, the four adults of us, we basically just had this moment of like, I feel like final fusion is right. It just hit one night where it was just like, that suddenly feels right. And it never had before. So, reorienting to that in like coming to terms with that and accepting, it was a very emotional process and very grief-focused, because it also meant letting go of who we all individually were." The emotions and grief processing that came with this moment What the process taught him about trauma reorientation and reorienting to life events The sense of being all the people he was before, but also totally new as well The key roles that radical acceptance and validation play in recovery The uncertainty that followed his fusion The challenge of presenting himself to the world in one body with five alters "It was very difficult before thinking if I go to this cafe looking this way, then I show up to that same cafe looking this way are they going to be really confused or are they going to be questioning? Are they going to be looking at me weird and things like that?  It was this constant dividing up of life. And that's a huge thing that I've been able to just let go of is like, I can go where I want. However,

Today I'm talking with Lola Pickett about empowering your inner empath! She's the author of Wild Messengers Alchemical Tarot, host of the Empath To Power Podcast, and founder of EMPATH*ology. Lola will be sharing her journey as she unapologetically stepped into her empathetic, highly sensitive, and truest self. To be the person she is today, Lola had to let go of the person she was, and after a name change, a new, lit-up relationship, and a successful business that has continued to evolve with her later, she hasn't looked back. What to Listen For:  Learning later in life that she was an empath and a highly sensitive person Believing what people told her before that about being too sensitive, needing a thicker skin, or that she had to toughen up if she was going to make it How this affected her life in early adulthood "I spent the first part of my adult life buttoned-up, shut down, numbed out, and trying to check off as many boxes as I could of what I was supposed to do in order to feel good, in order to feel happy. And, of course, we all know how that story goes. I know I'm not the only one who has done that. And by the time I was 30, I looked around me, and I felt like a stranger to myself. I didn't know whose life I was living." Her huge wake-up call to get to know herself again The thing that stopped her in her tracks and put her on a new path "Here I am trying not to run over my child with my office chair while I put together marketing spreadsheets for a company I don't even believe in getting paid way too little. My boss made me come back early from maternity leave. Like, what the actual fuck? This is not cool." Realizing her path at her current job was a no-go and taking the safest leap possible "Before I knew it, that first month I had made $10,000, which was like three times what I was making on my salary. And I was like, Oh my God; I can totally do this. So I quit my job. My manager said, that's nice; I'll see you in three months when you fail. And, of course, I never looked back. I'm still self-employed to this day."  Evolving her business as she grew as a person How her graphic design business naturally shifted into coaching and mentoring The moment she realized she was an empath "I realized that I have this legacy in my whole family, especially on the female side of being in the toxic side of that spectrum, where we're super self-denying. We're disconnected from ourselves. We're people-pleasing, perfectionistic, hard on ourselves, and very, very disconnected because we feel like it's not safe. So much was there. And it just opened like the biggest portal of my life and became what is now like a huge body of work around how we really support empaths in being resilient... because I needed that. Obviously, it's not something I learned from my family. So, how can we go forward in a different way?" Studying all things empath and HSP to gain a strong understanding and start applying it to her everyday life Lola's year of yes "I felt like I should wear a t-shirt that says, I say yes! Because for the first time in my life, I was saying yes to myself, and I was following these little seemingly illogical intuitive bread crumbs." Why this was such a great skill-building period in her life Realizing that no one was going to die if she asks for what she needs What made it possible for her to step into a place of uncertainty The circumstances that allowed her new relationship to flourish What kept her moving and growing towards what she really wanted "The pain of staying the same was too great. It was too depressing. It wasn't magical enough. The life I had been living was one of addiction, one of numbing, one of constant pursuit of the next thing that was going to bring me joy. And it was exhausting." Knowing her first marriage was toxic even though it looked good from the outside The importance of mentorship during this period...

Today, I'm talking with Thomas Wurm about becoming awakened by heart-fire. Thomas is the creator of Mountain Mind Tricks, a wildland firefighter, an author, a Master Practitioner in NLP, Hypnosis, and Mental Emotional Release, among many other very interesting things. His company, Mountain Minds Tricks, was founded to aid in the mental health crisis for wildland firefighters and other first responders. We're diving into the path that led him to this work... from being a very open child to having a near-death experience to losing a cherished friend and mentor. We're discussing how the quest to heal his anxiety turned into finding his true and real self and his real calling not long after. What to Listen For:  The loss that led Thomas to this work Coping with loss through alcohol and what changed when he stopped The life-changing occurrence that changed everything for him The physical manifestations of his trauma "Chronic pain in my neck, back, knees, all my joints... my stomach would hurt all the time, and all of a sudden, I had this gluten intolerance thing that showed up. I was never gluten intolerant before. So after the trauma, there was this gluten intolerance. I had heat in my body to the point where I was always hot. I had a fever of probably 99 for like a year, so my whole body was out of whack. I had really bad anxiety, especially health anxiety. You know how you get little pains in your body? It was like the end of the world for me. I mean, I would totally lose it with that. My pupils were always dilated. I had really crazy stuff going on in my head all the time. It was just hard to even go to work at this point. I mean, it was getting pretty desperate and just a lot of despair in my life and pretty hopeless at that point." How a near-death experience in high school altered who he was overnight Not realizing he'd had a near-death experience until much later in life Turning to mediation, yoga, Kung Fu, classes, and reading after his experience Coming back to these modalities after experiencing his loss Going into a deep meditation and asking the universe to open his third eye - and what happened next How this through his body even more out of whack and more negatively impacted his health "I don't recommend doing something like that, but it was quite the experience that changed everything for me. Again." How his practice has allowed him to access different parts of himself "My heart center intuition is like off the charts now; there's a lot of natural healing gifts that I was given as far as helping people shift their energy. The work I do now at the Timeline Therapy is just so congruent with that stuff. We're shifting the subconscious beliefs." Being in a highly masculine field with a lot of closed off, male energy as someone who is super open and guided by intuition Having another spiritual experience with this acupuncturist, who is also a shaman "I had another spiritual experience where we actually changed timelines and, this person that passed away actually came and helped me release things. It was probably even more powerful the second time this experience happened to me. So, the acupuncture is helping, but then when that happened, it was like a major shift." How this was the seed for his deep drive to start helping people The voice that told him he was going to write a book while he was deep in meditation How writing and journaling regularly help The power he found in connecting with source energy Being open to mystical experiences from a very young age Going to NLP training and seeing so many synchronicities that he knew this was what he was meant to do "I received my breakthrough session as part of the training, and that breakthrough session of the mental-emotional release was when, I can say that breakthrough was so much deeper and the near-death experience stuff and the grief.

Today, I'm talking with Efia Sulter, a Manifestation & Mindset Mentor and NLP Practitioner based in Australia, about going from overcoming adversity and mindfully manifesting. She'll share with us how she came to this work, going back to childhood from being a child of the system and being adopted only to be orphaned by age 14, to growing her confidence through solo travel in her twenties. She's pulling back the curtain on the anxiety, depression, and grief that have shaped her into the person she is today and the blessings these experiences gave her. We're talking all about authenticity, inclusivity, living your truth, and feeling comfortable and confident with yourself. What to Listen For: How Efia came to this work Being adopted at 3 The anxiety started at 10 when her mom became very ill Carrying a desire for a more typical life from age 10 Working hard to break out of that pattern and to choose and decide for herself what she really wants Losing her mom at 14 "The day that I found out my mom passed away, I never took any time off school. I even went to school that day because I was like, I can't fall behind. I can't fall behind in school because then what's going to happen? With a parent passing away when you're already adopted as like, okay, well, am I going to go back into the system? Or how is my life going to play out now? So I really felt that while at the same time, I wanted to have the same as everyone else. I also had this innate knowing that I was going to have to work harder than everyone else to get to the same place." Living with a family friend until leaving for university Pushing herself extra hard to do well in school, work, and volunteering to get a small amount of praise that she desperately needed Not giving herself time to be or to connect with who she truly is Asking her doctor about solutions for insomnia and realizing this was a side effect of depression "I remember when I was younger, going to the doctor and being like, I have really bad insomnia, so could you just give me some medication so I can sleep? And she was like, okay. She was then asking me how this is manifesting for me and what other symptoms are coming up. And she's like, I don't think it's just insomnia, I think this is a side effect of depression. I was like, depression? Like, what's depression?" Thinking that everyone experienced life in this way for a long time Realizing she's not supposed to be feeling this way, but having trouble getting help Spiraling into a deeper depression when she felt no one was taking her seriously Growing unease in her last year of university "It was just an overarching feeling, especially in my master's year of university. When I went back to uni, I knew from the first month or so, I knew that I didn't really want to be continuing with that course. And I had just done that course because I wasn't really sure what to do next. And I had a lot of fear and anxiety around finishing uni and being out in the world on my own. Because if you are in the care system, you have support workers, and they support you from the age that you're no longer a minor while you're still in here. But after you finished university, like that's it, no more emails, no calls, no more support, nothing." Feeling at war with herself while forcing herself to do something that didn't feel right for her Realizing she needed to make some changes in her life and diving deep into her journey Setting out a vision for what she wanted the next year of her life to look like Understanding that she needed to get comfortable with herself before those things could happen "People often see moving abroad as like an escape or a solution or a fix to their problem. But I knew that if I didn't address everything that was going on first, it wouldn't make any difference. I would get there, and I was still feeling miserable and anxious and depressed.

Today I'm talking with Lindsay Marino about tapping into intuitive mediumship after tragic loss. Lindsay is an international psychic medium, podcast host, and co-author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, 365 Days of Angel Prayers. She shares how grief pulled her off her path and into her purpose after the sudden loss of her boyfriend at age 23. This experience changed everything about what she thought her life would be. When she realized her calling was to help others after loss, she closed the door on her teaching career to open her heart to a path that had been calling to her in subtle ways since childhood. Listen in to hear her story. What to Listen For:  Who is Lindsay Marino? The event that shifted everything for her Who she was before her loss changed her life "When everything shifted for me, it was almost as if everything slowed down in a way; if you could think of it like that. Everything went in slow motion. Like, is this really happening? Just getting up out of bed was a struggle." What kept her moving forward through her grief Receiving some amazing signs during the hardest moments of her life Her first psychic moments "So one of the moments was, I had a visitation from Nick. I saw him, and this was a sleeping state at that moment, and he said, you're not going to see me for a while, but I'm still going to be around you. And this was telepathic communication." An unexpected early birthday surprise The sense that people thought she was completely crazy Seeking moments of just being by herself for meditating, taking long walks, painting, and just being in her own space The importance of honoring yourself during periods of grief "You try to make other people feel comfortable because they feel uncomfortable that you're going through it, but that's where you get yourself into trouble because you're trying to please them, which you're never going to. And then you're not honoring your own self during that time, too." Lindsay's relationship to intuitive psychic experiences before embracing this life Out-of-body experiences as a child Being highly sensitive from a young age Always having a side of her that wanted to reach out and connect to the spirit realm Going to a psychic with a college friend feeling guilt and shame as she wrote the check "She was experiencing this moment. And it was almost like a foreshadowing of what was to come for me. I just didn't know it at the time. So that's pretty interesting to look back and connect the dots on any area of our life and see that... oh wow, there were certain things that were preparing us. You can't really be prepared for something big like this, but moments that kind of paved the way at times." Love, healing, and grief all wrapped into Nick's visitations The conversation she had with him days before he passed "We actually had a conversation before he passed on a Sunday. He died on a Tuesday.  We went to church together, and it was all about grieving. And he had a conversation and said, 'well, if I ever died, I wouldn't want anyone to grieve my loss and get caught up in addiction or stop working, because death is a part of life'.  And I got frustrated with him, and I'm like, stop talking about this. Why are you saying this?  He's like, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just saying. Because he had a lot of loss in his life. He said, 'I'm just saying, I wouldn't want anyone to stop living.' That conversation was a huge piece that would come into my mind after thinking, okay, I got to keep on moving. He said you got to keep on moving." The fear dreams that made things harder Reconciling her religious background with her psychic experiences "After he passed, I didn't care. I didn't even have any fear of any sin or anything like that because when I had the experiences, I felt so much healing. It's almost like when that part of me died in the moment where all of a sudden,

Today, I'm talking with Jim Woods, author of two bestselling books, Ready Aim Fire and Focus Booster about cultivating a creative life. These days, creativity plays a significant role in his everyday life as an author, freelance writer, book marketer, and writing coach—but that wasn't always the case. We'll be talking about the period in his life where he ignored his creative nature and how this manifested itself mentally and physically. Jim will be taking us through his journey of quitting a job that gave him heart palpitations to put new pieces together and build his creative life. What to Listen For:  Who was Jim Woods before he dove into the creative community? What he went to school for and why What he always wanted to be "when he grew up" that never panned out The moment that he realized he wanted a change "I was chatting with a coworker, just having coffee, shooting the breeze. It was something we would do like before work in his office. And I was like, 'Hey, what's, what's that on your wall?' And he's like, he's like, 'Oh, that's my number.' I'm like, 'what do you mean your number?' He's like, 'it's 342 days until I retire.' And I was like, 'okay.' He was just checking off the days until he could leave. And that was a big inciting incident for me. I realized it was like, you can do this until you retire. And I was 30 at the time, and I was like, I'm not going to do just this. I'm not going to do this till I retire." His creative release during that time - spoiler alert: it wasn't writing The story he was spinning in his head as to why he needed to stay at his job How this story lead to a nervous breakdown "I felt like that scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where they're in this room and spikes come down and the walls keep getting closer. I remember that point distinctively. I was in the bathroom, just sitting there avoiding being in the office, cause anywhere but my cubicle, anywhere but my office. And I was just trying to avoid it.  I think I was playing a video game on my phone or something, and I was just like, I can't go back. This is terrible. And I just remember that image in the movie. And I haven't seen that movie in years, but it was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so eerie. It's so similar.' And at that point, my body just started rebelling against me." His action plan as his body started trying to tell him something was wrong Having body aches, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations Thinking he was having a heart attack at 30 Giving up caffeine, as a new parent, no less! Not getting answers from doctors Feeling hopeless and becoming deeply depressed "I was depressed too. I was like feeling more hopeless as all of this stuff was just piling up. My wife was concerned. She said she thought I was suicidal. I never felt that I wanted to inflict injury. I just was internalizing a lot of my frustration, and I didn't go to a counselor. I didn't talk it through with anyone. I just was stuffing everything inside and trying to find those distractions, you know, the, 'Hey, we made it to Friday.'" The coffee shop that turned out to be a turning point Attending the Quitter Conferences with John Acuff His biggest takeaway from the conference Feeling his hope return through finding his community Ditching the stereotypes and showing up as a writer his way "I can wave the 'I'm a writer flag' and kind of push aside this image in my mind that you have to look a certain way. You have to have a cabin in the woods, a typewriter, a pipe, and a sweater. There are all these silly ideas in my head were floating around like, I'm not a writer. This doesn't make sense." Releasing the pressure in making connections Becoming a networking machine in a very natural way How he discovered his love of writing "Just the idea of looking back at what I did in the past, what I really enjoyed.

Today, I'm talking with Genesis Amaris Kemp, author of Chocolate Drop in Corporate America: From The Pit To The Palace, about overcoming systemic racism in corporate. She's sharing her experience as a young woman of color, including overcoming bullying, systemic racism, and oppression. She's sharing her breaking point and how she found the courage to speak up, and she'll be diving into her drive to help others navigate a system that's designed to hold them back more often than not. What to Listen For: About Genesis Her early career and how that has molded who she is today Taking a leap of faith and jumping into a large corporation "It felt like I was starting all the way over. And when I say starting over, they brought me in as an administrative assistant, although I had the technical experience, what they sold me to bring me in the door was literally a pipe dream because once I got there, I kept hearing, 'Oh, once the admin always admin.'" How she moved out of the admin position after four years The boss from hell "You would think that women, when we see another woman in a career field that's not populated by women, we're in it together. We should be able to complement one another, not be in competition with each other. And I felt like, no matter what I did or what I said, it was like her horns were always up. And she had her daggers and her darts ready to throw at me, but I had to snap one day and let her know, 'Hey, you will not talk to me this way.' And it was in that moment that she started to turn a little bit and realize that she wasn't going to treat me like she did the last woman. I don't care what race you are; you don't treat someone any kind of way just because they look different." How her very passive mom contributed to her persistence How she balanced the risk of standing up for herself "I could either speak up and get some mental release and some clarity, or I could remain quiet, continuing to be bullied, hate going to work every day, and roll my eyes when I pull up into the chemical plant. Or I could just take a stand, not only for me but think about those who were coming beside and behind me and paved the way for future generations, because who knows how long this lady's going to be here. And if she keeps repeating her behavior and no one is checking her in, like, how is she going to be aware? Does she really want to be that office witch, or is it going to take someone who's going to be bold and courageous and unapologetically themselves to let her know you shouldn't talk to people any kind of way? I don't care how you grew up, or I don't care if you're having a bad day; check your emotions at the door because at the end of the day we're a team, and we should be able to win together." Microaggressions from other people on the team that affected her work A new manager who finally gave her a chance The person at her company who became a mentor "He just started coaching me and giving me tips and tricks. And that really helped because he didn't know me from Adam or Eve, but he showed that he cared. And I felt like there was transparency there, and he did it authentically. So I felt like I was able to trust him and go to him with different things that were going on." How her faith helped her find peace and navigate challenging situations Shifting her degree plan to fit her company's mold "Whenever I started with the company, I came in as a psychology major. So I had two years within the psychology program, and my very first boss in 2013 said, 'Hey, what do you plan on doing with a psychology degree working for this company?' And I was like, Oh, that's a good point. I didn't really think of it. And so, I changed my entire degree plan to fit this company's mold. And once I did, I was like, okay, this company started paying tuition reimbursement. So that was good. I was like, okay, they're investing in me.

Today I'm talking with Colby Tootoosis about creating conscious, sustainable systems. Colby is a presenter and facilitator of leadership and personal development workshops with Conscious Leadership Coaching, Inc. Colby will share how The Journey process was introduced into his life when his father was ill. He'll be talking about his first experience with process work and the path that led him deep into this calling. We'll be diving into his journey of taking a practitioner program halfway around the world, his experiences with oppression, and how crucial it became for him to use what he learned to process his emotions during his time as an elected official. Listen in to learn more about Colby's journey and how he uses his knowledge and experience to help others. What to Listen For:  What it was like growing up with both parents being therapists Witnessing his parents working with families and communities Being immersed in personal development, self-work, and proactive problem solving from a young age Working through generational impacts of residential schools and the oppression of Indigenous peoples "Growing up with my parents, there were experiences of having to work through things as a family. The generational impacts of residential schools, of the oppression of our peoples, and the attempts of colonization on our peoples. And that's the narrative and a theme that's often not highlighted. And so I think the greatest thing that my parents have done for us as a family was to create the space and to encourage us to do the work that we needed to do personally so that we can continue the intention of ending the legacy and the impacts of that narrative." How this set the tone for the way he engages with his family How The Journey method came into his life "The Journey method came into our life through the means of a crisis. The crisis was my dad getting physically ill. And he had myelodysplasia, which is the beginning stages of bone marrow cancer, meaning he had to get a bone marrow transplant if he wanted to continue to live life on earth, and it was a scary time. It was a scary time and a challenging time." Praying with his family for something that would help not just his father, but others as well His mom's experience with happening upon The Journey by Brandon Bays His family going to a Journey workshop in Boulder, CO His resistance to reading the book "I was very judgmental and critical and turned off by it completely. And my dad was really drawn to it. And at that time, I didn't want to discourage anything. The truth is when you're going through a health crisis like that; you get desperate. You're open for anything. And I was in that space. And so I, with the judgment, was there, and I put it to the side. I encouraged him, and I was supportive." What happened when his dad came back from his first Journey Intensive workshop Colby's first Journey method process "He sat me down in my bedroom, and he gave me my first journey method process, and it rocked my world. It shook the foundation of who I thought I was because prior to that moment, I thought that I didn't have any issues for me to look at, that everything was fine." What revealed itself in that first experience with process work through the guidance of his father Wanting more after that first taste of this work Figuring out how to get to the Journey Practitioner Program in Europe His dad's incredible recovery "While I was in their Journey Practitioner Program [my dad] continued to do journey work, and he healed. His brother was a match, and he went through a full bone marrow transplant, and he healed so quickly they put them in a medical journal. He was like a case study in a medical journal.  I remember the moment because there were people in the same timeframe, in the same ward where they were going through bone marrow transplants as well, they were still in bed and resting.

Today, I'm talking with my dear friend, Diane Whiddon, about her coming out story. Diane has dedicated her life to inspiring entrepreneurs to listen to themselves and build the business they've always wanted. We're diving into what motivates her to do the work she does, as well as taking a deeper look at who she was before stepping onto her purpose path and the rough road that brought her to where she is today. We're pulling back the curtain on everything from an upbringing that taught her to mask and people please to discovering she's a lesbian to the clarity and authenticity she pours into her life and business now. What to Listen For: Who was Diane Whiddon before? "I learned at a really young age to read the room and see what other people were doing, constantly like taking litmus tests of how do I need to be, how can I solve your needs and make you okay and support you emotionally, but then like what's even safe for me to experience and express in this space?" Accomplishing a lot, and still feeling miserable The series of events that lead to her dark night of the soul "I had gotten divorced, and I was running my website design company, which is how I got my start online. A couple of things happened. So one of the first things that happened, it's so weird. Google changed their search results. So one of the things that happened was if you Googled website design for authors, I was number one or number two, like anywhere in the world. So I had clients globally. I had clients in Hawaii and Canada, UK, and Vietnam, and Haiti. I had clients from all over, and then, overnight, all of that search engine traffic vanished, and it was localized. And so now if you searched website design for authors in Massachusetts, I was on like page five." Realizing she needed to pivot Getting out there and networking in real life triggered her trauma Not knowing enough about healing and self-discovery to handle it well "I was thrust into this huge depression. I got extremely suicidal, and my dark night of the soul, I remember, I had this one moment where I was sitting on my couch and had been on my couch for three days. I had no idea what to do. I had no one to call to help me. I was totally alone and felt completely isolated. My business is changing and kind of struggling. I don't know what I'm going to do to survive and be okay. And I had this moment where I lived in downtown Denver. At that time, I lived on the 11th floor. And I had this beautiful balcony and I just, I was in this horrible place, and I was like, I could just end it right now. I could just run and jump off that balcony right now and just be done with this whole place." The thought she had at that moment that changed everything Understanding the relationship between accountability and freedom The power of choosing to stay "I'm choosing this. And that made me invested in a new way. And it was the beginning of me breaking that habit of pleasing everybody else and the winning strategy of pleasing everybody else and moving into a place of if I'm the only one here, I don't live for me. What the heck do I want? What the heck is important to me?" How asking what she wanted started her on the process of reorienting Examining the things she wanted and the stories she told herself about why she couldn't have them Taking a year off and reading books for healing Realizing during this time that she's gay "I didn't know that I was gay because I didn't know that I liked broccoli. I didn't know that I liked the color blue. I had no concept of who I was, and that's one of the main fallouts of childhood trauma, or even being in an oppressed group that you learn that you are wrong. You're wrong. Whatever you're doing, whatever you're saying, you are wrong. Particularly your happiness is wrong. Your satisfaction is wrong. Your joy is wrong, but you are wrong. And so you learn to just deny every single impulse and pack yo...

Are you ready to claim your true identity and evolve against the grain? Today I'm talking with Johnson Chong, the award-winning author of Sage Sapien: From Karma to Dharma, a shamanic energy medicine practitioner, and yoga and meditation teacher in Sydney. He specializes in the use of alternative modalities and tools to help people remember themselves. Johnson has worked with people of all backgrounds, and in 2021 he aims to focus more on the LGBTQIA+ community and really hone in the concept of working through the unconscious karma where we often carry unresolved emotional trauma, conditioned patterns of beliefs, fears, guilt, and shame. Not only will we be discussing Johnson's work, but also the incredible journey that brought him to this work: from growing up in an emotionally suppressed household to a career in acting that helped him evolve into the person he is today.  What to Listen For:  Where it all began - a look at Johnson's childhood "I think there was always something innately within me that questioned everything my parents said and did, and everyone around me, I think part of that was also my environment. I grew up in New York City. I was actually born and raised in New York and, and then in Brooklyn. There are just so many cultures. You have so many different sounds and accents and subcultures. I lived in a very mixed neighborhood." Growing up as the child of immigrants and feeling different "I think young children that come from immigrant families grow up with this sense of, oh, I'm different, I'm other, right away. And so I was very aware of that at a young age. And then throw in the sexual orientation later on and then realizing, oh, I'm even more other than these other cultural things. Not only did I realize I'm this Asian-American kid, but I'm very aware of that when I step into a room. And then wait, now I'm gay as well. I'm attracted to boys. So there has always been this shield that I put up whenever I would walk into a space because I didn't want to be found out, and that led to some very unhealthy patterns growing up." Knowing his parents would not accept his sexuality How his parents' violent pasts led to his tumultuous upbringing Discovering our gifts in our otherness "I think every queer person's journey is a little bit different. Some are more fortunate and they have a very accepting family, and others are less. Then there are those who are experiencing even more otherness because they fall into some other subcategories.  I don't think it's about comparing whose journey has been more difficult; it's really just recognizing that in our otherness and what makes us very different or what makes us feel separate from the mainstream, that's where our gifts lie." Knowing his story is his alone and finding peace in that Putting the barriers up to survive his competitive household His first attempt at trust and how he found common ground to build this Trusting is not the same as commiserating Learning to share how you authentically feel Developing an understanding of what intimacy really is and separating from unhealthy relationships "I started to notice that the friends and the people that I keep around share a more common understanding that we are having these human experiences—energetic beings, spiritual beings—and that there are certain things that just don't have a grip or pull or importance even.  And so it doesn't make sense for me to keep people around that still put certain weight on dramas because then it brings me back into old patterns, and it's not a better than or worse than; it's just this evolution of who we are as people." A history of having a tricky relationship with trust and intimacy  Keeping a tight group of people who have an understanding of where he is energetically The expectations of his household growing up Understanding from a young age that his parents had been hurt deeply and that pain caused th...

Today, I'm talking with Shelby Forsythia, the author of Your Grief, Your Way and Permission to Grieve, and podcast host of Coming Back: Conversations on Life After Loss. Shelby will be looking back to her early twenties when grief pulled the rug out from under her in the form of losing her mom. Life as she knew it ended, forever changed by this event. We're talking about this crushing blow, the aftermath, and most importantly, the comeback that put her on a different course, one that allows her to help others reclaim their power and their peace of mind after a devastating loss. What to Listen For: Who was Shelby before grief turned her life upside down? "I loved myself before my mom died... and I think there's a temptation that a lot of grieving people have... because they can't go back to the old self. They hate them, but I actually really loved the girl that I was before my mom died. I was in college. I was in my senior year of college, and I had these grand extraordinary dreams of becoming a C-suite executive in an advertising firm. I knew that I had a gift for words, and it was reinforced by my professors and my classmates. And I thought I would be writing copy for the world's biggest brands and helping sell things or sell services or sell causes that were going to change the world." The worst possible cherry on top of four years of back-to-back losses Fracturing with several smaller losses before the biggest loss broke her Rejoicing after her mom had been declared cancer-free Thinking her mom had pneumonia and discovering the cancer was back and had rapidly metastasized "By the time we got the news, that there was nothing more they could do. It was December 19th, and they said now's the time to call in hospice. Anything that we could do now at this point would be a matter of time, not a matter of cure. We can buy you time. We can't buy you life anymore. And so we called in hospice and got everything set up at the house. And I think they predicted, I mean, whoever knows what doctor's numbers are based on, but we thought we might have six weeks to six months or so. And then she died in seven days." The black hole that followed her mom's death The moment she felt the line was drawn in the sand "I got a call from my dad as we were getting our coats and getting up to leave. We were literally getting sliding out of the booth at this diner. And I got the call from my dad, and I remember walking outside, and there were two sets of doors. I remember pushing both sets of doors open and getting about five feet away from her car, but still where traffic was coming in and out. And I just dropped to my knees on the pavement. And I immediately started crying. I felt it was as if I couldn't hold up my own body anymore. All the strength I had, almost all of the life force that I had was just gone in an instant. And I had to be picked up off of the pavement. I was literally weeping and wailing in the parking lot of this diner, December 26th, 2013. So it was the day after Christmas people were, you know, treating their Christmas hangovers with French fries and diner food, and gosh, I remember it being cold and hard. I think those are the sensations I remember the most. It was cold outside, and the ground was hard... and thinking back now, I've never thought about this before, but it was very metaphorical of a world without my mother felt very cold and very hard. And so that feels very appropriate as the place where it all came apart." Feeling like she was no longer a participant in her life but simply along for the ride Feeling like she'd been wandering in the woods with no GPS for over two years Losing her passion for her dreams "In my mother's death, it was like, all of my dreams for the future also died. And it wasn't even that the dreams themselves died; it was that my passion for the dreams died. And so I would look at those things and be like, yeah,

In today's episode, I'm talking with Sean Galla, founder and facilitator at MensGroup, an organization born out of a mission to create community and conversation where guys feel comfortable sharing what's really happening in their lives. Over 10 years ago, Sean was living what looked like a dream life from the outside, but in reality, he was facing a number of challenges and some of the lowest lows of his life. It was in this dark night of the soul that he went in search of a men's group. After not finding any that met his needs, he created his own. What to Listen For: What does Sean Galla do? “I run men's groups, for normal guys who just want to have a chat, over at mensgroup.com. I joined a men's group. I found it to be very beneficial to my life. And when I asked my friends why they didn't want to get into it, it's because they thought they were kooky or for losers. I was like, that's weird, it feels like a tool that's for a winner. So I looked around and all these men's groups are online, doing chanting or had adopted first nations names or blowing Sage with our wings and stuff like that. And I was like, that's cool, but I can see why people are put off by this. I can see why men find it intimidating. And there was nobody who was doing an approachable group for guys to just want to talk about their lives, not necessarily do heavy emotional work or cry and sing kumbaya or anything like that, just share what's going on and so that's what we have going on over at mensgroup.com.” What was Sean's like before MensGroup? “I was living in Mexico at the time, I had fallen in love with a woman and we moved down there and what looked like a lovely life on Facebook turned into a challenging time for me, because I felt quite isolated. Even though I had friends down there I could surf with, I felt quite alone and alone with my challenges alone, with my thoughts. And, it was a beautiful time, but I realized I could use some support.” Breaking out of a culture that makes it difficult for men to admit they need help How Sean realized he loved the camaraderie of sharing with other men “I was more of an, A- type kid growing up, a competitive hockey player. And I love that comradery in the dressing room and being able to talk about, stuff after the game. it's like after you'd been to battle with a guy or had shared an experience with a guy, that's when guys would open up a little bit and talk about their relationships or, talk about how to be a better father or whatever it was that they were going through. Then after my hockey career, if you want to call it that, ended, I was out on my own. I realized there was a lack of that. And then it wasn't until I moved down to Mexico and then felt really isolated, that I realized that, wow, I really missed that.” Getting dragged to his first men's group by a friend and not really wanting to go How going to a men's group helped him break through some issues he was having in his own life “I found it so great to just be able to bring those somewhere, that's not my partner or my family work through them and then bring the fruits of that back to my life.” The moment that felt like the lowest low “The lowest low for me was probably getting sick. I just burnt out. I burnt myself out. I wasn't taking care of myself. I was working too hard and trying to deal with the emotions of a breakup by chasing other women and trying to be a high-achieving person and in my career and traveling along and partying and ended up, coming down with a chronic illness. I spent a couple of years in bed basically, and that was the lowest of low. That was the darkest of the dark. And, yeah, I reached for any tool I could to get support during that time.” Sean gets honest about his motivations to be constantly improving “Honestly, I'm not even sure that it comes from a good place. It could come from a place of trying to fill a void,

Today, we're talking with the incredible Jennifer Kem, a San Francisco Bay Area-based brand building and leadership expert who gets entrepreneurs seen, heard, and paid for being themselves. In this episode, she's pulling back the curtain on the moments that shaped her life and led her to her purpose, from getting passed up for a promotion and starting and growing an 8-figure retail business, to losing that business, and falling into a deep depression. She'll open up on the moment she knew it was time to come back, and how she went on to build a career and a life that sets her soul on fire. What to Listen For: Who is Jennifer Kem? Looking back on what she thought her life would be “If you would've asked me back in 2005, would I be interested in being an entrepreneur, owning my own business, my answer would have been, no. My dreams at the time were to ascend the corporate ladder and I wanted to show that an ambitious woman could rise through the rankings of the corporate world and make a big difference in that way. And I felt so strongly that I thought that was going to be my life path and the way that I was going to use the gifts that I was given.” The advice a mentor gave her when she was 22 Being known as “The Project Crusher” and climbing the corporate ladder rapidly Get passed up for a promotion for a male colleague after implementing a profitable and complex project Realizing she wanted more control over her life Creating her 9-month exit strategy Making the leap in 2006 “I opened a retail store chain. I actually only thought I was going to open one store. It turned into multiple locations.” Finding rapid success in her first entrepreneurial venture “I went from making a very respectable salary as a corporate executive to having a multi-million dollar business in less than 18 months. I say this with not just humility, but also caution because that actually worked against me.” Defying the advice of her financial advisor and mentor - and what happened next “When the economy crashed in 2008 and I literally went from on the highest of high to the lowest of low in my entire life. I spiraled into depression. I had lost my business completely two days before Christmas, all my assets were frozen by the U S government and by private law firms. I couldn't get my daughters Christmas presents, which really bothered me. I lost my marriage. It was already rocky going into that year. I also lost my biggest mentor in life, which was my grandmother all in the span of these 90 days. You want to talk about, like on one hand, my confidence had been so high and I was so proud of what had accomplished. Then I had the ultimate bitch slap in my face because this time it was nobody's fault at all, except for mine.” Becoming functionally homeless after being shut out of my business, house, and bank accounts Moving back into my grandmother's house and then losing her Becoming catatonically depressed Returning to humble country roots Not eating and dropping to less than 100 pounds “If you were a functioning person, and then all of a sudden, a big change happens in your life, a trauma, a change, something, and you don't even realize how you physically fall apart, but everyone else can see it. And that was my experience. I would sit on the porch. I would watch the cars go by. I was catatonic. I subsisted on green tea and cigarettes. I started smoking.” The incredible moment with her daughter that put her back on her purpose-driven path “You forget that people care about you, you forget that. And it's not just the children, it's the adults. And I don't know, I can't even describe it, it felt like magic. When she put her hand on my shoulder the aperture of my eyes shifted. I could see things clearly again, and I looked at her and I just said, Oh my God, thank you. Thank you so much. And I promise you, Mommy is going to figure this out and we're going to get through ...

Do you struggle with executive functioning challenges? Today, we're talking with Seth Perler, an Executive Function, ADHD & 2e Coach in Colorado. Seth will be telling his story about rising up, coming back, and finding his life's purpose. After nearly losing everything, he's dedicated his life to helping complicated, struggling students learn to navigate school and life so they can have a fantastic future full of choices and possibilities, where they can achieve their goals, do what matters to them and have a great quality of life. Executive Function is the key. Listen in to learn more about Seth and his purpose-driven journey. What to Listen For: What does Seth Perler do? “I am what's called an Executive Function Coach, and I'm an ADHD Coach and a 2e Coach. But what that really means is that I am passionate about education and I am angry and frustrated that students who don't fit in the box, - these outside-of-the-box thinkers and feelers and doers and talkers - these kids that do not fit in boxes. Well, they cannot fit in the school box, and they end up quote, ‘failing.' So, that pisses me off. We have a system that has, as one of its metrics, you have A,B,C,D,F and F is called fail. And that drives me nuts. And I was a teacher for 12 years. I have a master's in gifted and talented education. I struggled mightily as a kid and a teenager, like you wouldn't believe.” Why did he feel called to this work? “I am an ADD personality. I do not fit in the box myself as an adult. I didn't as a teacher, I didn't as a kid but I am not in the hopeless place that I was when I was a young person. I have a fantastic life today that I do love, and I hope I live a very long life and, uh, I've gotten to do really neat, interesting things and live the way that I want to live. It's not perfect, but I have made choices that have enabled me to choose my lifestyle. I feel like I have a fulfilling purpose. I have fulfilling work and all, all this to say that I was someone who was very hopeless and didn't think I could do anything like this. And I do have a fantastic life today. So anyhow, my life is dedicated to that.” Who was Seth Perler before he did this work? Being adopted as a baby and what his family life was like growing up Begin free-spirited and curious and not fitting into the traditional box of school A deep feeler since childhood “Once I became 11, 12, 13 I think it became more apparent that I wasn't conforming the way I was supposed to. I really started to internalize messages. Now my external messages, meaning I could communicate them to you, were: I'm lazy. I'm a failure. I can't do anything right. Why try? When am I ever gonna use this? This is stupid. I hate this. And then as I got more into teenage hood: the world sucks. People suck. The older I get, the more people suck. This is just hopeless. What I internalized, meaning I couldn't articulate was: I'm a piece of shit. I have no value. I'm not enough. I'm not okay. I'm broken. Those sorts of messages were what I internalized again, I didn't have a consciousness around that. I just could not stand to be in my own skin.” Being labeled a daydreamer on a report card - something he now considers a superpower Getting tested for learning disabilities and discovering he's gifted The story about not applying himself, not living up to his potential Feeling like nothing mattered Getting fired from jobs that are difficult to get fired from Diving into any escape to check out from the feelings that he just messed everything up Hating who he was, not believing in himself, not believing he could change Shifting from victim mentality to 100% responsibility Hitting rock bottom in his early 20s “What rock bottom was for me was that I knew that my choices and my behaviors and my actions, could get me killed, could get me hurt, could lose my family. They were done with me by this point. That was actually my bottom,

Today we're digging into what it takes to make the impossible happen. While this challenging process is applicable in various periods and areas of our lives, it is especially useful when we're doing the work to rise up and come back in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. In these moments, a lot of things feel impossible, but the truth is, anything that feels impossible is a clue sound where we need to shift our way of being, adopting a new paradigm from which to engage with everything and everyone around us. This is not easy work, but looking deeply at our subconscious programming and winning strategies, allows us to make the impossible possible. What to Listen For: My favorite book - The Last Word on Power by Tracy Goss My five-phase matrix for calling your desire forward and making the impossible possible Phase One - Uncover your impossible desires “What feels impossible to you from where you stand now? What, if it were possible would be worth dedicating yourself, your time, your energy, and your attention to? The thing about what feels impossible to us is that it clues us into our deep desires. And sometimes our secret visions. We often keep these desires and visions close to our hearts.” Common reasons we might ignore our own desires The truth about our desires - we can't have the desire for something that isn't actually possible for us “Possibility is not a promise. It's a call to action. You have to do the work to change your context.” Stepping into a new way of being in the world Taking entirely different actions to move your desire into reality Identifying your desires - even if you don't have the whole picture “You just have to have a starting point. So you might not know what it means to find healing and a new sense of wholeness. You just know that you want it and that it feels impossible. You may not know what it looks like to have a deeply connected, supportive, nurturing partnership. You just know that you want it and that it feels impossible. You might not have any idea what it means to have a successful thriving business or career where you make a ton of money every year. You just know that you want it, and that it feels impossible.” Phase Two - Eliminate your stoppers “Our subconscious stoppers are the things that keep us from taking any action towards what we say we want. And they're also the things that cause us to self-sabotage when we finally managed to make some progress towards our impossible desires and visions. The reason for this is that our subconscious mind is wired to keep us exactly where we are, even if it's painful and uncomfortable because it knows that what's known and familiar are things we can survive.” My own, personal patterns of stopping How our subconscious programming shows up though our winning strategy How our winning strategies keep us stuck Our unique core wounds - how they are developed and the role they play in how we move through this world “In order to win and succeed in life, we start to lean on a specific strategy that inherently reinforces the idea that only some things are possible and that we must operate in a specific way to stay safe, secure, and successful. This becomes so ingrained in our way of being in the world that we don't even realize it's happening” Identifying your winning strategy in four parts Part 1 - What are you listening for? Part 2 - From what actions do you expect power? Part 3 - What is the desired outcome? Part 4 - What are you trying to avoid? Phase Three - Decide and declare “Deciding and declaring are critical for making the impossible happen once we decide and not just like, ‘Oh yeah, I think maybe I'll try and make this happen,' but full mind, body, and soul decide that it is happening, it allows us to begin shifting our way of being in the world. Once we shift our way of being so much becomes possible and accessible for us.”

Today's episode is all about the comeback and how to reorient your own life, work, and relationships in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. This is the work that comes up in stage four of the Journey Mapping process we discussed in episode one, and I felt it was worth taking a deeper dive into this part of the process as well as sharing what this looked like for me. Spoiler alert - it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but there was something pretty magical about coming out the other side. What to Listen For: What we have to face as we make the choice to rise up and come back Beginning to form a new sense of self The three components of this work - Reorienting, Renegotiating, and Releasing “This process can be downright maddening at times, but once you understand which of these approaches to take for each area of your life, you can begin navigating your healing and growth with far more ease. Whatever it is that you're walking through. You're now struggling to relate to all the people and things that used to be foundational pillars for you. Depending on what you've been through, in which stage you're at in the journey mapping process, you may not be a hundred percent ready for this part of the work, and that's okay.” My own personal story of trauma and how it rocked me to my core PTSD so severe that it ate away at my brain leaving me unable to function The failure of my business, the steady and dramatic decline in my income, ending up in a toxic and abusive relationship, and a wide range of health ailments “A lot happened in the aftermath of my loss and it absolutely flattened me. It changed so much about who I was as a person, how I showed up in my work and relationships, and how I engaged with the world around me. Then I started feeling like I was bumping up against walls where there used to be doors.” “I kept trying to be the person I was before loss and trauma stole me from myself, but I couldn't, I wasn't capable of being that person or behaving in those ways anymore.” How I reclaimed what loss and trauma stole from my brain Stretching my capacity Discerning where to dig in and do the work Understanding that it's not about going back but about choosing not to give up “all of this required discernment around when it was time to turn and walk in a new direction to ask for help, learn a new way of being renegotiate or let something go. And this is the challenging work that we do during the return. Now this work becomes a million times easier to navigate when you're clear on what you're returning to, what it is that you want to create and who you're becoming in the aftermath, what comes next for you?” If these processes feel hard or impossible, you might just be lacking clarity - but it will come in its right time Learning a new way of being Tuning in to the most subtle of feelings in your body and trusting them as a starting point “Reorienting, renegotiating, and releasing all require you to tune into your felt senses because you need to tune into your intuition and inner knowing.” Trauma of all kinds can often cause us to dissociate from our bodies Eyes up, eyes open - a mantra that I've learned to repeat in difficult situations Learning to begin reconnecting with your body - and why it's important Reorienting - shifting how we relate to aspects of ourselves, our lives, our work, and our relationships “Reorienting is about finding our bearings and how we relate to the things around us. It starts with noticing where you're bumping up against those walls, where there used to be doors. You might be trying to show up in a long-term relationship based on what you knew your role to be and the way you knew yourself to relate to that particular person before, but now it's uncomfortable and hard. You can't seem to have the same conversations. Everything feels clunky and mistimed.

Are you ready to uncover the purpose of your path? In today's episode, we're talking about my powerful five-phase Journey Mapping™ process, which I developed over the years to help others on their path towards overcoming their pasts and finding their purpose. I'll also be opening up on my own experience with trauma - how it cracked me so far open that pieces of me went missing, and how I rose up and came back. What to Listen For: What to expect from this podcast What is Journey Mapping™? What can Journey Mapping™ do for you? “Understanding this powerful process is going to allow you to have a clear understanding of the journey that you are currently walking and where you are inside of it, as well as what you need to develop to move through each stage. It's what will allow you to rise up and come back in the aftermath of your own challenging chapters and big life transitions, uncovering the purpose of your path and making the impossible happen for yourself. This process really allows you to get clear on what comes next for you, your life, your work, and your relationship, and you'll see it further modeled for you and all of the interviews that we're sharing.” What is The Call of The Void? “It's that common urge arising within perfectly sane and healthy individuals who have no desire to die, to leap off the edge of a cliff. The void is the inner gateway, the initiation, the path into deeper connection, peace, inspiration, love, purpose, intuition, and source, whatever those things mean to us individually.” My first experience with the void The calm of slipping and falling through the void Feeling connected to something greater than myself Repeating this experience over the years and how this allowed me to create tremendous shifts in my business and my life My ex-boyfriend's decision to take his own life and how the trauma of this event cracked me so far open pieces of me went missing - some of them permanently. “The trauma of this loss broke me also, literally over the following months, my brain began deteriorating rapidly to the point that I couldn't put my own life story in order, let alone remember what I did the day before. I would sit in front of my computer and just cry because I couldn't remember half the clients on my list, nor could I remember how to build websites anymore, something I had been doing for years. I would drive in circles around my house because each time it took me to lap the block I would forget that I was going home.” Contacting a friend and mentor for a healing session Getting my brain back and learning more about this type of process work “I learned that this particular type of process work worked with the concept of the void, the idea that all the good stuff we're seeking exists just beyond this pocket of nothingness, that terrifying space of unknown darkness and death we're often too afraid to explore. And we're too afraid because it can feel like we're actually dying. And it's only by moving through this pocket that we can connect with what we're seeking, truth, peace, love, purpose, trust, faith source, and divine wisdom. I became obsessed with this concept of dropping through the void because in my life personally, it's proven to be everything in creating what I desire and healing and finding wholeness and uncovering my purpose and knowing who I am and who I'm becoming. The void is terrifying and magical and the gateway to everything amazing.” Discovering the hero's journey “I was also introduced to the hero's journey while doing research on how to write my memoir Unravel. The hero's journey began to serve as a framework for how to truly rise up and come back from the most awful heartbreaking chapter of my life. It was a missing piece. I needed to finally pull myself out of the grips of grief to do the healing work and to understand the purpose of the path I was walking.” Rising up and coming back

The Tales from the Journey™ Podcast will go live on December 8th, 2020, but wanted to give you this little peek into what the show is all about. Through this podcast, we'll be sharing the stories of incredible, purpose-driven individuals who uncovered or deepened their sense of purpose after experiences that turned them upside down. Your host Stephenie Zamora—author, speaker, and coach—interviews entrepreneurs, artists, stay-at-home parents, families living alternative lifestyles, and everything in-between about the highs and lows of rising up and coming back in the aftermath of challenging chapters and big life transitions. We hope that as our guests share their stories, others will be inspired to begin their own process of living their legacy and stepping onto the path of a fully expressed life. Be sure to subscribe today, so you'll never miss an episode.