Podcasts about give yourself permission

What does success actually mean to you? And is it really your definition?or one you've picked up from everyone around you? Today, we look at why it's so easy to get caught up in someone else's version of success, to end up simply doing what everyone else does running the same type of classes and making the same offers. For so many trainers following the crowd leaves them feeling deflated, bored, and unfulfilled.  We have been there and have come out the other side. Today, we run a business that works for us as well as for the people we help. We explain how to pause and identify what you are really trying to achieve, then find the strength to go after it regardless of what others around you say. You will learn how to recognise the fears that are holding you back and overcome them. KEY TAKEAWAYS Stop Chasing Someone Else's Version of Success: It's easy to look at what other trainers are doing and convince yourself you should be doing it too. Just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it belongs in your business. Specificity Can Feel Scary: Keeping your version of success vague might feel safer because not defining something lessens the chances of your feeling like you've failed. But the more specific you get about what you actually want, the easier it becomes to make decisions that move you towards it. Don´t Let Fear Hold You Back: Everyone feels a bit fearful about doing things differently, it is normal to feel it but don´t let it hold you back. Be especially aware of how your fear of what others will say is holding you back. Failure Isn't Always Failure: Trying something that doesn't work doesn't automatically mean you've made a bad decision. It provides useful information about what you enjoy, what your clients need, and what fits your business.  Give Yourself Permission to Notice What's Working: Success can become so focused on the next goal that you forget to acknowledge what you've already created and achieved. Sometimes you need to stop, look around, and actually appreciate achieving the things you once thought you'd never be able to do. BEST MOMENTS “It's so easy to get caught up in somebody else's version of success.” “Be brave enough to explore something that's a little bit different.” “Which version do you want to be of yourself?... do you want to be the play it safe? ” “Are people actually going to think those things that you think they'll think?” Ready to stop second-guessing your business and start building it your way? Come join us inside the Mastermind and get the clarity, strategy, and support to make it happen at https://www.caninebusinessacademy.com/ SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness www.caninebusinessacademy.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705 Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com ABOUT THE HOSTS Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK's go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream.With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.

When relaxing feels like wasting time, you can trick yourself into enjoying it anyway. Plus, 16 things to try for happier, calmer parenting.  Episode highlights: Something Making Us Happier: Gretchen shares Chuck's tip for an ultra-quiet desk fan, plus more things we didn't know [00:00] I've Been Meaning to Ask You: We don't personally like tattoos, but what would we get?[00:00] Spotlight on a Tool—Gretchen's article on 16 things to try instead of yelling, just in time for back-to-school [00:00] I've Been Meaning to Tell You: When rest feels like wasting time, you might have to trick yourself [00:00] Mentioned in this episode: Rowenta Ultra Quiet Desk Fan: https://amzn.to/3TEZgEZ "How to Be a Happier, Calmer Parent: 16 Things to Try Instead of Yelling": happiercast.com/parenting Burning the Days by James Salter Connect with us: Email: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Learn more about Gretchen's Four Tendencies personality framework and take the free quiz. Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify — it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I keep getting DMs from people who want to write books, play golf, speak on stages, or chase a passion they've been sitting on for years. The one thing holding them back is the same fear every time: what if I suck? In this episode, I break down why that fear is the most expensive limiting belief you can carry. Nobody starts as a legend, and comparing your beginning to someone else's finished product is a trap I refuse to let you stay in. Key Takeaways Fear of sucking at something new is one of the most common reasons people never discover what they truly love. Nobody starts as an automatic legend. Every expert has a learning curve, and that includes the greatest who ever lived. Comparing your starting point to someone else's finished product is a mindset that will stall your growth permanently. Giving yourself permission to be bad at something is not weakness. It is the first act of real courage. The true tragedy is not sucking at something new. It is spending your whole life wondering what would have happened if you had tried. Action Steps Identify one thing you have been putting off because you are afraid of being bad at it, and take one small step into it this week. When you catch yourself comparing your beginning to someone else's peak, redirect your focus to your own progress and effort. Start a new hobby or skill with the explicit goal of being bad at it first, and track your improvement over 30 days. Notable Quote You don't suck because you started it. What sucks is if you don't.

There is something I have noticed again and again in conversations with thoughtful, driven and inspiring women. So many already know what they want, or at least know what no longer feels right, but they have not given themselves permission to move towards something different. That is what this episode is about. ...and you do not need to wait until everything is calm, certain or perfectly planned before you begin. Have a listen... and take our Quiz here to find our how on track you are to finish 2026 strong. As always, I'd LOVE to hear the one dream you are choosing to move towards this week. Have a wonderful week ...and remember, it all starts with a dream. Enjoy! KK SHOW NOTES: Follow Kristina on Insta and TikTok If you feel it's time to take a leap and invest in you, join: My Platinum Coaching Program -> Learn more here. My Dream Business Book Club here. My online personal Growth Book Club GROW, Dream Life Community Facebook Group: Connect with like-minded dreamers. RESOURCES: Sign up to our email list here to hear about upcoming workshops. Take your first step to getting clarity on what you want from life with this free bonus dreaming exercise here 101 Dreams Audio Guide Buy Kristina's book, Your Dream Life Starts Here Discover how close you are to living your Dream Life. Take our 5min Quiz here and get personalised insights emailed to you... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Goff once said, “We won't be distracted by comparison if we're captivated by purpose.” That's especially true when it comes to money. Comparison tempts us to measure our success against someone else's income, lifestyle, investments, or possessions. But when we understand who we are in Christ and why God has entrusted resources to us, money becomes a tool for fulfilling God's purposes rather than a scorecard for measuring our worth. Jim Rasmussen, co-founder and brand ambassador at Pandowealth and a Certified Kingdom Advisor®, has spent years helping individuals, families, and business owners approach financial decisions with wisdom and purpose. Through that work, he has seen how easily comparison can creep into our financial lives—and how biblical stewardship can help us escape it. When Comparison Takes Root Comparison often begins innocently. For business owners, it might start by comparing sales, expenses, or profitability with another company. Before long, however, that same mindset can spill into personal finances. Who has the bigger house? Who takes better vacations? Who has accumulated more? Who seems further ahead? For high earners in particular, there can be a subtle temptation to connect net worth with self-worth. And without a clear sense of purpose, financial success can actually make the problem worse. A successful business should ultimately support a financial plan, and a financial plan should support the life God is calling us to live. But when that larger purpose hasn't been defined, it becomes easy to look around and simply copy what others are doing. That is where comparison begins replacing stewardship. Resources Are Gifts, Not Trophies 1 Peter 4:10 says: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” Biblical stewardship begins with recognizing that what we have is a gift from God. Our resources were never meant merely to become trophies that demonstrate how successful we are. They are entrusted to us so that we can serve others, provide for those God has placed in our care, practice generosity, and participate in His purposes. That perspective changes the questions we ask. Instead of asking, “How much more can I accumulate?” we begin asking, “How much do I actually need?” and “How might God want me to use the rest?” Rasmussen often encourages families to consider three questions: How much do I need?  How much do my children need?  What might God want me to do with the rest? Scripture doesn't give us a universal percentage for determining how much lifestyle is enough. That requires prayer, wisdom, and discernment—and for married couples, a willingness to seek the Lord together. The starting point is simple: seek God first. Know Your Financial Finish Line One of the dangers of comparison is that there is always someone with more. Without a financial finish line, “enough” continually moves farther away. A larger paycheck creates room for a larger house. A growing portfolio creates another wealth target. Greater success creates expectations for an even more expensive lifestyle. Defining “enough” can interrupt that cycle. A finish line isn't about creating an arbitrary limit or feeling guilty for enjoying God's provision. It is about intentionally deciding what level of resources is sufficient for your needs so that additional wealth can increasingly be directed toward generosity and other God-honoring purposes. It moves us from constantly asking, “What else can I get?” toward asking, “What has God entrusted to me, and what is it for?” Watch for Identity Drift One warning sign that comparison is taking hold is when possessions and accomplishments increasingly become part of how we describe ourselves. Our conversations begin revolving around the new car, lake house, vacation, clothes, investment returns, or latest purchase. None of those things are necessarily wrong. But they can become warning signs when possessions begin defining our identity. The Christian's identity is ultimately found in Christ—not in what we earn, own, accomplish, or accumulate. That foundation becomes especially important in a culture where social media gives us a constant window into what everyone else appears to have. Don't Copy Someone Else's Financial Plan Comparison can also shape the way we invest. Learning from others can certainly be wise. But blindly copying someone else's portfolio can be dangerous because their financial plan may have little to do with yours. Rasmussen compares it to taking a road trip. If your destination is New York but you follow someone driving west simply because they appear confident, you won't arrive where you intended. The same is true financially. Another investor may have a different time horizon, risk tolerance, income, family situation, or financial objective. What is appropriate for them may create unnecessary risk or anxiety for you. A good investment strategy should flow from your goals and convictions—not from whatever someone else happens to be doing. Purpose should determine the path. Let Gratitude Replace Comparison One of the most powerful ways to resist comparison is gratitude. When we intentionally recognize God's provision, our attention shifts from what we lack to what He has already supplied. That might mean keeping a gratitude journal, regularly thanking God for specific blessings, or simply creating more space for prayer. Rasmussen points to Psalm 139:23–24 as a helpful prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” That prayer invites God to expose the desires, fears, and anxieties that may be quietly pushing us toward comparison. Sometimes we need to pay attention to the tension we feel when someone else succeeds, purchases something new, or appears to be further ahead. Those reactions can reveal something about our own hearts. Give Yourself Permission to Use Money Purposefully Financial wisdom doesn't always mean saying no. Sometimes faithful stewardship means giving generously. Other times, it might mean taking the family vacation you have repeatedly postponed or spending money on something meaningful that fits within your financial plan. Rasmussen has seen families experience a genuine sense of relief when they realize that their financial plan gives them permission to act. Good planning can help answer the question, “Can we afford this?” But biblical financial planning should go deeper by asking, “Does this fit the purposes God has given us?” When the answer is yes, wise stewardship can sometimes mean confidently moving forward rather than endlessly accumulating out of fear. A Practical Step for This Week Start with prayer. Spend time with Psalm 139:23–24 and invite God to search your heart. Ask Him to reveal where comparison, fear, pride, or discontentment may be shaping your financial decisions. If you're married, consider having an honest conversation with your spouse. You might also ask a trusted friend or advisor a difficult but helpful question: What do you see in my life that I may be too close to see myself? Wise accountability can help expose patterns we overlook. And when fear of missing out begins creeping in, remember that you do not have to follow someone else's path. Their financial life is not your financial life. Seek God first and faithfully follow the purposes He has given you. The Cure for Comparison Ultimately, the comparison trap is about far more than money. It is an issue of the heart. The cure isn't accumulating enough to finally feel successful. There will always be another benchmark, another purchase, or another person who seems further ahead. Freedom begins when we remember who we are in Christ and recognize that everything we have belongs to God. When our identity is secure and our purpose is clear, money no longer needs to measure our success. It becomes something far better: a tool we can faithfully steward for God's purposes. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I've heard you recommend a company for reverse mortgages, but I never caught the name. Which company do you suggest listeners contact? I'm retired and still have a 401(k) with my former employer. I thought RMDs started at age 70½, but I've also heard age 73. What age applies to me now? If I use Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD's) for a few years, can I later stop and go back to receiving those withdrawals myself? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Pandowealth Movement Mortgage FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough?  Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of the Best Coach Ever podcast, we're talking about how to create content that actually sells your coaching—without feeling fake, forced, or like you're putting on a performance every time you post.We're breaking down why you don't have to choose between authenticity and strategy, why templated sales content often feels so awkward, and how understanding sales and marketing can actually help you sound MORE like yourself online.If you're tired of obsessing over hooks, CTAs, and content formulas (or feeling like you have to become a different person when it's time to sell) this episode will help you create content that feels like you AND does its job.If you love this episode, don't forget to leave a 5-star rating and a quick review! It's the best way to support the podcast and help us keep bringing you real, honest convos like this one.In this episode, we cover:1) Why Making “Strategic” Content Feels So Exhausting [0:00 - 4:03]-The pressure to use hooks, pain points, CTAs, trends, and strategy in everything you post.-Why coaches feel torn between making content they enjoy and content they think will perform.2) Why Rejecting Content Strategy Isn't the Answer [4:04 - 7:36]-How strategy helps your content cut through the noise and reach the right people.-The problem with treating authentic content and strategic sales content as two separate things.3) Stop Treating Sales Content Like a Costume [7:37 - 11:22]-Why rigid templates can make your content feel forced and performative.-How to use marketing skills to communicate your own ideas better.4) What Selling Actually Looks Like [11:23 - 15:18]-Selling is about helping someone understand why your offer can solve their problem.-What actually becomes content that sells.5) Give Yourself Permission to Be a Salesperson [15:19 - 19:06]-Why selling feels uncomfortable or you associate it with being pushy or annoying.-What makes talking about your offer feel natural instead of forced.6) Build a Personal Brand That Sells for You [19:07 - 23:48]-What actually creates demand without constant pitching.-How personal branding can sell more effectively than traditional sales posts.7) Create Content People Become Obsessed With [23:49 - End]-Why borrowed hooks, templates, and outsourced ideas won't create true magnetism-What you need to own that creates content that connects and sells.Connect with Lynette:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynettemariehFitness Coaching Business Accelerator: https://fcbaprogram.comThe Wellness CEO Mastermind: https://wcmprogram.com

EP404: You Can Give Yourself Permission to Feel GoodIn this episode of Your Quiet Moment, we explore the radical idea that you don't need a reason to feel good. We've been taught that joy must be earned — through productivity, achievement, or perfect circumstances. But what if contentment was a choice you could make right now, in the middle of an ordinary day?We'll gently unpack why waiting for the "right moment" robs us of the present, and how giving yourself permission to feel a spark of lightness — even on heavy days — is an act of wisdom, not denial. You'll be guided through a calming breathwork exercise and affirmation practice to help you reconnect with the simple truth: you are enough, exactly as you are.Affirmations:• I give myself permission to feel good without a reason.• I am allowed to experience joy even in uncertain times.• My worth is not measured by my productivity.• I choose to notice the small, good things happening around me.• I deserve to feel light, even when life feels heavy.Timestamps:0:00 — Opening0:30 — Settling In2:00 — The Theme: Permission to Feel Good5:00 — Breathwork6:00 — Affirmations6:45 — Network Shoutouts7:00 — Closing#YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #Mindfulness #Breathwork #Affirmations #HustleStudiosDISCLAIMER

EP394: You Can Give Yourself Permission to Start AgainStarting again doesn't mean starting over. In this episode, we explore the courage it takes to begin again — not from the beginning, but from where you actually are. You carry every lesson, every heartbreak, and every quiet victory with you. None of it is wasted.SHOW NOTESIn this episode of Your Quiet Moment, we dive into the beauty of second chances and the strength it takes to begin again. Whether you're feeling stuck, behind, or unsure of your next step, this episode is a gentle reminder that your story isn't over.TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Opening: Welcome and breathing exercise01:30 — Settling In: The fear of falling behind02:30 — The Theme Part One: Starting again from where you are04:00 — The Theme Part Two: Why starting again is scary05:30 — Breathwork: Guided four-seven-eight breathing06:30 — Affirmations Part One: Permission to begin again07:00 — Affirmations Part Two: Grace and courage07:30 — Network Shoutouts: Quiet Momentum and Encouragements 24/708:00 — Closing: You are allowed to begin againSTORY SUMMARYThis episode gently explores the concept of starting again — not as a failure, but as an act of courage. Through reflective guidance, breathing exercises, and affirmations, listeners are reminded that they carry their wisdom forward and are never truly starting from scratch.HOSTYour Quiet Moment is a daily meditation and affirmation podcast designed to bring peace, comfort, and encouragement to your day. Each episode offers a safe space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with yourself.TOPICSself-compassion, starting over, new beginnings, breathwork, affirmations, inner peace, encouragement, resilience, self-trust, gentle guidanceListen to Your Quiet Moment every day for your dose of peace and encouragement.#YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #NewBeginnings #Breathwork #Affirmations #InnerPeace #Meditation #SelfLove #GentleGuidance #HustleStudiosDISCLAIMER

You Can Give Yourself Permission to Not Have It All Figured OutIn this episode of Your Quiet Moment, we gently explore the exhaustion of pretending to have everything under control. You do not need a five-year plan to be worthy. You do not need to see the whole map to take the next step. We talk about the quiet bravery of living in the fog, the myth of certainty, and why not knowing is not the same as not trying.This episode includes a calming breathwork practice (four-count inhale, four-count hold, six-count exhale) and five affirmations to carry with you into your evening.AFFIRMATIONS:1. I do not need to have all the answers to be worthy of love and belonging.2. My worth is not measured by how clear my path looks.3. I am allowed to take things one day at a time.4. Not knowing is not the same as not trying.5. I trust that I am exactly where I need to be, even when I cannot see why.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 — Opening0:45 — Settling In2:15 — The Theme: The Exhaustion of Pretending5:30 — The Theme: The Myth of Certainty7:15 — Breathwork8:30 — Affirmations9:15 — Network Shoutouts9:45 — Closing#YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #YouAreEnough #Breathwork #Affirmations #Mindfulness #SelfWorth #LettingGo #PeaceOfMind #HustleStudiosDISCLAIMER

Are you waiting around for happiness to just appear, or are you actively hitting the "joy gym"? In this episode of Be It Till You See It, host Lesley Logan sits down with Amy, author of 101 Ways to Spread Joy, to unpack why joy is a practice, not a coincidence. Amy shares how she came through severe mental health challenges and social anxiety by learning to choose joy on purpose, take bold risks, and send a positive ripple out into the world. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why spreading your own joy sends an invisible ripple outward.How to purposefully train yourself to learn to be joyful.Why your relationships are the top predictor of happiness.What it looks like to schedule the moments that fill your cup.Simple joys and the miracle walks Amy takes each morning.Episode References/Links:Amy Dickens Website - https://www.livejoyfullyyou.com101 Ways to Spread Joy - https://www.livejoyfullyyou.com/101waystospreadjoyJoy Bootcamp - https://www.livejoyfullyyou.com/joycampJoyfully You Podcast - https://www.livejoyfullyyou.com/podcastAmy Dickens Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theamydickensAmy Dickens TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theamydickensAmy Dickens YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@theamydickens/shortsEp 400 ft Gay Hendricks - https://beitpod.com/ep400Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsGuest Bio:Amy Dickens is a leading voice in the power of joy and play as tools for transformation and nervous system regulation. As the creator of Joyfully You, author of 101 Ways to Spread Joy, and host of the Joyfully You Podcast, Amy helps people reconnect to their aliveness through laughter, movement, and community. Whether she's leading parades of people dancing through the streets or speaking on stage about the ripple effect of joy, Amy's mission is to remind us that joy isn't a distraction from growth—it's the doorway to it. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Amy Dickens 0:00  Give yourself permission to follow your joy, whatever big or little ways that might be, and to let yourself just kind of be brutally honest. Like, if I had no fear, what would that look like?Lesley Logan 0:10  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast, where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousandss of people around the world, and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity, and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring bold, executable, intrinsic, and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and be it till you see it. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:52  All right, B e It babe. Get ready to smile. Get ready to... First of all, I'm just gonna tell you right now, I'm a fast talker. She's an excited talker. So if you normally listen on 2.0 speed, it might be a 1.5 episode. I'm just saying, but we're talking about joy today. Amy Dickens is the author of the best-selling book 101 Ways to Spread Joy, and I think we really need this right now. I think we need to one, understand how do we even feel joy in our own selves, and then two, how does that allow us to spread joy with others? And it's a really great story. I mean, I could have talked to Amy for hours. I'll be really, really honest. We kept it short, and I think there's at least three takeaways, maybe different ones for one person, another thing that made more sense to you. But I really do think that there's three awesome things that you can take away from this episode, if not more, and it might be one of those ones that you kind of hit rewind and go, "Wait, what did she do?" and add it to your list of things to try out because you got to feel all of our feelings. But one thing I think we really need to spend a little bit more time feeling as joy in our lives definitely helps you be it till you see it, and you're going to hear all of that in this episode. So here's Amy Dickens.Lesley Logan 2:00  All right, Be It babe, this is going to be... I'm just gonna say it. It's gonna be a joyful conversation. Every part of my being says it's going to be that way because we have Amy Dickens here, the author of 101 Ways to Spread Joy. So, Amy, can you tell everyone who you are and why you rock at joy spreading? Because I think that this is interesting. I've never met anyone who says this is what I do for a living.Amy Dickens 2:23  Yeah, yeah. It's funny you say that because I literally just met somebody else that does it this past weekend at a Joy Maker Bootcamp, and I'm like, whoa, other people do this? I thought I was the only one, but yeah. So I grew up with a ton of mental health problems until my mid to late 20s, probably, and it was joy, really, that helped respark me into this person that I am, to rediscovering the joy of living, kind of thing, in all the big and the little ways, and the true power of who I am as a person and that authenticity. And the more that I lean into it, the more I was like, "Whoa, this is who I really am." So I'm on a mission to really help reconnect people to their joy, so that they can become who they really truly are in this life, and then also it's turned into how can we create the world to be a better place? Because when we show up as the joy that we wish to see in the world, that creates this invisible ripple effect that, in turn, is kind of creating a new world, basically, for us to live in and co-create.Lesley Logan 3:24  Oh, 100% Amy. I mean, like they always say, your vibe attracts your tribe, right? So if you 're not joyful and you're going in like an Eeyore, of course, the only people who are actually going to talk to you are the Eeyores. It was really funny at my wedding, t hese two women who didn't know each other, I saw them talking and hugging the only air conditioning vent, and I was like, of course those two would be talking. Of course, that's just the cynic nature in them finding the cynic nature in each other, and they're just going to be cynics covering up the AC and stealing it from everybody. And no wonder the y're turning everyone into them. So it's just kind of funny how, I do agree. The more joyful we are living our life, it invites other people to be joyful too, but it does make the world a little bit better place, and it's really hard saying that. We're actually recording this during a time that the world does not feel very joyful, Amy, doesn't feel very joyful, and I feel like it's really easy for people to even think that this is a toxic positivity conversation, that it's not even thoughtful and considering what is going on. But I'll just tell you a little background that you don't know about me. In my spaces, there are places where you can complain. It's c a lled an "I need a moment" channel, and you're allowed to need a moment and bitch. But I have a rule that you have to have a win. You h a ve to share a win at the same time. You don't get to come back later and do it. You got to do it at the same time because there's always something good going on too, and there is a balance, and we can't just throw up on people and then come back and do joy later. So tell me, knowing what we know, what's going on right now.Amy Dickens 4:41  Yeah.Lesley Logan 4:43  Is seeking joy like a waste of time, not thoughtful? How can we do that in a way that doesn't feel privileged? Do you know what I mean? I made this a huge question. I'm sorry, I just laid it on you.Amy Dickens 5:00  Lay the huge questions on me. I'm here for it. I am all about it. Yeah, I personally have a really deep belief, deep in my bones, that we need our joy now more than ever. And then also, little caveat is that when I say this, I don't mean that we have to live at this peak state of bliss and joy 100% of the time.Lesley Logan 5:00  Like, don't fuck my joy up. Take your bad news over there. Yeah, it's not like that.Amy Dickens 5:22  Right. It's like, okay, we get to be a human that has the full spectrum of human emotions, and we aren't repressing stuff because that also doesn't work. We've seen that, we've been there, we've done that. We know that that's not the way, just shove it and ignore stuff. We can feel the whole thing, but I feel like where I'm looking at the world, and I've been the past 12 years on this whole self-help journey, it feels like joy often was a missing component in a lot of things that I was seeing. I truly do believe that our joy... I lead these joy parades, so my joy parades, I get people singing and dancing in the street. The whole point is to basically uplift yourself and to be this little uplifting moment, this breath of fresh air, this glitch in the matrix, kind of like whoa, people are looking up from their phones and suddenly they're dancing and singing "Who Let the Dogs Out" with us or something on a random Saturday, and it uplifts them. The response I get is otherworldly, and at the same place where we start this, oftentimes there happens to be a protest for something on the other side of the street or something, and it's a little bit edgy. And sometimes people feel a little angry at us for like, what are you doing? Amy Dickens 6:33  And to me, I feel like we are just taking two different paths of you know like trying to use yes, right? It's like the same coin, like kind of thing. But it's just like, oh, you can either do this way or that way. I'm not saying your way is wrong or right. This is just the way that feels like my part to play. And it feels like if we can show up in a joyful way, because I know myself personally, I make different choices when I'm in an angry state, when I'm in a fearful state, when I'm in a joyful state. And I truly believe that if we can start to be more joyful and connective with each other, that we will start to create different decisions. That we will show up and like create little micro pockets of a new world, rather than create. There's so much fear. There's so much divisiveness right now, and we're just. It feels like we're getting more and more separate, and to me that feels scary. To me, that feels not like not creating the world we wish to be in. When we're like, you're different, we can't talk. You think different things, we can't talk. I really would love to create a world of like, can we even dance together in the street for a second? I don't even need to know. And then from that space, there can be a level of safety almost because we all laugh and like we all want belonging.Lesley Logan 7:47  Yeah, it also makes me think like which party you want to be at, right? Like, like at the Portland protest, talk about joy, like that you were seeing with the frog guy and all the things, and like the you're not that our whole thing is about protesting, but I do think that like it's important that we talk about how joy can exist in a place where you are where you are still wanting to to support causes that you care about or rights that you care about. And like one of our first protests that we went to while living in Vegas, there was drummers and there was music and performers who were singing, and it just made everyone flipping us off look so weird because it's like we're having a great time. Like you look so strange, and so part of me is like, I want to be at the joy protest. You know, that's what I want to be at. Amy Dickens 8:25   Absolutely, yeah. And I mean, like I've heard someone else say she was like, "There's a war on happiness, and like there kind of is sometimes. Well, certain people they get mad at like joyful, happy people. Lesley Logan 8:27  Well, I want to go back to a little bit how you said something about growing up, and I don't remember a time of actual pure celebration. Look, my parents listen to this, and they're gonna be like, "Excuse me, we did celebrate on April 13th at this time." I'm sure there was, but Im' thinking about, the way I interpreted things is like, "Oh, I won, but the team won, but I dropped the ball. We did this, but I could have done..." Every achievement of celebration was also really that the thing that I took away, just the personality type that I have, was all the things I could have done better. And so it's very rare that you're just in the joyful moment. And not that you shouldn't reflect back about what's going on, but I do think that we too often, because we're busy and we are doing too many things, we are not taking the time to celebrate what we did do, and then on a separate time sit down and go, okay, so what is the postmortem on that? Because otherwise we ruin the joy part by talking about the things we could have done better, which we could do the next day, right?Amy Dickens 9:39  Absolutely, yeah. There is such a focus on what didn't work and complaining, and we have a negativity bias already, biologically as humans. So we're just wired for that. So it's challenging to unlearn our old programming and say, how can... Because I think most of us could probably agree, I think most people can say: do you want to be more joyful? I think most people would probably check "yeah" on that box.Amy Dickens 10:05  I don't think many people be like, no,Lesley Logan 10:07  I have enough July.Amy Dickens 10:08  I would like to be miserable. Honestly, I have I have had a lot of people like on the streets be like, I'm already joyful. Like, all right, cool. That's all good. Like, more power to you, man. But I I think that it's a hard pill to swallow to say it's kind of hard to retrain ourselves to learn to be joyful. Like it's I call it the joy gym. You know, you have to go to the gym or you know some workout class to build muscle. And if you don't go, like your muscle fatigues and you lose that. And it's the same thing with joy. Like you don't always want to go to the gym. You don't always want to make a choice to choose to be a different person, to choose to like move your body or think in ways that a joyful person would. There's like a slight discipline, and also I think a a need for that why that pulls you to oh this is why I am making this choice to be a joyful person because I know that if I'm showing up in like this joyful way, I get to create a ripple of impact around me. I can make someone's day. I can be the person with the energy in the room that is impacting everyone to kind of have that whole like, whoa! I feel like so much more myself. I feel so much more empowered after talking to her, inspired, or just like I just feel good, like we all know those people, and we can be that person. And it's not like if you're not that person, because I wasn't that person. I straight up was not even close to that person.Amy Dickens 11:31  And it was over the years choosing again and again things that filled my cup and were joyful to me, and living a joyful life and a life of purpose and all of these things. And it's a big old bumpy road, right? But also saying, okay, how do I practice and also mess up a bazillion different times at trying to be her? What does that version of you look like? And it's trial and error. And sometimes it feels uncomfortable when you're not used to doing it because you've never done it before, and it doesn't really make it wrong. You can just say, hey, not that way, but let me try this way this time.Lesley Logan 12:02  Well, that's just Amy, and you just mentioned "be her" with, obviously, the Be It Till You See It podcast. I think it's this interesting thing. A lot of us are waiting until when we get somewhere, right? Oh, when I get this, and when this happens. And we actually do have to be it till we see it. So to be a joyful person, you actually cannot wait for a joyful moment. You have to be the joy that you want to see. Like that's what they say, right? So, can we talk a little bit about that? You weren't always this joyful person, and you were trying to be a joyful person. What did being a joyful person before you were a joyful person look like? What did going to the joy gym look like? What was the first rep?Amy Dickens 12:43  Yeah. I mean, for me, I wouldn't say I'm the most normal cookie of all time. I'm kind of an all-or-nothing kind of girly sometimes. So for me, it really looked like I had this huge breakup moment with a person I was with for 11 years, and it was this whole restructuring of my life. And I said, "Whoa, I'm gonna follow my joy." What does that even look like? I don't even really know. Like, what is it that only me, as an adult woman, wants to do? And I realized it was these big things that were often really joyful and really scary to another part of me, and that was the reason why I hadn't done any of these things. I've always wanted to do a yoga teacher training for like eight years, and I was like, why have I not done that? Because I was like, "Well, I'm not a yoga teacher," was the story that I had. And I said, oh, well, you're never going to become a yoga teacher unless you do the training. That's literally the only way to do it. No one walks into that door and is like, "Yeah, I'm already a yoga teacher."Lesley Logan 13:41  Right, no one's born with the certification. You have to go do it.Amy Dickens 13:44  Right! But I had to really let myself take risks, not think very much, and let myself fail and learn that fail in quotes, you know, and just do stuff and flop. So I think I was like, what if I do this and it doesn't work, or I can't be her? And I just would take bold leaps and book one-way tickets to places. I was pretty wild and extreme. And it doesn't have to look like that, but I do think that the nugget of wisdom within that was allowing myself to say: what is it that really would spark joy inside of me, make me feel alive? What would that look like on a big scale or a micro scale to follow that, to empower myself to make a move towards becoming that, and knowing that I do it scared, and knowing that at first it was uncomfortable and that didn't make it wrong, but the more you gain the confidence by doing it... You don't get confidence by just thinking about it or prepping for it. You get the confidence by doing the reps, and you're like, oh, suddenly my comfort zone's bigger because I've been doing this. And now there's a new edge for me to walk into.Lesley Logan 14:54  It's the craziest thing. Everyone is like, "I'm just waiting to... When I'm more confident, I'll do this." And it's something that I have struggled with in supporting people and coaching people: wait, do you think that some people were just born confident and others were not? Because that's not what I think. I think that somewhere along the way, some people's confidence bucket was upheld and supported, and some people's confidence buckets were kicked down the street. But we all have one, and the only way to keep confidence or get it back is to do the thing you said you'd do scared, and be willing to fail and flop and try again. And I think some people have a really hard time with either rejection or the failure of it all. There's a perfectionist problem that affects people from experiencing joy. I don't think you can be a perfectionist and a joy-filled person. I don't know, I could be wrong. Have you met a perfectionist who's joyful?Amy Dickens 15:57  You know, I would say there's a lot of recovering perfectionists that I've met, they're like, hey I have joy. I'm definitely raising my hand here.Lesley Logan 16:05  Like all addicts I've ever heard on TV, constantly, they're forever going to AA, saying, "Hi, that's me. Hello, I am Lesley. I'm a recovering perfectionist, yes."Amy Dickens 16:14  Recovering perfectionist, and you know, I have some days that are great and some days that could be better.Lesley Logan 16:21  Yeah.Amy Dickens 16:21  Yeah, and I think that a huge part, in retrospect and just reflecting on how many people that I've talked to... and this wasn't really a conscious choice at the time... was because I used to have horrible social anxiety, like very, very intense, like could not really talk to anybody that I didn't know extremely well without feeling like my whole body was flushed and tense, and like I needed to run (inaudible).Lesley Logan 16:44  That's so hard because how do you get to know people if you don't talk to them? That's really difficult. Oh, this is so hard to get over.Amy Dickens 16:53  Yeah, and it was really just throwing myself into the deep end of: okay, you gotta sit with this and learn that people aren't scary by being with people. And now we know that the number one predictor of joy and happiness is the quality of your relationships in your life, both the deep, intimate relationships and just the number of random strangers. Apparently, that's really good for our joy and our mental health. Just be like, "Ah, hi, bud! Get the mail today?" Apparently, they say that that's great for you.Lesley Logan 17:22  That is hilarious. I didn't know that, and no wonder. In L.A. in an apartment, I lived near people for... how long did I live there? Seven years in the apartment. I didn't know anyone's name. We would just walk past each other. My neighbors , I've lived here almost six years, and we know every neighbor's name. We know them all.Amy Dickens 17:41  It's not even like you need to hang out all the time, but there's... for some reason.Lesley Logan 17:44  I'm definitely more joyful. Yeah.Amy Dickens 17:45  ...communalness to it. And I think that that was also a part of my journey to becoming more joyful was learning, because I think so many of us are like, how do we make friends as adults? How do I...? And there's this loneliness epidemic, you know, it's just all over. I think learning how to heal that and really value... okay, I need to learn how to make community, to make friendships, to be bold and brave and put myself in situations where I feel really scared and I'm doing it anyways. I'd have questions on my phone in case my brain would go blank at first, because I was like, oh my god, what if I don't know what to say? And I'm like, oh yeah, I'll have some juicy questions on my phone so that I can learn how to have this conversation, or give myself training wheels, or I do fun things with people. I'd be like, I love dancing, and dancing's so regulating. So that's a great way to try and meet people. Lesley Logan 18:37  And now you can go to a silent disco, so you can be someone who's introverted and who loves to dance, and you can go be amongst a ton of people, but by yourself, so you can build up the confidence to being in a group of people. There's just so many different ways you can do things now. And I just read that the World Health Organization says that being lonely, loneliness is terribly bad for both your physical and your mental health. We are designed to be amongst people. So I just want to take a step back because you mentioned having mental health issues growing up, terrible anxiety. When did you get a resume together for a joy job? I'm gonna be really honest, Amy. If I was your parent, I'd be like, "Can she make money spreading joy?" I don't understand. So, can we talk a little about the journey to going... that you went on that made you not only an expert, but someone who wrote a best-selling book? It seems a little odd.Amy Dickens 19:32  Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. It certainly was not the trajectory that I ever had in mind of, "Yes, I'm going to graduate college, and this is what I will do with my degree."Lesley Logan 19:44  Is there...? I mean, there are happiness coaching degrees that I know because I've interviewed people who are certified in happiness coaching, but I don't know if that's what you did. So tell me more.Amy Dickens 19:55  No, that certainly was not the plan. Because of all of my mental health and all this kind of stuff, I was obsessed with self-help, reading all of the books, doing all of the courses for the past 12 years, and then got really into teaching yoga. That was where I started all of my joyful experience. And then from teaching yoga, I started learning to make people dance on the mat, and then it turned into: ooh, what if we played games together instead of doing yoga at all? And then suddenly I'm leading workshops in how do we get people to authentically connect and use play to regulate their nervous system? And emceeing events started happening, and it was just all of these happenstance things start, I wasn't planning on doing this. Somebody just kind of asked me if I would do something, and I said, "Sure, I'll try and do that. I've never emceeed an event before. Why not? Let's see." And it was fun. And then through that, you're uplifting people. And before I know it, I'm leading parades of people dancing through the streets, just on a mission of spreading joy around. It's been such a journey. In there, there's a whole coaching certification and business that I had started at the time, and a million other things. I think there was just this part of me that was like, I am on a mission, and I know that because deep in my bones this mission chose me. I didn't say, "I want to be the joy lady." It just felt like: I need a purpose. What is my purpose? And it just kept coming to me. I was like, okay, because it chose me, this is inevitable that it will work. There is no chance that it doesn't. And if it's not working yet, I just gotta keep going. And I gotta have fun with it too. That's the huge part of it.Lesley Logan 21:40  Amy, if you're having the least amount of fun becoming a joy coach, I'm just...Amy Dickens 21:48  I'm gonna be real honest. There was definitely that moment where I had a whole shame spiral because I was so perfectionist in this one moment. I literally burnt myself out, and I was like, oh my god, I am so stressed about being this joy coach and making this business work, I'm an imposter. Oh my god! Lesley Logan 22:07  RightAmy Dickens 22:09  Yeah, absolutely. And I was like, okay, I gotta learn to enjoy the journey because the journey is 98% of it. The destination is this tiny little, "Okay, reached that goal, onto the next part of your journey." And it's fine and great to have goals, but to just be solely focused on the destination... Learning to enjoy life itself is a skill. Learning to just be like, "Wow, I'm freaking joyful for no freaking good reason," that is a skill, and I see it as a gift to this world. If you can feel the blessings of this day that you're like, "Wow! I can walk, I can breathe, I can move my body," all of these incredible things that we take for granted each and every day, rather than focusing on the negative, we can create really incredible things from that space. Each and every one of us, when we're in that connected space to our true gifts, our power, our gratitude, there's infinite abundance that we can create from that.Lesley Logan 23:08  I'm kind of wondering... You just mentioned a few things, like "I can breathe" and "I can walk" and I do these things. I think we do forget that there is joy in those things because it's certainly not joyful when your leg falls asleep or you're sick in bed. You're not feeling joy then, and you're like, "I miss being well," but you weren't enjoying how well you were before you were sick. Do you have any tools for people who are like, "Okay, I'm gonna practice feeling the joy feeling"? How did you practice being her, being the joy?Amy Dickens 23:40  Yeah, I mean, if we're gonna take the joy, there's almost two different camps, and one I would say is simple joys. To me, my number one way that I personally practice this is I get outside when I'm feeling really stressed, and I look up, I look up at the sky, I look up at the trees, I change my perspective, and I take a deep breath. It's a very simple, one-second thing that you can do. You can do it between a Zoom call in one minute if your door is close enough. It's something about changing your perspective. You're looking up at the sky and the trees, and it's like, whoa, I'm a human being. I'm not just this robot that needs to be hyper-productive. There's something about it that just instantly brings me back into: whoa, I am not just here to do, do, do. I am here to be a human being and just enjoying the little simple things. How much can I romanticize and enjoy this moment in my life? Can I put a sweet playlist on in the background and change the way in which I'm working? Can I slow down and eat a meal? That's constantly what I'm still working on to this day.Lesley Logan 24:49  I keep saying I'm going to. I do have an hour-long lunch break, and it's so easy to be like, "Oh, I'm just gonna do one more thing," and now the lunch break is only 20 minutes, and "I'll just do this while I'm doing that." It's definitely a bad habit. That is one I would like to try to find the joy in slowing down. But I couldn't agree more. The simple joys. I love that you brought it in two camps so far because sometimes when I'm stressed out, I just take a walk around my one block. You're stressed out, and then somehow around a corner, all of a sudden you're like, "Oh, okay, I'm ready to go back in." It's a really weird thing how quickly our brain will shift if we give it the opportunity to experience a simple joy.Amy Dickens 25:32  Yeah, it just needs that little simple moment. And I've been taking these miracle walks in the morning where I leave my front door and I say, "All right, I'm not going to come back until I find three miracles." And I'm like, okay, I know I only have time for a walk around the block, so it's about 10 minutes. And it expands your definition of what a miracle is. It's a little piece of dew at the end of a leaf, or some birds singing and flying in front of your face, or whatever it might be that you notice on that same block you've walked a million times. But that, in and of itself, is training yourself to look for the joy, the beauty, the good in the world in a place that you've been a million times.Lesley Logan 26:06  Oh my god, Amy, what a great idea! That is so great.Amy Dickens 26:08  It's so fun. I love it. I've been having so much fun with it. And then the other camp is, I'd say, those bigger joy moments. Like I love to look at my calendar before I fill it with as many calls and all of the things as I can, and say, okay, how can I plan moments of connection of things that fill my cup? Like I love singing and dancing, and if I were to fill my calendar with everything else, there's no time at the end for the things that really fill my cup that I love to do. So I started a few years ago just thinking, okay, a lot of them are just recurring, so they're just in my Google Calendar. It's like I know I go to choir at this time. I know I have dinner with my friends this day of the week right here, and you don't really move things unless it's absolutely necessary, and that keeps my cup consistently filled because I'm making sure, hey, there is time for me to have connection with other people, because I spend a lot of my time not with humans face to face right now. So it's important to build that human connection to the things that we love to do or exploring new things too. That's also something that I try to schedule in at least once a week. It's like, okay, a new networking thing, or can I have coffee with someone that I've never met before? Just kind of those little serendipity moments of let the magic in. Let's plan to be open to life surprising us rather than it just being like...Lesley Logan 27:29  I love... I'm a big fan. I have this whole way of having your ideal dream schedule, and to me, dreams do come true. And ideal, obviously, not perfect. It just is the ideal thing. And I always talk about how your sleep and your workouts have to go in the calendar before anything else. And the things that bring you joy, they have to be in there because you're right. If we put everything else in first, there's no room. You can't squeeze joy in. So I think your big joy camps, the things that truly fill your cup, whether it is going to choir or going... Like some people want to go to the library. They love the smell of books. That you might have to schedule in and make sure it's there, so you're not going, "Oh my god, it's been three months since I went to a library." No, if it brings you joy, it should be happening so regularly so that you can actually get through all the shit, because there's gonna be shit.Amy Dickens 28:15  Yeah, absolutely. Because I think that we don't realize that being joyful, it's like rocket fuel in our tank. I think we all know that, or I can call on an experience when you were feeling so joyful, so lit up, so radiant, and it was effortless to create and be inspired. And not that we have to be at that peak state all the time, you know. We still ebb and we flow. But if we consistently are filling our cup, then it's going to actually help us be more efficient, really, in the rest of our life.Lesley Logan 28:46  I think so. I think so. You know, I think a lot of people, though... I interviewed Gay Hendricks on this pod, and his whole thing is that people have, you know, you're in your genius zone, and when getting in your genius zone, your zone of genius, you end up often upper-limiting because you're uncomfortable. Like you have a joyful moment, and then you kind of self-sabotage. How do we handle that pendulum swinging back and forth? Because we have to feel our feelings and we got to go through there. But how did you kind of allow yourself to just be in the joy, or did you ever self-sabotage out of the joy? I feel that's what a lot of our listeners struggle with, is they'll experience seeing something joyful and then they'll get a call that their friend got fired, or this bill came in, and it just sucks them right back down. And so it's how do you feel the feelings, but not lose the joy?Amy Dickens 29:29  Yeah, absolutely. I definitely have a PhD in penduluming from one side to the other. They didn't even know they made up the degree for me. They were like, "Ah, yes, Amy, you got the Amy Dickens Award for penduluming between the two extremes so much." And I think that that was also a gift to learn how to stop penduluming and continuously pendulum back towards the joy to a balanced state in the middle, and life still gets lifey. That's not the whole thing with joy, is that it's like, yes, nothing ever happens to me. But when it does, I personally have a really deep belief now that I think really helps me, is like: don't take things personally. Life is happening for me, not to me. All of these things that have been so ingrained into who I am at this point that when life starts to get lifey... And I've also seen life fall apart so many times that I know it always works out. If it hasn't worked out yet, I just keep going, and eventually things will come back together. So I've noticed I've become a lot less dramatic. I was a very dramatic human. You know, like, "Oh my god, I lost a friend," and whatever it might be was just always felt like the end of the world to me, and it would suck all of the joy out of me. And I think I'm realizing, wow, those things are real and I do feel them deeply. And I'm a big crier, and I feel the things and I process, and I'm like: what is this here to teach me? How do I move through this? How do I regulate my nervous system through this? And realizing, wow, I have this one wild and precious life, and I'm gonna continue to choose the joy when it feels time. And I think a big part of that is also discernment. It's like gaining that wisdom of discernment that only we can have for ourselves. Only we can say, "I know that I'm done feeling this grief," or whatever it might be, anger, fear, "and it's time to shift myself into a different state." No one else can really tell you when it's time for that. I think that that's also just a trial and error thing, and learning to listen to the wisdom of our body and our intuition and ourself, and to trust ourselves to say, "Actually, I need to be sad right now, and that's okay, because I trust myself in that." And I also say not days like "I'm having a bad day," but "I'm having a bad moment," because then that leaves the next moment to be open to being something different. Because if we have the whole label on this day, then you've kind of already pre-decided, and it's okay to not have a joyful moment. It's a human experience.Lesley Logan 32:04  Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, you're gonna have a loved one pass away, or a breakup's gonna happen, or you are gonna be disappointed on how a project went. But I do like that you get to label the moment, but not the whole day, or giving yourself that permission to feel that moment, but not let it take away from the little miracles you could see or feeling the feelings around it. You said not being so dramatic, and I think as someone with ADHD, and I attract a lot of people with that, what I've discovered is I think that drama that some of us kind of go to, that swinging back and forth... My team is like, "You're swinging back and forth from your microphone, stay there." But that swinging back and forth is a dopamine hit, right? We go dramatic and high because it kind of feels the thing that our brain survives off of. But if we can actually get our dopamine hits from some other places, then we don't have to go such a deep swing. It could be like, "Whoa, this moment really sucks. It's a good thing that's not personal, it's not about me. And somehow this is going to work towards my favor." I'm disappointed in this moment. We go walk around the block and feel that disappointment, and then hopefully... You just gave me some great ideas, and I learned so much about myself. Thanks, Amy.Amy Dickens 33:20  I also had that. I'm seeing that as well. And there's a big part of the titration, you know, like when you're like, "Oh, it's a bad moment," and just having that moment of, oh... even if most of the day was bad, but you had like, oh, they were all just a bunch of bad moments, and then I had this one moment with a friend where I laughed for five minutes, and then I kind of sunk back down into it. But that little uplifting moment does so much for your capacity in your nervous system to continue to hold whatever it is that you're holding, that I don't think we really recognize to the fullness of it sometimes.Lesley Logan 33:54  Yeah, I couldn't agree more. All right, I could talk to you forever about joy because this is just the most contagious thing. Thanks for spreading it here, but we're gonna take a brief break. I want to find out where we can get your book, and I think you've got some good Be It Action Items for us. I just have a feeling.Amy Dickens 34:06  I'm so excited.Lesley Logan 34:08  All right, Amy, where can people buy your book, 101 Ways to Spread Joy, and where do you hang out? Where are your joy parties? Tell us everything. How can we stalk you in a joyful place?Amy Dickens 34:18  Absolutely, you can get the book, 101 Ways to Spread Joy. It's on Amazon. Amy Dickens. You can see all the rainbow color on it.Lesley Logan 34:25  O h my god, it has a disco ball on it. I'm already in.Amy Dickens 34:27  Everything I make has a disco ball. Always. I did it on accident.Lesley Logan 34:31  Amy, are we friends that have never met? Like, we must be friends. I'm so into disco balls, it's unbelievable.Amy Dickens 34:43  They're great. When the light hits a disco ball... I mean, biggest light hack.Lesley Logan 34:46  Okay, Amy, I have a sequined kimono. You'll have to Google one. And just so you know, I bought it... I'm like, this is kind of ridiculous. It is so ridiculous. I did a whole photo shoot with it. But at any rate, I got it in my car, like I bought it at the store, and put it on to drive home because I'm like, I'm gonna wear it right now. I was my own disco ball in the car because the sun was shining so much, I was blinding my own self. I was like, "Oh my god, this is (inaudible). Amy Dickens 35:09  All the cars next to you, they're like, "I can't see."Lesley Logan 35:12  Yeah. So, anyways, I cut you off. Everything you create is a disco ball. So your book is where again, just in case I distracted people with my, Amazon, okay. Amy Dickens 35:19  Amazon, easy peasy. Just go to Amazon, you can find it there.Lesley Logan 35:22  Perfect. And then where do you hang out on socials? Where like where can they get a little joy boost?Amy Dickens 35:26  Yeah, absolutely. You can find me on all the socials @theamydickens. If you want the first 10 pages to my book, you can get it for free on my website, livejoyfullyyou.com, and get a nice little taste of it. And if you're like, "Ooh, I like that, I'll do a little bit more," then you're totally welcome to do that. Yeah.Lesley Logan 35:44  I mean, my goodness, you guys. I'm sure there's at least 101 days left in the year, but maybe more by the time you hear this. You could do one joyful spreading thing a day and see how you end up feeling. I imagine you'll feel more joy after spreading joy.Amy Dickens 35:55  Oh, that's one of the secrets to life, is spreading joy and just being of service to making the world a better place, it's a huge life hack.Lesley Logan 36:04  Yeah, I love that. Okay, you've given us some great tips already, and honestly, your book probably has some great bold, executable intrinsic or targeted steps that people can take. But what else do you have for us?Amy Dickens 36:13  Yeah, I would say to give yourself permission to follow your joy, whatever big or little ways that might be, and to let yourself just kind of be brutally honest. Like, if I had no fear, what would that look like? And just journal it out, take a deep breath, be honest with yourself, write it all down, and then maybe say, "Okay, today, what would I feel like if I was 5% more alive right now? What would I do? What could that be?" And allow yourself to do that. It doesn't have to be like, I rewrite my whole story and I throw away all the things that are not working right now. But allow yourself to just take that little reframe of: Can I put five more percent of my time and energy into my joy? What would that look like? Because it's different for every single one of us. Something that brings joy to one person might not be the same thing for me or you or somebody else, and it's just so important because it's not something that you need to earn. It's something that you practice, and it continues to give back to you. I think some of us are waiting for joy to knock on our door, and it's a choice. We have to cultivate it and learn that. Yes, sometimes it does surprise us and say like, "Hey, I'm here," but it's a practice. It's a skill that we can learn to cultivate. And this is here to be your full permission slip to live this inspired, alive life that you're so worthy and deserving of, and to follow your joy and know that it's a way to creating the world to be a better place.Lesley Logan 37:41  I love that. You are right. A lot of people are waiting for joy to hit them on the head, as opposed to... actually, no, joy is waiting for you to come to where it's at. You gotta come to it. You gotta go seek it out. You gotta go find the joyful moments. Oh, you're so good. This is so great. I'm really excited we had this conversation, Amy. Thank you so much for being you. Thank you for these wonderful Be It Action Items . Thank you for helping not just spread joy, but also you have such an amazing aura with your joy that this is like a fun conversation. I'm sure people are smiling, and they're going to have a more joyful day because they listened to this episode. So y'all have to go share this episode with a friend, probably the Eeyore one, so that they have joy, and this could be your point one to the 100 W ays to Spread Joy. Yeah, this is your pre-homework. All right, Amy, thanks so much for being you. And everyone else, until next time, Be It Till You See It.Lesley Logan 38:33  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review, and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others be it till you see it. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of the Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @beitpod.Brad Crowell 39:16  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your hosts Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 39:20  It is transcribed, produced, and edited by the Epic team at Decennio Co.Brad Crowell 39:25  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music, and our branding by designer and artist Gianfranco Chofi.Lesley Logan 39:32  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 39:35  Also to Angelina Herrico for adding all of our content to our website, and finally to Meredith Route for keeping us all on point and on time.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

EP304: You Can Give Yourself Permission to GrieveIn this episode of Your Quiet Moment, we explore the deeply personal experience of grief — not as something to fix or rush through, but as a process that deserves your patience and compassion. Through the stories of David, Elena, and James, we discover that grief does not follow a schedule, that it arrives sideways through ordinary moments, and that the most radical thing you can do is simply let yourself feel it.Grief is not the opposite of love — it is love with nowhere to go. And when you try to suppress it, you are not healing. You are compressing. Tonight, we talk about giving yourself permission to grieve at your own pace, without judgment, without a timeline, and without anyone else approval.AFFIRMATIONS:My grief is not a sign of weakness. It is proof that I loved deeply.I do not need anyone else timeline for my healing.I am allowed to feel this, all of it, for as long as it takes.The people I have lost live in the way I carry their memory forward.I give myself permission to grieve, to heal, and to eventually, gently, begin again.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 — The chipped mug (opening hook)01:30 — Welcome to Your Quiet Moment02:00 — David story: grief arrives at a gas station04:30 — The myth of closure06:00 — Elena voicemails to her sister08:00 — James Sunday morning ritual10:00 — Guided breathwork11:00 — Affirmations11:45 — Closing and Guilty Plea shoutout#YourQuietMoment #Grief #SelfCompassion #Healing #LettingGo #MentalHealth #SelfCare #Mindfulness #Podcast #DailyAffirmationsDISCLAIMER

Redefining success through joy means learning that resilience is not always about pushing harder. It is knowing when to pause, heal, and find joy in the storm.Kelli Williams, healing-informed executive coach, business and marketing strategist, storyteller, and former nonprofit leader, joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about resilience, identity, guilt, people-pleasing, and redefining what success really means.Kelli opens up about the experiences that shaped her leadership, including being a teenage mother, navigating major career transitions, surviving domestic abuse, and leading a nonprofit through a crisis involving national attention, threats, and fear for her family. She shares how those moments taught her the difference between being strong and being resilient.Jaime and Kelli explore why resilience can mean resting instead of pushing through, how trauma responses show up in leadership, and why leaders need to give themselves permission to say, "I am not okay." They discuss how identity shifts over time, why guilt and people-pleasing can become exhausting patterns, and how finding joy in the storm is a choice leaders can make.Timestamped Chapters0:00 Introduction to Kelli Williams2:00 From Suffering to Wisdom to Service4:00 The Hidden Stories Behind the Highlight Reel6:00 Kelli Shares Her Experience as a Domestic Abuse Survivor9:00 Leading Through Crisis, Fear, and National Attention13:00 Why Being Strong Is Not Always the Same as Being Resilient15:00 Learning to Give Yourself Permission to Pause18:00 Understanding Trauma Responses and Healing21:00 Identity Shifts and Shedding Old Versions of Yourself25:00 Unlearning Guilt, Perfectionism, and People-Pleasing29:00 Redefining Success Through Happiness and JoyGuest BioKelli Williams is a healing-informed executive coach, business and marketing strategist, storyteller, and former nonprofit leader. Her work centers on helping people understand their stories, navigate change, build meaningful connections, and use their experiences to serve and inspire others.Kelli is also working on her first book, described as a love letter to the next generation of women in business, while continuing her work through coaching, storytelling, workshops, and teaching.Quotes from the Episode"Resilience can be being softer.""We can be in the storm and find joy at the same time.""It doesn't have to work out perfectly for you to be okay."Leadership InsightsWhat is resilience?Resilience is the ability to move through adversity while continuing to adapt, heal, and move forward. Kelli explains that resilience is not necessarily about staying strong during a crisis. It can also mean recognizing when you are tired, giving yourself permission to pause, and learning how to respond differently to difficult experiences.How can leaders find joy during difficult times?Leaders can find joy during difficult times by allowing themselves to acknowledge what they are experiencing instead of constantly forcing themselves to push through. Small practices such as movement, breathing, personal check-ins, and identifying moments of hope can help leaders reconnect with themselves while navigating uncertainty.Why do leaders struggle with identity shifts?As leaders grow, their identities naturally evolve. Kelli discusses how being a teenage mother, nonprofit leader, founder, or high-performing professional can become part of how someone defines themselves, but those identities do not have to determine who they are forever. Growth often requires shedding old identities without pretending those experiences never happened.ResourcesConnect with Kelli Williams on LinkedinConnect with Kelli Williams: legacyrising.com  Explore Jaime's Women's Executive Retreats.Explore Keystone Group International and its leadership, culture, and organizational growth work.Follow Jaime on Instagram, LinkedIn, and FacebookIf you have been waiting for permission to pause, rest, and find joy in the middle of the storm, this is your sign. Share this episode with someone who needs to be reminded that they do not have to be okay all the time to be a strong leader.Subscribe to View From The Top with Jaime Taets for more conversations about resilience, joy, and the journey from success to significance.Will see you at the top, and beyond.Jaime Taets

Certified Consulting Hypnotist Shawn Mossell joins Bob Sirott to talk about the importance of meditation, how you can stay in the moment as you meditate, and why giving yourself permission to relax is important. He also discusses why it’s a good sign if you fall asleep while you meditate, as well as leading us in a […]

You Can Give Yourself Permission to Begin AgainSometimes we spend so much energy wishing we could go back to who we were before a mistake, before a loss, before a choice we wish we had not made. But what if the permission you have been waiting for was never outside of you? What if you could begin again, right here, right now, without needing anyone to sign off on it?In this episode, we explore the quiet radical act of starting over not as erasure, but as courage. You will be reminded that every single day offers a fresh starting point, and that your past does not disqualify you from a good future.Key takeaways:- Beginning again does not require anyone else to give you permission- The past is not the whole story; forward is the only direction available- Every morning is a chance to begin again, even on an ordinary Tuesday- Your mistakes and missteps do not define your trajectoryAffirmations from this episode:- I do not need to go back to where I was. I can start from here.- Every day is a chance to begin again.- I give myself permission to change, even if no one else understands it.- My past does not disqualify me from having a good future.- I am not stuck. I am just in the middle of something.- Beginning again is not failure. It is courage.- I start fresh right now, in this moment, and that is enough.Timestamps:00:00 — Opening01:15 — Settling In03:30 — The Theme: Permission to Begin Again06:00 — Breathwork07:00 — Affirmations08:00 — ClosingTags: #beginagain #selfpermission #newbeginning #freshstart #selfcompassion #lettinggo #growthmindset #mindfulness #peace #gentleguidanceDISCLAIMER

# You Can Give Yourself Permission to Just Be## SummaryIn today's episode, we explore the radical act of giving yourself permission to simply exist — without guilt, without productivity demands, and without the constant pressure to achieve. As your big sibling in this quiet moment, I want to remind you that rest is not earned. You are valuable simply because you are. Together, we'll breathe through this truth and plant it firmly in your heart.## Affirmations- I am worthy of rest, simply because I exist.- I release the need to be constantly productive.- I give myself permission to just be.- I am enough, just as I am.- Rest is a necessary and beautiful part of life.## Timestamps- 00:00 — Opening- 01:30 — Settling In- 03:00 — The Theme (Part 1)- 04:45 — The Theme (Part 2)- 05:45 — Breathwork- 06:45 — Affirmations- 07:00 — Closing## Tags#YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #PermissionToRest #InnerPeace #GuiltFreeRest #SelfWorth #Mindfulness #Breathwork #DailyAffirmations #WellnessDISCLAIMER

You Can Trust That Healing Is HappeningIn this episode, we talk about what it means to trust that healing is happening, even when you cannot see it. Healing is one of those things that does not announce itself. It happens in the quiet spaces, in the moments when you think nothing is changing. And today we explore why that invisibility is actually part of the process — not a sign that something is wrong.You will learn why healing does not follow a straight line upward, why the bad days do not mean you have lost your progress, and why the absence of visible change does not mean change is not happening. We talk about the difference between healing as a single event and healing as a collection of small moments — the subtle shifts in how you talk to yourself, how long a hard feeling lasts before it starts to lift, and how you show up differently after doing the work. We also cover why you do not need to see the whole path in front of you in order to be walking it.This episode closes with a breathwork reset and affirmations to carry with you — reminders that healing is not always visible from the inside, that your story is still being written, and that you are allowed to trust the process even when you cannot see where it is going.Key themes: healing, trust, patience, invisible progress, self-compassion, showing upAffirmations from this episode:- Healing is not visible from the inside. That does not mean it is not real.- I am not where I want to be yet. But I am not where I used to be. And that matters.- I trust that my story is still being written. I do not have to know the ending.- The fact that today is hard does not mean I have made no progress. The tide comes in and it goes out. I am still here.- I am allowed to trust the process even when I cannot see it.Timestamps:00:00 — Opening: You are not broken. You are just in the middle of something.02:15 — Settling In: Healing as a collection of small moments04:30 — The Theme: The ocean, not the straight line07:00 — Breathwork: A small reset08:00 — Affirmations: Trusting the process09:30 — Closing: The breadcrumbs#yourquietmoment #healing #selfcompassion #trusttheprocess #mindfulness #emotionalwellness #gentleguidanceDISCLAIMER

You Can Give Yourself Permission to RestToday's episode invites you to release the guilt around rest. In a world that celebrates constant productivity, choosing to rest can feel radical. This episode reminds you that rest is not earned — it's a basic human need.You don't have to finish everything before you're allowed to feel okay. The world will not collapse if you take a break. You are allowed to stop, breathe, and simply be.Top Takeaways:- Rest is not a reward for productivity — it's a basic human need- Your worth is not measured by how busy you are- You don't have to earn the right to be gentle with yourselfAffirmations:- I give myself permission to rest without feeling guilty- I am allowed to take up space in this world, even when I'm not producing- My worth is not measured by how busy I am- Rest is a basic human need, not a reward for productivity- I can take breaks and still be a good, capable person- I don't have to earn the right to be gentle with myself- There is nothing wrong with needing rest- I choose to honor my body's need for stillness- I am allowed to stop and do nothing- I give myself permission to rest today, and every day I need itTimestamp: 00:00 Opening00:30 Settling In01:30 The Theme04:30 Breathwork05:30 Affirmations06:15 ClosingTags: #rest #permission #selfcompassion #productivity #lettinggo #selftime #stressrelief #mindfulnessDISCLAIMER

# Your Quiet Moment — Episode 205**Title:** You Can Give Yourself Permission to Pause**Theme:** Encouragement, self-compassion, rest, checking in with oneself, letting go of constant productivity**Runtime:** ~10 minutes---Hey, friend. I'm really glad you showed up today. Between everything on your plate and everything circling around in your head, taking ten minutes for yourself is actually a pretty significant act of self-care. Today, we're exploring why pausing isn't about being lazy or falling behind — it's about checking in with yourself the way you'd check in with a friend. We'll talk about why you can't pour from an empty cup, and why rest is one of the most responsible things you can do — not just for yourself, but for everyone around you. Together, we'll breathe through some gentle reminders, and we'll close with affirmations to carry you through the rest of your day.---**Affirmations:**- I honor my need to pause and check in with myself.- I am allowed to stop and rest without guilt.- I release the pressure to always be producing.- I listen to my body and give it what it needs.- I choose stillness on purpose, not by accident.- I trust that rest makes me better, not worse.---**Timestamps:**[00:00] Opening — Welcome and gratitude for showing up[01:30] Settling In — Arriving in the present moment[03:00] The Theme — Part 1 — Why pausing matters, checking in with yourself[05:00] Breathwork — A gentle breathing exercise with intention[06:30] The Theme — Part 2 — Permission to rest, refilling before the crisis[08:00] Affirmations — Part 1 — Three affirmations for self-permission[09:00] Affirmations — Part 2 — Three more affirmations for trust and stillness[09:45] Closing — One small thing to do after this episode---**Tags:** #YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #Rest #Pause #SelfCare #Mindfulness #Gentleness #Affirmations #Podcast #WellnessDISCLAIMER

Hey, Family Brand community! Have you ever had one of those moments where nothing is necessarily wrong... but something just feels off? That's exactly where we found ourselves not too long ago. On the surface, life was full of good things—work, activities, commitments, opportunities—but somehow we looked around and realized we didn't actually have much time left to simply be a family. That realization eventually led us to create one of our favorite Family Brand exercises: Take Back Your Family's Time. The truth is, your calendar will always fill itself if you let it. We learned that the hard way. We had said yes to so many good opportunities that there wasn't much room left for the best things—the conversations around the dinner table, family traditions, slow evenings together, or simply doing the things we genuinely love as a family. Sometimes the problem isn't that we're filling our lives with bad things. It's that we're filling them with so many good things that there's no space left for what matters most. One of the first things we did was ask a simple question: "Our family works when..." We started making a list of the moments when we feel the most connected. Maybe it's eating meals together, camping, turning off devices in the evenings, going to church, reading together, or having a nightly family check-in. Every family will have different answers, but identifying those rhythms gave us clarity about what we wanted to protect. From there, we took an honest look at where our time was actually going. It wasn't always easy, but it gave us permission to say "no" to some things so we could say a much bigger "yes" to our family. As another busy season approaches, this is the perfect time to pause and do your own family time audit. Involve your kids in the conversation—they often have incredible insight into what makes them feel most connected. You might be surprised by what they remember and what they value. The goal isn't to create a perfect schedule. It's to intentionally create a life where your family has room to thrive instead of simply trying to keep up. Hit play to hear the full conversation! In this episode, we walk through the entire Take Back Your Family's Time framework, the questions we ask ourselves every year, and the practical exercise you can use with your own family this week. P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you're ready to dive deeper into our community, follow the links below.   LINKS: All Links Family Brand!  stan.store/familybrand familybrand.com/quiz familybrand.com/retreats.  Episode Minute By Minute: 00:00 Why We Needed to Take Back Our Family's Time 01:19 When Good Things Become Too Much 02:11 The Family Exercise We Shared in Croatia 03:14 The Wake-Up Call Our Family Needed 04:13 Identifying What Your Family Loves Most 05:00 Good vs. Better vs. Best 05:46 The Story That Changed Our Perspective 06:46 Why Every Family Needs a Time Audit 07:46 Rediscovering Family Traditions 08:27 Preparing for a Busy Season 09:00 "Our Family Works When..." 10:00 A Family Tradition That Inspired Us 11:06 Give Yourself Permission to Say No 11:47 Involve Your Kids in the Conversation 00:00 Why We Needed to Take Back Our Family's Time 01:19 When Good Things Become Too Much 02:11 The Family Exercise We Shared in Croatia 03:14 The Wake-Up Call Our Family Needed 04:13 Identifying What Your Family Loves Most 05:00 Good vs. Better vs. Best 05:46 The Story That Changed Our Perspective 06:46 Why Every Family Needs a Time Audit 07:46 Rediscovering Family Traditions 08:27 Preparing for a Busy Season 09:00 "Our Family Works When..." 10:00 A Family Tradition That Inspired Us 11:06 Give Yourself Permission to Say No 11:47 Involve Your Kids in the Conversation    

As an actor and theatre director, Rebecca Northan is all about being alive in the moment. She's known for inviting the audience into her creative process, pulling them on-stage and getting them to improvise with her. Rebecca joins Q guest host Ali Hassan to talk about bringing that spirit of spontaneity to Vancouver's Bard on the Beach festival with two shows, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Goblin: Oedipus. Plus, she talks about the joy of giving up control, trusting the crowd, and how improvisation has made her a “nicer human being.”

# Your Quiet Moment — Episode 205**Title:** You Can Give Yourself Permission to Pause**Theme:** Encouragement, self-compassion, rest, checking in with oneself, letting go of constant productivity**Runtime:** ~10 minutes---Hey, friend. I'm really glad you showed up today. Between everything on your plate and everything circling around in your head, taking ten minutes for yourself is actually a pretty significant act of self-care. Today, we're exploring why pausing isn't about being lazy or falling behind — it's about checking in with yourself the way you'd check in with a friend. We'll talk about why you can't pour from an empty cup, and why rest is one of the most responsible things you can do — not just for yourself, but for everyone around you. Together, we'll breathe through some gentle reminders, and we'll close with affirmations to carry you through the rest of your day.---**Affirmations:**- I honor my need to pause and check in with myself.- I am allowed to stop and rest without guilt.- I release the pressure to always be producing.- I listen to my body and give it what it needs.- I choose stillness on purpose, not by accident.- I trust that rest makes me better, not worse.---**Timestamps:**[00:00] Opening — Welcome and gratitude for showing up[01:30] Settling In — Arriving in the present moment[03:00] The Theme — Part 1 — Why pausing matters, checking in with yourself[05:00] Breathwork — A gentle breathing exercise with intention[06:30] The Theme — Part 2 — Permission to rest, refilling before the crisis[08:00] Affirmations — Part 1 — Three affirmations for self-permission[09:00] Affirmations — Part 2 — Three more affirmations for trust and stillness[09:45] Closing — One small thing to do after this episode---**Tags:** #YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #Rest #Pause #SelfCare #Mindfulness #Gentleness #Affirmations #Podcast #WellnessDISCLAIMER

You Can Give Yourself Permission to Rest | Your Quiet MomentThere's a story many of us carry — that rest must be earned. That slowing down means falling behind. That we must prove our worth through constant productivity before we're allowed to pause. Today, we're rewriting that story.SUMMARY:This episode is a gentle but powerful reminder that rest is not a reward for productivity — it's a basic human need. Through breathwork, reflection, and affirmations, you'll be guided to release the guilt around resting and give yourself unconditional permission to pause. You don't need to earn rest any more than you need to earn the right to breathe.AFFIRMATIONS:• I give myself permission to rest without guilt.• Rest is my birthright, not a reward for productivity.• I am allowed to stop and breathe whenever I need to.• I honor my limits by respecting them.• I do not need to earn the right to be gentle with myself.• I choose to respond to my exhaustion with compassion, not criticism.• I am safe when I slow down. I am not falling behind.• My worth is not measured by my output.• I release the pressure to be always on.• I give myself permission to rest, right now, exactly as I am.TIMESTAMPS:[00:00] Opening — Welcome and gentle settling in[00:48] Settling In — Slow breaths and releasing tension[02:18] The Theme — You don't need to earn rest[04:52] Breathwork — Releasing pressure with each exhale[06:28] Affirmations — Planting seeds of self-permission[07:50] Closing — A small shift you can carry with you#YourQuietMoment #Rest #SelfCompassion #Permission #Wellness #Mindfulness #GentleGuidance #Affirmations #Breathwork #MentalHealthDISCLAIMER

Episode 194 — You Can Give Yourself Permission to Just BeThere are days when everything on your to-do list feels urgent. When the weight of unfinished tasks presses down on you and resting seems almost... irresponsible. But what if rest wasn't something you had to earn? What if being human was enough reason on its own? This episode is your gentle reminder that you don't have to justify why you need a break. You don't need a doctor's note or someone's permission or a perfectly completed checklist. You are allowed to just be — without producing, without achieving, without being anything other than exactly who you are right now. Take these ten minutes. Put everything down. Arrive.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━SHOW NOTES━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━AFFIRMATIONS• I give myself permission to rest without earning it.• I am allowed to take up space exactly as I am.• I release the need to justify why I need a break.• Rest is my right, not a reward for productivity.• I choose to be present with myself, even in the quiet.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Opening — Welcome back, an invitation to stop[01:30] Settling In — Releasing tension, arriving in the body[03:00] The Theme — You don't have to earn rest[06:00] Breathwork — A slow breathing practice[07:30] Affirmations — Five reminders to carry with you[09:00] Closing — A little homework for your day━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━TOPICS• Permission to rest• Releasing productivity as identity• The guilt of doing nothing• Choosing stillness without justification• Basic human need for rest━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━You Deserve This Moment of PeaceYour Quiet Moment is a daily mindfulness podcast designed to help you pause, breathe, and reconnect with yourself. New episodes drop every day. Hit follow so you never miss an episode — and share it with someone who needs to hear this today.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━DISCLAIMERThe content provided in this podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your mental health or are experiencing persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or distress, please consult a qualified mental health professional. Opinions and views expressed are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Your Quiet Moment.DISCLAIMER

You Can Give Yourself Permission to Rest | Your Quiet MomentThere's a story many of us carry — that rest must be earned. That slowing down means falling behind. That we must prove our worth through constant productivity before we're allowed to pause. Today, we're rewriting that story.SUMMARY:This episode is a gentle but powerful reminder that rest is not a reward for productivity — it's a basic human need. Through breathwork, reflection, and affirmations, you'll be guided to release the guilt around resting and give yourself unconditional permission to pause. You don't need to earn rest any more than you need to earn the right to breathe.AFFIRMATIONS:• I give myself permission to rest without guilt.• Rest is my birthright, not a reward for productivity.• I am allowed to stop and breathe whenever I need to.• I honor my limits by respecting them.• I do not need to earn the right to be gentle with myself.• I choose to respond to my exhaustion with compassion, not criticism.• I am safe when I slow down. I am not falling behind.• My worth is not measured by my output.• I release the pressure to be always on.• I give myself permission to rest, right now, exactly as I am.TIMESTAMPS:[00:00] Opening — Welcome and gentle settling in[00:48] Settling In — Slow breaths and releasing tension[02:18] The Theme — You don't need to earn rest[04:52] Breathwork — Releasing pressure with each exhale[06:28] Affirmations — Planting seeds of self-permission[07:50] Closing — A small shift you can carry with you#YourQuietMoment #Rest #SelfCompassion #Permission #Wellness #Mindfulness #GentleGuidance #Affirmations #Breathwork #MentalHealthDISCLAIMER

# You Can Give Yourself Permission to Just BeHey there. Welcome back to Your Quiet Moment. I'm so glad you're here with me today. Today is about something I think we all need to hear — you don't have to earn rest. Rest is not a reward for good performance. It's a basic human need, like breathing. And yet so many of us walk around feeling guilty for needing it.In this episode, I talk about the permission to just be. Not the permission you get from someone else — but the deep-down, internal permission you give yourself. The kind that says, I am allowed to rest right now, not because I finished everything, but because I'm a human being and human beings need rest.We'll do some gentle breathwork together, and I'll share five affirmations you can carry with you throughout your day. Things like: "I give myself permission to rest without earning it." And "Rest is my right, not a reward for productivity."If you've been feeling like you need to justify why you need a break, or like you don't deserve to take up space unless you're being productive — this one's for you.Let this be your reminder: you are allowed to just be. You don't need a reason. You don't need permission from anyone else. You can give yourself that permission, right now, in this moment.--- ⏱️ Timestamps:[00:00] Opening — The invitation to just be[02:30] Settling In — Creating space to arrive[05:15] The Theme — You don't have to earn rest[08:00] Breathwork — Breathing together[09:30] Affirmations — Five reminders for your day[11:00] Closing — You deserve this

Today's episode of Your Quiet Moment: You Can Give Yourself Permission to Rest. This is Episode 73023259 of Your Quiet Moment. We dive deep into you can give yourself permission to rest and break down what it actually means, why it matters, and what to take away. What we cover in this episode: • The setup — what's going on • The context — why this matters now • The analysis — what to think about this • The takeaway — what to do with it Subscribe and tell your friends — every share helps. Drop us a comment with your take, we read them all. Subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star review — every share helps us reach the next listener. #youcangiveyourselfpermissionto #YourQuietMoment #Meditation #Peace #Mindfulness #Calm #HustleStudios #PodcastDISCLAIMER

Today's episode of Your Quiet Moment: You Can Give Yourself Permission to Just Be. This is Episode 73010820 of Your Quiet Moment. We dive deep into you can give yourself permission to just be and break down what it actually means, why it matters, and what to take away. What we cover in this episode: • The setup — what's going on • The context — why this matters now • The analysis — what to think about this • The takeaway — what to do with it Subscribe and tell your friends — every share helps. Drop us a comment with your take, we read them all. Subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star review — every share helps us reach the next listener. #youcangiveyourselfpermissionto #YourQuietMoment #Meditation #Peace #Mindfulness #Calm #HustleStudios #PodcastDISCLAIMER

Today's episode of Your Quiet Moment: You Can Give Yourself Permission to Just Be. This is Episode 73005104 of Your Quiet Moment. We dive deep into you can give yourself permission to just be and break down what it actually means, why it matters, and what to take away. What we cover in this episode: • The setup — what's going on • The context — why this matters now • The analysis — what to think about this • The takeaway — what to do with it Subscribe and tell your friends — every share helps. Drop us a comment with your take, we read them all. Subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star review — every share helps us reach the next listener. #youcangiveyourselfpermissionto #YourQuietMoment #Meditation #Peace #Mindfulness #Calm #HustleStudios #PodcastDISCLAIMER

# You Can Give Yourself Permission to Start Again## SummaryWe all have those moments where we feel like we've fallen short — where the gap between who we are and who we want to be feels overwhelming. Today we're exploring why starting again feels so hard, and how to give yourself the permission you've been withholding from yourself. This is your quiet moment to breathe, reset, and remember: you are allowed to begin again.## AffirmationsI give myself permission to start again. As many times as I need.I am not defined by my lowest moment. I am defined by my willingness to keep showing up.Starting over is not failure. It is one of the bravest forms of hope.I release the need to be perfect. I make room for the freedom of being human.I release the need to have it all figured out before I begin.I am not behind. I am exactly where I am. And where I am is a valid starting point.I forgive myself for the times I fell short. I choose compassion over criticism.I keep going. Not because it's easy. Because it matters. Because I matter.## Timestamps[00:00] Opening — You are allowed to start again[02:00] Settling In — Arriving in this moment[04:00] The Theme Part One — Why starting again feels so hard[06:00] The Theme Part Two — Permission is a gift you give yourself[08:00] Breathwork — A resetting breathing practice[09:00] Affirmations — Permission to begin again## Themesstarting again, self-compassion, permission, letting go, beginning again, human journey, forgiveness## Tags#YourQuietMoment #SelfCompassion #PermissionToStartAgain #NewBeginnings #YouAreEnough #Mindfulness #Affirmations #GentlenessDISCLAIMER

You Can Give Yourself Permission to BreatheEpisode 135 — Permission to RestThere's so much pressure to keep going, to push through, to prove our worth through productivity. But what if the bravest thing you could do today was simply... stop? In this episode, we're exploring what it means to give yourself permission — to rest, to breathe, to set down what you can't carry. This is your gentle reminder that you don't have to earn the right to exist. You already have it.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━AFFIRMATIONS• I give myself permission to rest without guilt.• I give myself permission to protect my peace.• I am allowed to take up space in this world.• I am allowed to need help and to ask for it.• I release the need to earn my right to exist.• I trust that I am doing enough, even when it doesn't feel like it.• I am allowed to set down what I cannot carry.• I am worthy of rest, of joy, of peace.• I choose to be gentle with myself today.• I am exactly where I need to be, even when I don't understand why.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Opening — Permission to Pause[01:30] Settling In — Releasing the Pressure[03:30] The Theme Part One — Who Gives You Permission?[05:30] Breathwork — Breathing Together[06:30] The Theme Part Two — You Are Doing Better Than You Think[08:00] Affirmations[09:00] Closing — Carry Only What You Need━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━THEMES: permission · rest · self-compassion · letting go · peace#YourQuietMoment #Meditation #SelfCompassion #MentalHealth #PermissionToRest #GentleGuidanceDISCLAIMER

Burnout, uncertainty, and the pressure to have all the answers have become familiar realities for many nonprofit leaders. This episode of Nonprofit Mission: Impact offers a collection of practical leadership invitations that challenge those assumptions and encourage a more sustainable way to lead. Drawing on insights from past guests, host Carol Hamilton explores: ·       the importance of building self-awareness, embracing humility, and investing in personal growth, ·       how to making decisions with greater perspective, ·       why it's important to share responsibility rather than carrying organizational burdens alone. Together, these reflections remind nonprofit leaders that lasting impact comes not from self-sacrifice, but from intentional leadership rooted in learning, collaboration, and stewardship. Episodes Highlights 00:00 – Burnout Calls for a Different Way of Leading 02:50 – Leadership Begins with Self-Awareness 04:50 – Growth Requires Humility 05:50 – Give Yourself Permission to Feel 06:20 – You Don't Have to Have All the Answers 07:30 – Invest in Yourself First 08:30 – You Can't Mentor Everyone 11:00 – The 10-10-10 Rule Brings Perspective 13:20 – Stewardship Is a Shared Responsibility 17:10 – Leadership Radiates Outward About your podcast host: Carol Hamilton, principal of Grace Social Sector Consulting, helps nonprofits become more strategic and effective through inclusive strategic planning, evaluation design, and organizational assessment. With over 30 years of experience, she brings a practical, human-centered approach that helps organizations align around clear priorities and take meaningful action toward their mission. Her Shared Action Strategic Planning Framework moves groups from shared language to shared understanding, shared vision, shared priorities to shared action. When she is not working with nonprofits to improve their strategy and alignment, you can find her reading a good book, making diary comics, having a dance party in the kitchen, swimming, biking or kayaking on the Anacostia River.   Be in Touch: ✉️ Subscribe to Carol's newsletter at Grace Social Sector Consulting and receive the Common Mistakes Nonprofits Make In Strategic Planning And How To Avoid Them

# Your Quiet Moment — EP083 **Title:** You Can Give Yourself Permission **Theme:** Permission to rest, to say no, to take up space, to prioritize yourself without guilt **Runtime:** 10.6 minutes **Tone:** Warm, supportive, conversational — like a big sibling who genuinely believes in you --- ## Summary We live in a world that tells us rest is lazy, that our needs are inconvenient, and that we have to earn the right to take care of ourselves. This episode pushes back on all of that. It's a gentle but firm reminder that you don't need anyone else's permission to rest, to say no, to take up space, or to be exactly who you are. You're allowed to stop. You're allowed to exist unapologetically. You've always had that right — you just need to claim it. --- ## What You'll Hear - Why rest isn't a reward for productivity — it's a basic human need - How to recognize when you've been shrinking yourself to fit into someone else's expectations - Why the permission that matters most is the one you give yourself - A short breathing exercise to help you settle in and be present - Affirmations to remind you of your right to take up space in this world --- ## Affirmations in This Episode - I give myself permission to rest, without guilt and without earning it. - I give myself permission to say no, without overexplaining or apologizing. - I give myself permission to take up space, exactly as I am. - I give myself permission to prioritize my needs without feeling selfish. - I give myself permission to be seen, to be heard, to be myself. - I am allowed to set boundaries and protect my energy. - I am allowed to be whole, not just useful. --- ## Timestamps [00:00] Opening — A breath, a welcome, an invitation [02:00] Settling In — Where are you right now? [05:00] The Theme, Part 1 — Permission to rest [08:00] Breathwork — A simple breathing exercise [09:00] The Theme, Part 2 — Permission to take up space [12:00] Affirmations, Part 1 [14:00] Affirmations, Part 2 [16:00] Closing — Claiming your permission --- ## Tags #YourQuietMoment #SelfPermission #SelfCare #Rest #MentalHealth #Wellness #Affirmations #PersonalGrowth #SelfCompassion #Mindfulness --- **Produced by Hustle Studios** **Subscribe to Your Quiet Moment on Spreaker**DISCLAIMER

Hi everyone, Dr. Dawn here—your executive coach, business consultant, and the person in your corner when work gets complicated.Have you ever looked at your calendar and thought, "How am I going to get all of this done?"If that's where you are today, I want to remind you of something important:You can do hard things – You just don't truly believe that you can.So come back and join me, where you know we love to talk about it all, right here on The Career Woman's Secret Playbook Podcast.You can do hard things. One of the biggest myths professional women buy into is that strength means handling everything. But true strength isn't doing it all - true strength is knowing what deserves your energy.So as you try to navigate this, here are 3 strategies you can put in place right away to help you remember that you CAN do hard things – you just don't believe, deep down inside, that you really can.Your 3 Strategies:1.   Look Back Before You Look Forward: When life feels overwhelming, stop and ask yourself, "What hard things have I already survived?" Because chances are you've overcome challenges that once felt impossible. You got through difficult jobs. You survived heartbreak. You navigated uncertainty. You learned new skills. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.2.   Stop Measuring Success by Perfection: This one is especially important. Not every summer memory has to be Instagram-worthy.Sometimes success looks like:Showing up Doing your best Letting go of the rest Just remember, perfection is exhausting.3.   Give Yourself Permission to Prioritize: One of the hardest things women do is disappoint people. But here's the truth: Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else.The question becomes: Are you saying yes to the right things?Here are some final thoughts: Life is always going to have seasons.Some seasons are about growth.Some are about rest.Some are about building.And some are about simply putting one foot in front of the other.And as always, remember our motto: "If you're not having a fantastic day, you have the power to make it one."NEW HERE? Check out our Mentioned Videos: ·      The Career Woman's Secret Playbook Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fR_clXjZ-4&list=PLdguFjdYMwqWXnvIeSAIhDrtPdHdsLGde ·      Perfectionism: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdguFjdYMwqXrgiI1YaB87uHu1gm_mczc·      Healthy Boundaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYcFaWvEcI&list=PLdguFjdYMwqXaDt_bakaS7NYZylcTTL5Z·      Come Lose Weight with Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6suUlz3mJo&list=PLdguFjdYMwqUHUlX0ArQvcN7g8h4scoit·      Speak with Power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iH8Nc8OzRc&t=6sGet your copy of The Career Woman's Secret Playbook! ·      Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Career-Womans-Secret-Playbook Contact Me! ·       https://www.drdawnshoptalk.com/book-online Grab your Freebies! https://www.drdawnshoptalk.com/career-secrets https://www.youtube.com/@drdawnshoptalk/podcasts

In this episode, I'm talking about my journey back to tarot, YouTube, and the creative work I thought I had left behind. We explore why growth isn't always linear, why taking a break doesn't mean giving up, and how sometimes the most aligned thing you can do is return to something you genuinely love with a fresh perspective.Listen to my NEW PodcastSagittarius Sidequests- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sagittarius-sidequests/id1896855770- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033oQguXnvdsxNjGBabklO?si=d386435452f749a6- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SagittariusSidequestsInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/kloeetaylor/

On this episode of Smooches podcast the discussion is”Give yourself permission.” We are so hard on ourselves, many of us don't get the opportunity to enjoy life. Well, here is your sign to allow yourself to do that thing.Thank you to all my listeners for your support. Without you my podcast would not reach as many people as it has. Let the discussion begin Smooches

Seth is finally home after three consecutive work trips, and Rebecca is ready to share what it's really like holding down the fort during one of the busiest parenting seasons of the year. Between graduations, football tournaments, prom pictures, theater outings, and everyday parenting challenges, this episode is an honest look at marriage, partnership, and learning to support each other's growth even when it's hard.In this Whinypaluza Wednesday episode, Rebecca and Seth Greene discuss the realities of balancing work travel and family life during the chaos of end-of-school-year activities.Rebecca shares how different it feels when Seth travels now compared to when the children were younger, the emotional load of parenting while solo, and the lessons she's learned about asking for help, lowering expectations, and giving herself grace. The conversation explores how marriage evolves over time, why keeping score hurts relationships, and how focusing on the benefits of your partner's growth can create a healthier mindset.From reality TV guilty pleasures and easier dinners to parenting emergencies that never seem to wait for a convenient moment, this episode is a relatable reminder that partnership isn't about doing the exact same amount. It's about appreciating what each person brings to the family and supporting one another through every season.Key Takeaways1. Stop Keeping ScoreStrong marriages are built on appreciation, not competition. Comparing sacrifices rarely strengthens a relationship.2. Support What Helps Your Partner GrowWhen your spouse is energized, learning, and growing, the benefits often extend to the entire family.3. Give Yourself Permission to SimplifyBusy seasons call for flexibility. Sometimes that means takeout, less laundry, and a little more grace.4. Accept Help Without GuiltYou do not have to carry everything alone. Allowing others to help can make challenging seasons more manageable.5. Focus on the PositiveShifting your mindset from resentment to appreciation can completely change how you experience difficult situations.If this episode resonated with you, share it with a spouse, partner, or parent who understands the challenge of balancing family life and career demands.Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join the Whinypaluza Mom Facebook Group for support, encouragement, and connection with other parents navigating the beautiful chaos of family life.

I have been wanting to do this episode for a long time. This one is personal. I have spent most of my life grinding, building, and pushing myself to the limit. And somewhere along the way I stopped giving myself permission to actually live. My body was there for birthdays, vacations, and bedtimes. My mind was not. This episode is my attempt to fix that. For me and for you. Dr. Guy Winch is one of the world's leading psychologists. His TED talks have over 40 million views. His book, Mind Over Grind, is one of the most important books I have read in years. He is not here to tell you to slow down and smell the roses. He is here to show you that the way you are working right now is quietly costing you everything that actually matters. And he has the science to prove it. Here is what you will gain from this episode: The #1 Deathbed Regret: Find out what people wish most at the end of their lives and why it is not what you think it is Stop Ruminating: Learn the exact process for turning harmful work rumination into productive problem solving so your evenings belong to you again Micro Breaks: Discover the research-backed practice that high performers use to actually perform better by working smarter throughout the day The Transition Ritual: Get a practical step-by-step system for training your brain to clock out from work so you can be truly present at home Challenge vs. Threat Mindset: Understand the single mental shift that separates people who perform under pressure from people who crumble under it Stop kicking the can. The life you keep saying you will enjoy later is happening right now. Do not miss it. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/mylett Head to https://dosedaily.co/ and enter MYLETT to get 35% off your first subscription. Start improving your health with real data from Tiny Health. Get $50 off your first at-home test kit at https://tinyhealth.com/ and use promo code MYLETT

Last week, we talked about whether play can be productive. This week, we're digging into different questions: If play is important... why is it so hard to actually let ourselves do it? Why does rest feel uncomfortable? Why does fun feel like something we have to earn? And why do so many high-achieving women find themselves waiting for permission to stop, even when no one is asking them to keep going? In this episode, I'm exploring: why guilt around rest is often a learned response how productivity culture shapes our relationship with play the invisible ways women are socialized to earn rest and fun why so many of us wait for external permission before taking care of ourselves the "put on your shoes" principle and why action often comes before feeling ready how over-functioning becomes a pattern we don't even notice and why play is deeply connected to identity, self-trust, and knowing what you actually want One of the biggest takeaways? Permission isn't a feeling you wait for. It's a decision you make. The goal isn't just to make more time for play. The goal is to stop outsourcing your choices and start trusting yourself enough to honor what you need. And maybe the next step isn't waiting until things slow down. Maybe it's putting on your shoes anyway.  Connect with me: Email: support@plangoalplan.com Facebook Group: Join Here Website: PlanGoalPlan.com LinkedIn: (I post most here!) www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mcgeough-phd-

Giving yourself permission to dream bigger can change everything. For years, I saw myself as the practical one. The executor. The person who could bring someone else's vision to life, but not the person allowed to fully claim a vision of my own. I thought being grounded meant staying realistic. I thought hope was risky. I thought wanting too much would only lead to disappointment. But what I've come to realize is that practicality can become a very convincing disguise for fear. In this episode, I share the deeply personal shift I'm experiencing as I step into a new chapter of my business and life. I open up about what it means to finally embrace the identity of visionary, how I stopped shutting down my imagination for safety, and why allowing yourself to want more is essential if you desire real change. I also explore the connection between imagination, desire, and possibility — and why dreaming bigger isn't irresponsible, indulgent, or unrealistic. It's actually the beginning of creating a future that feels aligned with who you truly are. What we explore: Why practicality can keep you stuck playing small How high achievers disconnect from imagination Why desire is valuable information, not selfishness The role imagination plays in creating change How fear disguises itself as groundedness and responsibility The importance of letting yourself want more before you know how   If you're ready to reconnect with yourself and create meaningful change, join me for my free 5-day experience, Reignite Your Spark, at nancylevin.com/spark Connect with me: Newsletternancylevin.comInstagramFacebook

After months of chaos and compromise, spring sports season is winding down—and it's time to take stock. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly what I'm changing as I come out of one of the most stressful seasons I've had in years.We talk about the modifications I'm making: protecting my sleep, shifting from outsourcing meals to cooking as a family again, adjusting my workout routine to include more strength training, and learning to listen to my body instead of pushing through.But here's the bigger lesson: these changes aren't about perfection or going back to some ideal routine. They're about being intentional with whatever season you're in—and having the grace to adjust when the season changes.If you're a high-achiever running on empty, waiting for permission to modify, recalibrate, and actually recover—this episode is for you.Check out my favorite workouts and supplements here:https://linktr.ee/lauracatina

A client came to me recently and said something I hear more often than you might expect: "Gene, I've been trying to tap on my own, but this problem just feels too big. I don't know where to start." My answer surprised her. I told her she was right. The problem actually was too big to tap on. But that wasn't a verdict on whether tapping could help. It was a diagnosis of the approach she was using. Tapping for big problems is not about finding the courage to tackle everything at once. It is about knowing which small, specific piece to bring into a single round of tapping. TL;DR / Key Takeaways When a problem feels too big to tap on, the issue is not tapping's effectiveness. The issue is trying to address too much in a single session. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) works best on one specific, concrete target at a time. Large life challenges require a series of focused rounds, not one heroic attempt. Tapping on the emotions about the problem (frustration, worry, disappointment) before targeting the problem itself clears the emotional distortion that makes the issue feel overwhelming. Identifying the smallest possible next action and tapping on resistance to that one step creates forward momentum faster than any other approach. Giving yourself permission to value incremental progress is itself a legitimate tapping target, and often the one that unlocks everything else. Why Big Problems Feel Impossible to Tap On (And the Real Fix) Tapping for big problems feels impossible when you try to hold the entire problem in your mind at once. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a technique that involves tapping on specific acupressure points on the face and body while focusing on a precise emotional or physical target. The key word is precise. The more diffuse your focus, the less effective the round. Key insight: "The question is never whether tapping is appropriate for what's in front of you. The question is: how do you bring tapping to a part of the issue in a useful way?" Think about the kinds of problems that feel too big: a serious health diagnosis, a major career transition, building a romantic relationship from a standing start. Each of these is not one problem. Each is a cluster of dozens of smaller problems stacked on top of each other. Trying to tap on "my health situation" is like trying to eat an entire meal in one swallow. The five steps below give you a reliable way to find the right-sized bite for any given session, no matter how large the underlying issue is. Why Tapping for Big Problems Starts With Your Emotions First Before you tap on any aspect of the problem itself, tap on how you feel about the fact that you are facing this problem. This is one of the most overlooked moves in EFT practice, and it changes everything about what comes next. In my Tapping Mastery Blueprint, every single tapping session starts with two questions. First: what is the goal of this round of tapping? Second: how do I feel about the fact that this is the issue at hand? That second question is where most people skip straight past something important. Key insight: "The emotions about the issue are layers of stained glass I'm trying to look through. They distort the issue so I can't see it clearly. Clear those layers first, and the problem comes into focus." When you are dealing with something large, you are almost certainly carrying feelings of worry, frustration, disappointment, and grief about the situation itself. Those emotions are not the same as the problem. They are your emotional response to having the problem. Tapping on them first changes your resource state. It shifts you out of reactivity and into a clearer, calmer place from which you can make better decisions about what to tap on next. Write down every emotion you feel about the fact that you are facing this particular challenge. Then take those emotions one at a time and tap on them before doing anything else. For a deeper look at this concept, the episode on "the emotion about the issue" from the Healing Fundamentals series is worth your time. Step 2: Name a Baby Step and Tap on Your Resistance to It Once you have tapped on the emotions about the issue, shift your attention away from the full problem entirely. Instead, ask yourself: what is the single smallest next action I could take? That step might be genuinely tiny. Write down all the open questions I have. Research this one thing. Send a message to this specific person. It does not need to be significant. It just needs to be real and concrete. Key insight: "I don't know how to handle the big thing, but I almost always know the first step. After I take the first step, the second step becomes obvious. And after the second, the third." Once you have named the baby step, tune in to whatever emotion comes up around taking it. Resistance, dread, uncertainty, fear of getting it wrong. That emotional resistance is your tapping target, not the step itself. When you clear the resistance, taking the step becomes easy. And taking the step creates momentum, which is exactly what large problems require. This approach addresses one of the most common reasons people stay stuck: they cannot see the whole path forward, so they do not move at all. But you do not need to see the whole path. You only need to see the next step. Clearing the emotional resistance to action is one of tapping's most reliable strengths. Step 3: Pick One Small Detail Instead of the Whole Problem If the baby-step approach does not give you a clear entry point, try zooming in on a single detail of the larger issue instead. Not the situation. Not the whole health challenge or the whole relationship pattern. One detail. A few years ago I was dealing with Epstein-Barr virus, which is similar to mononucleosis in its effects. I was completely wiped out. I would feel a flicker of energy and sit up in bed, and my body would immediately shut it down. I had to lie back down. There were dozens of things wrong, physically and emotionally, and I could have tried to tap on all of them at once. Instead, I chose one detail: that specific feeling when the energy appeared and immediately vanished. Just that. The emotion that came up around that one physical experience became my tapping target. Key insight: "By choosing one microscopic detail, I gave myself an entry point. I wasn't trying to solve everything. I was just working on this one thing." Trying to address the entire problem at once produces a familiar spiral: "I'm falling behind, this is lasting forever, nothing I'm doing is working." That is too big a target. One detail breaks the spiral and gives your nervous system something it can actually process. If you find yourself drowning in too many issues to tap on, this single-detail approach is often the fastest way back to solid ground. Step 4: Tap on the Overwhelm of Having a Problem This Big This step might feel redundant at first glance. You have already tapped on the emotions about the issue in Step 1. What is left? The answer is: the overwhelm of the problem's size, which is a separate layer entirely. Tapping for overwhelm means giving voice specifically to the experience of facing something that feels unmanageable. Not what the problem is, but what it is like to be the person carrying it. Typical targets for this step sound like: "This problem is unfair and I am exhausted by it." "I do not even know where to start and that makes me feel paralyzed." "I cannot do this alone." "I am overwhelmed just thinking about all the steps between here and done." This is what I sometimes call tapping on the meta-emotion. It is the feeling about the feeling, or more precisely, the feeling about the situation's complexity. In my experience, the missing key to tapping for overwhelm is almost always this layer: people address the content of what overwhelms them but skip past the raw experience of being overwhelmed itself. Spend a few minutes here. It does not take long, and the relief it produces makes the remaining steps significantly easier. Step 5: Give Yourself Permission to Value Small Daily Progress The final step is one that beginners often dismiss as too soft. It is not. Giving yourself permission to recognize the value of incremental work is a legitimate tapping target, and for many people it is the one that unlocks consistent action. The tapping here is not affirmation work. You are not trying to convince yourself that everything is fine or that you are doing great. You are tapping to release the part of you that insists the only acceptable outcome is solving the whole thing today. A useful setup statement for this step sounds something like: "Even though I've only made a tiny bit of progress today, I give myself permission to recognize that a baby step forward is still a step forward." Notice what comes up when you tap with that frame. You may find frustration: "I give myself permission to value baby steps, AND I give myself permission to be annoyed that it's always a process." Both are valid. Acknowledge the resistance alongside the permission. That is where the real tapping work happens. The myth of the one big tapping breakthrough is worth reading alongside this step. Real transformation is nearly always a series of small shifts, not a single dramatic moment. How to Use All Five Steps in a Single Tapping Session When you are facing a problem that feels too big to tap on, run through the five steps in order. You do not need to spend equal time on each one. Some will feel complete in a single round. Others may need more attention. Here is the sequence as a quick reference: Tap on the emotions about the issue. How do you feel about the fact that you are facing this problem? Worry, frustration, grief, shame, disappointment. Take them one at a time. Name a baby step and tap on your resistance to it. What is the smallest possible next action? What emotion comes up when you think about taking it? Pick one small detail and tap on the emotion around it. Not the whole problem. One aspect, one symptom, one interaction, one specific moment. Tap on the overwhelm of the problem's size. Give voice to how it feels to be carrying something this big. This is separate from the problem's content. Tap for permission to value incremental progress. Release the demand that today's work has to solve everything. A baby step counts. Before you start any session on a large issue, it helps to ask the two questions from my Tapping Mastery Blueprint: what is the goal of this round of tapping, and how do I feel about the fact that this is the issue? Both questions from the one question you must ask before every tapping session apply directly here. The old cliche is true: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And if you take one bite at a time with your tapping practice, you will be surprised how quickly you start to build real momentum on even the largest challenges in your life. If you want structured, daily support for building that momentum, I'd encourage you to explore 365 Tapping Lessons, where I walk you through a full year of focused tapping sessions designed to create exactly this kind of consistent, cumulative progress. Frequently Asked Questions What does it mean when a problem feels too big to tap on? It usually means you are trying to address the entire issue in a single tapping session. EFT works best on one specific, concrete emotional target at a time. A problem that "feels too big" is a signal to narrow your focus, not to stop tapping. Where should I start when I don't know where to start tapping? Start with the emotions you feel about having the problem, not the problem itself. Write down every emotion that comes up when you think about your situation (frustration, worry, grief, shame) and tap on those one at a time before targeting the problem's content. How many rounds of tapping does it take to work through a big problem? There is no fixed number. Large issues typically require many focused sessions over time rather than one long session. The goal of each session is not to solve the problem but to reduce the emotional intensity around one specific aspect of it. Can EFT really help with serious health challenges or major life changes? Yes, though the approach matters enormously. EFT does not resolve health conditions by tapping on "my illness." It works by targeting specific emotions, fears, symptoms, or resistance points one at a time. Over multiple sessions, this produces genuine cumulative relief. What is "the emotion about the issue" in EFT? It is the emotional response you have to having the problem, as distinct from the problem itself. If you have a health issue, the emotions about the issue include fear of the long-term consequences, grief over what you have lost, and frustration at the pace of healing. Tapping on these first clears the distortion that makes the underlying problem harder to see and address. What if I tap on the baby step but feel nothing? Try making the step even smaller, or tune in to the emotion more precisely. "I need to make a doctor's appointment" might produce nothing. "I feel a knot in my stomach when I think about calling the doctor" is a specific, tappable sensation. The more concrete the target, the more tapping tends to produce a clear shift. Is it normal to feel more overwhelmed after starting to tap on a big problem? Yes, and it is often a sign the tapping is working. Bringing a suppressed emotion to the surface before clearing it can briefly intensify the feeling. If it persists, use Step 4 directly: tap specifically on the overwhelm of having a problem this big, rather than on the problem's content.

Join this channel to get access to exclusive members only videos:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQTAVxA4dNBCoPdHhX9nnoQ/joinJoin Members Only On My Website. 7 day free trial. Save 25% when you choose an annual Membership plan. Cancel anytime:https://understandingrelationships.com/plansJoin Members Only on Spotify:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coachcoreywayne/subscribeThe importance of accepting that failure is a part of life & essential for success.In this video coaching newsletter I discuss an email from a viewer who got ditched on a date when he tried to be mysterious and have her follow him through a bad part of town. He's still bummed about the rejection and wonders when he will finally get it with women and master what's in the book. He's 43, struggling and sometimes feels unlovable.If you have not read my book, “How To Be A 3% Man” yet, that would be a good starting place for you. It is available in Kindle, iBook, Paperback, Hardcover or Audio Book format. If you don't have a Kindle device, you can download a free eReader app from Amazon so you can read my book on any laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet device. Kindle $9.99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $29.99 or Hardcover 49.99. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial or buy it for $19.95. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B01EIA86VC/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-057626&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_057626_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:http://amzn.to/1XKRtxdHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to-be-3-man-winning-heart/id948035350?mt=11&uo=6&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/how-to-be-a-3-man-unabridged/id1106013146?at=1l3vuUo&mt=3You can get my second book, “Mastering Yourself, How To Align Your Life With Your True Calling & Reach Your Full Potential” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B07B3LCDKK/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-109399&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_109399_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/2TQV2XoHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353139487?mt=11&at=1l3vuUoHere is the link to the iTunes store to purchase the iTunes audio book version:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/mastering-yourself-how-to-align-your-life-your-true/id1353594955?mt=3&at=1l3vuUoYou can get my third book, “Quotes, Ruminations & Contemplations” which is also available in Kindle $9,99, iBook $9.99, Paperback $49.99, Hardcover $99.99 and Audio Book format $24.95. Audio Book is Free $0.00 with an Audible membership trial. Here is the link to Audible to get the audiobook version:https://www.audible.com/pd/B0941XDDCJ/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-256995&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_256995_rh_usHere is the link to Amazon to purchase Kindle, Paperback or Hardcover version:https://amzn.to/33K8VwFHere is the link to the iBookstore to purchase iBook version:https://books.apple.com/us/book/quotes-ruminations-contemplations/id1563102111?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ct=books_quotes%2C_ruminations_%26_contemplatio&ls=1

What do you do when you've already done it all, but still feel like you're meant for more? Today, I talk about what it's like to give yourself permission to dream bigger, even when you're already accomplished. I unpack the subconscious ways we try to keep ourselves small, how to identify what's fear vs. what's desire, and guilt-free ways to operate at a higher level when you know you're meant for more. If you're ready to step into your most expanded self, this is your episode!   HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 What to do when you have a lot, but know you're still meant for more. 05:00 How does victim mode keep us from growing? 11:45 Why your deepest desires are a part of your expansion journey. 16:20 How to discern the motivation behind your desires. 19:20 Where do our inner wounds + patterns come from? 22:50 How our fears show us where we're meant to expand. 25:20 How to step into the version that's already connected to your vision.   RESOURCES + LINKS Get your copy of The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter HERE!   Tickets for the 2026 Powerhouse Women Event are now LIVE HERE!   FOLLOW Powerhouse Women: @powerhouse_women Lindsey: @lindseymarieofficial Visit the Powerhouse Women website: powerhousewomen.co Join the PW Community Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/powerhousewomencommunity

What if the biggest thing holding you back is waiting for someone else to say yes? In this powerful solo episode, Lesley Logan continues her permission series and unpacks why so many people second-guess their desires, choices, and next moves. She shares how childhood conditioning, perfectionism, and the need for approval keep people stuck far longer than they realize. From Brené Brown permission slips to boundaries, intuition, and radical responsibility, Lesley offers practical ways to trust in your own intuition. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why asking permission becomes a hidden habit.Lesley's Pilates journey challenged needing approval.How Brené Brown uses written permission slips.Difference between seeking feedback versus validation.Recognize that personal growth involves change.Episode References/Links:The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron - https://a.co/d/02rkqdgrDare to Lead By Brené Brown - https://a.co/d/04SQU1mLEp. 15 with Erika Quest - https://beitpod.com/ep15Ep. 319 with Nikole Mitchell - https://beitpod.com/ep319Ep. 400 Gay Hendricks - https://beitpod.com/ep400Habit Series - https://lesleylogan.co/?s=habitReal Brave & Unstoppable - https://beitpod.com/source1The Art of Giving Yourself Permission - https://beitpod.com/source26 Ways to Give Yourself Permission - https://beitpod.com/source3Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  According to wonder within the path to permission is not an easy one. It's rocky, complicated and cold, and can even be confusing because we have to unlearn and untangle. Lesley Logan 0:10  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:52  Hello, be it, babe. Well, welcome back to our series on permission. On our Tuesday episode. If you missed it, we were talking about like, what is asking for permission? Look like, where does it come from? Why do we do this? I shared some stories. Some of you had sent me some great stories of your own. I love that you're loving that I'm doing this solo episode on this. And please keep sending your questions in your topic requests in, be it pod.com/questions you can also send your wins in there as well. Maybe you have a win that you stopped asking for permission. I'd love to know that. But be it pod.com/questions, is where you can send in all those things. I'm hopeful to have some more different topics. We could do a couple episodes on, just to kind of go deeper on some of these things. I'm hearing our amazing guests give us, BE IT action items on they're like, don't ask permission. Just do it. It's like, well, what the fuck did like you mean, just do it easy. Easy for them to say they weren't raised to put other people's needs before their own. They weren't raised to go, like, to not seek approval from others. They weren't raised to not like, look crazy, right? So they aren't constantly hearing just different things, where people go, oh, you believe she did that? She's so greedy. I mean, they gave, they've they gave the team a locker room on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, they went on Saturdays too? Like, those are things we pick up when we're children and teenagers and young adults. We pick up on these things where people are saying things mostly about women, about when they step outside those traditional roles when they do something against the grain. And I'm not saying you have to go be against the grain. What I am saying is you can't be it till you see it. If you're waiting for someone else's permission to start being it, you have to give it to yourself. But how do we do that? So let me go to my notes, and in my research, I have sources, so we put those in the show notes as well. There's some really great reading in Psychology Today and all these different things, so it's pretty great. Lesley Logan 2:44  Okay, so now we know we are often conditioned to ask for permission, and in the last episode, I do want to highlight, we did talk about the permission gap. We also talked about the signs to close it. So the gap is basically the gap between, like, what we want and what we think people's needs are, and then putting their needs in front of our own. And so we're kind of all and so we're kind of always in the negative for what we need, and then we're asking for permission to give ourselves what those needs are. So, according to Wonder Within, the path to permission is not an easy one. It's rocky, complicated and cold, and can even be confusing because we have to unlearn and untangle. So on Tuesday, I challenged you, I gave you a bunch of different signs, feelings, examples of like, what like, what permission looks like, asking permission looks like. And so hopefully able to explore that and now means we have to unlearn and untangle. If you listen to the series that came out starting in December of 2025 we did a whole habit series we talked about in one of the episodes, all about unraveling a bad habit, and that is in air quotes, and it's really, truly unraveling. It's not breaking it. I was very specific on that, because we do have to unravel. We have to understand, like, what's the prompt? And I will say this unraveling, untangling the habit of asking for permission is advanced habit making, because you have to be aware of yourself asking for permission. It's not the same as I want to build a habit of running around the block in the morning that is very tangible. It's easier for your brain to go, oh, I went around the block this morning, versus catching yourself asking for permission or filling the need to ask for permission, because that's a psychological habit, and you'll have to have that self awareness. So I just want to say it might take longer than you think, okay, but definitely check out that episode. So permission to become to be till you see, it might be the biggest work that we have to do. That's what I believe. After doing all this research, I'm like, oh my God, I feel like I need a permission slip expert. It may include working with a trauma informed therapist, a somatic worker. So even with all the suggestions that I'm about to give you, I want you to understand that if you need extra support, that is okay, okay. It is really, really okay. And I need you to know that it's okay and you're not asking for permission when you hire an expert in trauma or like somatic work or therapy or any kind because. That's actually saying, hi, I need help. That's not you asking for permission, right? Lesley Logan 5:04  Hey, so I told you in the last episode about when I wanted to I thought about becoming a Pilates instructor. Like, I was like, I had this thing, this thought, and I recognize now that I was kind of asking for permission to belong, for permission to fit into the Pilates role. Because, to be honest, at the time, there was not Pilates instructors who did not discover Pilates from dancing. So that felt so weird. Also, I knew I couldn't afford the comprehensive training, so I was gonna start the mat training then save up my money for comprehensive training, which I did a year later. And I remember thinking like, Oh, my God, maybe I can't do it because, like, I can't do the whole thing at the same time. And so I do recall asking for permission, right? I remember being in vintage and basically just saying, Well, tell me what to do. I'll just do whatever you want me to do, which is just me asking for permission so that I can do be the thing that belongs. Because we all want to belong. Sometimes we're just like, hey, just how do I be perfect so I can not get kicked out of this group because we just want to belong. But really, and what they challenged me with is like, Oh no, we're not going to tell you what to do. You're going to figure you've got to feel what you need to do. It's got to be intuitive. It's got to be something that you understand for your body. And oh, my god, that is permission from them to be in my body, which is not something any teacher had given me. All the teachers before had been like, do it like this. You do it like this. And just telling me what to do, and that was kind of my whole life, right, covering perfectious over achiever, lots of people telling me the right thing to do, and just following the checklist and following the path. And so I had a whole adult life. Thank God for Pilates and the curiosity that gave me start going, oh, look at me. Like not checking a box here with a smile on my face. So think about one thing that you have been wanting could be as small as a food craving for today's lunch, or as big as an idea you want to take action on. So you're thinking about it. Got it in your head, what is keeping you from taking the next step?Lesley Logan 6:57  How much permission do you feel you have or don't have. Who decides how much permission you do or don't have? Is it possible that they are irrelevant? In my case, the people that I thought I needed permission from was the world of Pilates, they didn't even know me. They're so irrelevant. They didn't even know me, right? I was giving so much power to a bunch of people I didn't even know existed. So can you give yourself permission? Take a deep breath, right? A deep breath, if you've listened to episode 400 about upper limiting sometimes we get outside of our comfort zone, and then wild things come through worry. Do you feel some worry right now? Worry is a sign of upper limiting to pull you back into your comfort zone, right? Self-deprecating can be so I'll just want to, like go through those questions one more time. So what's something you want to be taking action on or wanting or desiring, no matter how small it is. Okay? So what's keeping you from taking that step or trying that thing or ordering that thing? How much permission do you feel you need you have or don't have for that who decides how much permission you do or don't have, and is it possible that they are relevant. Can you give yourself permission? So Brené Brown gives herself permission slips. It's actually in her book, dare to lead. She said, I give myself permission slips. And they say, I give myself permission to blank. So to make mistakes, to rest. I love this. I think this is a really great way to close that gap and to get rid of the habit of asking for permission is just to give, like literally write yourself permission slips. So if you remember my dear friend Nikole, whose last name is escaping me, sorry, team, she said two episodes, oh my god. Why is it not coming up anyway? So she talked about, in the first episode about all the different post it notes that she put around her house affirmations, and then she'd take them down because people are coming over, because she didn't want any single person to be able to give her any nagging thing that would remove the permission she'd given herself. So maybe you need to put little permission slips everywhere. I give myself permission to try a new outfit today. I give myself permission to make a mistake. I give myself permission to go a different route. I would give myself permission to ask that person for that thing. I give myself permission to rest. I give myself permission to turn off my phone. I give myself permission to not respond. Lesley Logan 9:31  So use clear and powerful language to empower yourself. That's really, really important. Affirmations are really helpful. So this one will start kind of the same way. I give myself permission to be successful. I give myself permission to be authentic. I give myself permission to pursue my dreams, right? So affirmations can also be helpful in also going with what Brené Brown's mission slips are. You can do a meditation. So this meditation is really easy one. You can take your hands, put them on your heart, close your eyes and say, I've got this or you've got this beautiful right, hands on the heart, eyes closed, you've got this beautiful. It's one of Fridays. The episodes I give you as an affirmation, I say it three times. I'm hoping you're saying it out loud with me. I'm giving you a second to do that. I want you to give yourself permission to have that affirmation to be it till you see it. And of course, journaling. Journaling is always a great thing. Look like you'd be surprised what comes out of your head when you journal. I like free writing. If you haven't done the book The Artist's Way, it's 12 weeks of journaling prompts and really will help you peel back the onion of why you're asking for permission in the first place, especially if you go into the book with that in mind, you're going to start to like, answer those questions with those thoughts, and it's going to give you a whole host of information. It's such a great thing to do. You can do it annually. You can do it more often than once, but it's really, really great. I highly recommend it. Lesley Logan 10:59  Okay, so tips for cultivating self-permission. So here's some other tips and tools you can use. So accept 100% responsibility. This is very difficult for some people, because that means responsibility for your own mistakes as well, but acknowledge that you are responsible for your own life, actions and responses. This shifts you from a victim mindset to one of empowerment, removing the blame, shame and guilt game. So what happens when you accept responsibility? It means you cannot you're not asking for cannot. You're not asking permission for people. It also means you can't say, oh, my kids wouldn't let me do Pilates today. Gotta accept 100 responsibility, right, radical responsibility,Lesley Logan 11:31  Another thing. Let go of the need for external approval. Recognize that relying on others for validation can prevent you from trusting your own judgment. I think that's really, really true. I got a medical diagnosis that isn't bad, don't freak out, but it's, it's not great either. And I'm a verbal processor, so I I like to talk about it to kind of, like, understand how I'm feeling, and it's interesting. Like, what I talked about with, like, some people my wife, are like, well, whatever you need, you can recover here. You could do this thing. Brad's like, so you're thinking about doing this. Like, it wasn't, I wasn't asking for permission. I was just, like, talking about it, right? And then I had another friend I was sharing it with, and they were almost talking me out of the thing. I remember going, what the fuck, right? So it made me go, ugh, because I was a little annoyed that she wasn't like, like everybody else. But then I was like, Wait, why do I care what she thinks, right? So it's interesting thing. There's like, just start to recognize when you're relying on the validations of other people and that, and then their lack of validation that causes you to think differently. Now, by the way, it's okay that she has me think differently. It really made me go back and kind of research what she was saying and making sure that, like, I almost got more secure in my decision because of it. So it's also fine to talk things out, but just notice, or maybe what she said could have got me to go, oh, maybe I don't need to do that. Those are all fine things, but just it's a very different thing from getting feedback versus validation. There are two different things. Lesley Logan 12:51  Embrace imperfection and mistakes, so give yourself permission to be human, to be wrong and to learn from what doesn't work. Viewing failures as lessons, not torture, is crucial for growth, and I think this is really, really important. Really important in my journey of just like become a recovering perfectionist and overachiever, it's really helped me to not need permission, because I'm not trying to be perfect to the thing, and I'm allowing myself to learn and ask questions and be a human being who doesn't fail, but actually learns and then makes adjustments along the way. It's kind of like a route right when you're driving, and the map is like, go here. And then it's like, oh, we found a faster route. You didn't go, ugh, MapQuest. You're an asshole. You fucked up the last one. No, you just go, wow, thanks for getting better at what you do. You're just like, look at this app. So great. Like, we don't go, oh, my God, they got it wrong. No, we go, oh, they're like improving every time. Lesley Logan 13:44  Set boundaries. Is vital to give yourself permission to say no to things that don't serve you, even if it makes others uncomfortable, this protects your time and energy for what truly matters to you. Erika Quest, she's been on the pod, we were talking the other day about, like, when people invite us to different things, like, we ask ourselves, is this more, or is it better? But more? Is it better? And if it's just more, then it's probably no, it's better. Gonna make my impact better? Gonna make me a better person? Then, yeah, I'll look into it. Lesley Logan 14:10  Okay, listen to your own intuition. So reconnect with your inner voice and trust your gut feelings. The more you exercise permission muscle, the louder and clearer becomes. I am going to have a whole series on how to listen to your inner voice, so I'm not going to go deeper on that that will be coming up in a few weeks. Hey, be curious, not judgmental. So approach your feelings and experiences with curiosity rather than fear or judgment. Label your emotions to understand them better, which is a gateway to healing and growth. Lesley Logan 14:41  Prioritize self-care and rest. Oh, hi, hello. Give yourself permission to rest, to recharge and enjoy life without guilt. Integrating self-care rituals into your daily routine helps make it a habit. Listen to the habit series so you have even better chance of doing that. But my goodness, you've got to prioritize your self-care so you get rid of that permission gap. And it's not that I'm like, You're not going to help other people or you're not going to care about them. It's just that, like, you can't care about them before your own air mask is on first. Hello. Lesley Logan 15:07  Allow yourself to pivot. Recognize that personal growth involves change. Give yourself permission to change your mind, career or life direction if an old path no longer aligns with your evolving self. I mean, heck, you might have asked for permission to do something and someone talked you out of it, the thing you want to do, and now you're doing the thing that they gave you permission to do. So you're probably going to have to evolve, pivot, change things. And I would say, be nice to yourself. Have grace and space for recognizing that because, my goodness, everything you learn on that path is what's going to make you even better on the path that you're on now. So please be kind. Lesley Logan 15:38  Another way to give yourself permission is, what's the cost of your inaction? What is the cost of doing nothing? What is the cost of not doing the thing you want to do? I want to dive deeper into that, into next week's episode with Dr. Corey. So, definitely be watching out for that interview, because I promise you, it's going to be so good. But I was like, oh my God. Yes, and I'm so glad that we talked about that in her episode. And keep in mind, after years of second guessing, after years of asking permission, for permission, it can be hard to trust yourself and believe you've got this. Lesley Logan 16:10  So consider this permission to be you to be it till you see it. No one but you defines the scope of what's possible, and no one but you can dare to believe that you can be it till you see it. No one but you can define the scope of what's possible, and no one but you can dare to believe that you can be it till you see it. I promise you that you are amazing. You don't need my permission to be it till you see it, but you might need my reminder that you can. And I hope each and every week, you say that to yourself as well. All right, babe, until next time, be it till you see it. Lesley Logan 16:41  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod. Brad Crowell 17:24  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 17:28  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co. Brad Crowell 17:33  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.  Lesley Logan 17:40  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Brad Crowell 17:45  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Wendell Graham. A stroke survivor, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and founder of Slight Edge Consulting, joins Rushion McDonald to share a deeply personal and powerful story of survival, resilience, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Graham recounts two life-altering experiences: Surviving a fatal Amtrak train crash in which the person who took his place died, causing years of survivor’s remorse. Suffering an anaphylactic shock and stroke in 2024, which temporarily robbed him of speech, memory, mobility, and independence. Rather than allowing these moments to define him negatively, Graham reframed them as assignments—calling him to live intentionally, help others overcome “the hump,” and use his lived experience as intellectual property to serve, coach, and motivate people through adversity, business challenges, fear, and self-doubt. The interview blends emotional storytelling with practical insights into personal growth, sales, mindset, recovery, faith, and entrepreneurship. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to: Inspire listeners to persevere through trauma, loss, and setbacks. Demonstrate how adversity can become purpose and value, not limitation. Show how lived experience translates into income and impact, especially for entrepreneurs. Encourage patience during recovery, whether from health issues, career loss, or personal failure. Promote Slight Edge Consulting as a resource for individuals stuck at the “15%” holding them back. Key Takeaways 1. Survival Creates Responsibility After narrowly avoiding the Amtrak crash that killed 47 people, Graham vowed not to waste his life and to live with intention. Takeaway: Survival is not luck—it’s an assignment. 2. Trauma Is Real, but It Can Be Transformed Graham openly discusses survivor’s remorse, PTSD, fear, discouragement, and self-doubt—especially after his stroke. Takeaway: Healing is messy, slow, and honest—but possible. 3. Recovery Requires Patience With Yourself Following his stroke, Graham had to relearn how to speak, walk, and think clearly. Progress came through patience, humility, and repetition. Takeaway: Every recovery has its own timeline—don’t rush the process. 4. Money Is a Byproduct of Action and Value Graham explains that income flows from prior action, knowledge, and intellectual property—not the other way around. Takeaway: Focus on value first; money follows. 5. Most People Already Have 85% of What They Need Through Slight Edge Consulting, Graham helps clients identify and fix the missing 15%—mindset, confidence, access, skills, or strategy. Takeaway: You’re closer to success than you think. 6. Sales Is the Transfer of Feeling Sales isn’t pressure or manipulation—it’s enthusiasm, belief, and confidence communicated clearly. Takeaway: If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no one else will. 7. Fear Grows When You Stand Still Standing at the “hump” makes it feel larger. Movement shrinks fear. Takeaway: Action reduces intimidation. 8. Give Yourself Permission to Be Great Too many people wait for validation, approval, or perfect timing that never comes. Takeaway: The cavalry is not coming—now is your time. Notable Quotes On surviving tragedy: “I made a vow that I was not going to be irresponsible with the time that I have left.” On the stroke and recovery: “Physically, it was like being locked inside of your body.” On honesty in healing: “We tell the success story, but what about the middle?” On patience: “We have to be patient with ourselves in any recovery process.” On mindset and entrepreneurship: “Money is only the byproduct of something.” On personal growth: “Most people have 85% of what they need—it’s the 15% that’s holding them back.” On sales: “Selling is nothing more than transferring feeling.” On fear and permission: “Give yourself permission to be great. The cavalry is not coming.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Wendell Graham. A stroke survivor, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and founder of Slight Edge Consulting, joins Rushion McDonald to share a deeply personal and powerful story of survival, resilience, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Graham recounts two life-altering experiences: Surviving a fatal Amtrak train crash in which the person who took his place died, causing years of survivor’s remorse. Suffering an anaphylactic shock and stroke in 2024, which temporarily robbed him of speech, memory, mobility, and independence. Rather than allowing these moments to define him negatively, Graham reframed them as assignments—calling him to live intentionally, help others overcome “the hump,” and use his lived experience as intellectual property to serve, coach, and motivate people through adversity, business challenges, fear, and self-doubt. The interview blends emotional storytelling with practical insights into personal growth, sales, mindset, recovery, faith, and entrepreneurship. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to: Inspire listeners to persevere through trauma, loss, and setbacks. Demonstrate how adversity can become purpose and value, not limitation. Show how lived experience translates into income and impact, especially for entrepreneurs. Encourage patience during recovery, whether from health issues, career loss, or personal failure. Promote Slight Edge Consulting as a resource for individuals stuck at the “15%” holding them back. Key Takeaways 1. Survival Creates Responsibility After narrowly avoiding the Amtrak crash that killed 47 people, Graham vowed not to waste his life and to live with intention. Takeaway: Survival is not luck—it’s an assignment. 2. Trauma Is Real, but It Can Be Transformed Graham openly discusses survivor’s remorse, PTSD, fear, discouragement, and self-doubt—especially after his stroke. Takeaway: Healing is messy, slow, and honest—but possible. 3. Recovery Requires Patience With Yourself Following his stroke, Graham had to relearn how to speak, walk, and think clearly. Progress came through patience, humility, and repetition. Takeaway: Every recovery has its own timeline—don’t rush the process. 4. Money Is a Byproduct of Action and Value Graham explains that income flows from prior action, knowledge, and intellectual property—not the other way around. Takeaway: Focus on value first; money follows. 5. Most People Already Have 85% of What They Need Through Slight Edge Consulting, Graham helps clients identify and fix the missing 15%—mindset, confidence, access, skills, or strategy. Takeaway: You’re closer to success than you think. 6. Sales Is the Transfer of Feeling Sales isn’t pressure or manipulation—it’s enthusiasm, belief, and confidence communicated clearly. Takeaway: If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no one else will. 7. Fear Grows When You Stand Still Standing at the “hump” makes it feel larger. Movement shrinks fear. Takeaway: Action reduces intimidation. 8. Give Yourself Permission to Be Great Too many people wait for validation, approval, or perfect timing that never comes. Takeaway: The cavalry is not coming—now is your time. Notable Quotes On surviving tragedy: “I made a vow that I was not going to be irresponsible with the time that I have left.” On the stroke and recovery: “Physically, it was like being locked inside of your body.” On honesty in healing: “We tell the success story, but what about the middle?” On patience: “We have to be patient with ourselves in any recovery process.” On mindset and entrepreneurship: “Money is only the byproduct of something.” On personal growth: “Most people have 85% of what they need—it’s the 15% that’s holding them back.” On sales: “Selling is nothing more than transferring feeling.” On fear and permission: “Give yourself permission to be great. The cavalry is not coming.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Wendell Graham. A stroke survivor, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and founder of Slight Edge Consulting, joins Rushion McDonald to share a deeply personal and powerful story of survival, resilience, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Graham recounts two life-altering experiences: Surviving a fatal Amtrak train crash in which the person who took his place died, causing years of survivor’s remorse. Suffering an anaphylactic shock and stroke in 2024, which temporarily robbed him of speech, memory, mobility, and independence. Rather than allowing these moments to define him negatively, Graham reframed them as assignments—calling him to live intentionally, help others overcome “the hump,” and use his lived experience as intellectual property to serve, coach, and motivate people through adversity, business challenges, fear, and self-doubt. The interview blends emotional storytelling with practical insights into personal growth, sales, mindset, recovery, faith, and entrepreneurship. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to: Inspire listeners to persevere through trauma, loss, and setbacks. Demonstrate how adversity can become purpose and value, not limitation. Show how lived experience translates into income and impact, especially for entrepreneurs. Encourage patience during recovery, whether from health issues, career loss, or personal failure. Promote Slight Edge Consulting as a resource for individuals stuck at the “15%” holding them back. Key Takeaways 1. Survival Creates Responsibility After narrowly avoiding the Amtrak crash that killed 47 people, Graham vowed not to waste his life and to live with intention. Takeaway: Survival is not luck—it’s an assignment. 2. Trauma Is Real, but It Can Be Transformed Graham openly discusses survivor’s remorse, PTSD, fear, discouragement, and self-doubt—especially after his stroke. Takeaway: Healing is messy, slow, and honest—but possible. 3. Recovery Requires Patience With Yourself Following his stroke, Graham had to relearn how to speak, walk, and think clearly. Progress came through patience, humility, and repetition. Takeaway: Every recovery has its own timeline—don’t rush the process. 4. Money Is a Byproduct of Action and Value Graham explains that income flows from prior action, knowledge, and intellectual property—not the other way around. Takeaway: Focus on value first; money follows. 5. Most People Already Have 85% of What They Need Through Slight Edge Consulting, Graham helps clients identify and fix the missing 15%—mindset, confidence, access, skills, or strategy. Takeaway: You’re closer to success than you think. 6. Sales Is the Transfer of Feeling Sales isn’t pressure or manipulation—it’s enthusiasm, belief, and confidence communicated clearly. Takeaway: If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no one else will. 7. Fear Grows When You Stand Still Standing at the “hump” makes it feel larger. Movement shrinks fear. Takeaway: Action reduces intimidation. 8. Give Yourself Permission to Be Great Too many people wait for validation, approval, or perfect timing that never comes. Takeaway: The cavalry is not coming—now is your time. Notable Quotes On surviving tragedy: “I made a vow that I was not going to be irresponsible with the time that I have left.” On the stroke and recovery: “Physically, it was like being locked inside of your body.” On honesty in healing: “We tell the success story, but what about the middle?” On patience: “We have to be patient with ourselves in any recovery process.” On mindset and entrepreneurship: “Money is only the byproduct of something.” On personal growth: “Most people have 85% of what they need—it’s the 15% that’s holding them back.” On sales: “Selling is nothing more than transferring feeling.” On fear and permission: “Give yourself permission to be great. The cavalry is not coming.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSteve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EP 678: Darin Hardy Level Seven High Terrain “You can’t half-ass walking on uneven ground—and that lesson translates to everything: relationships, fatherhood, business, life.” What’s up everyone! This week I’m sitting down with Darin Hardy, and man, this conversation goes places I didn’t expect. Darin is a former Marine Corps special operations guy who spent 20 years and 13 deployments in the military, and now he’s using horses, nature, and even AI to help executives and leaders transform their lives. Yeah, you heard that right—AI and horses. Stay with me here. This episode sits right at the intersection of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology. Darin breaks down how he’s using emotionally intelligent AI to help distill his thoughts and experiences in the field, then using horses as living mirrors to reflect back what people need to see about themselves. It’s wild, it’s different, and it’s honestly one of the most unique approaches to coaching I’ve ever heard. We dive deep into what Darin calls “window moments”—those rare experiences in nature where you feel like you’re between worlds. He shares two incredibly powerful stories: one about syncing with a horse at 16 years old and losing all sense of where he ended and the horse began, and another about a forked-horn mule deer that walked within arm’s reach and taught him he had permission to forge his own path. These aren’t just cool hunting stories—they’re formative moments that shaped how he shows up in the world. But this isn’t all woo-woo spiritual stuff. Darin gets tactical too. He talks about hitting the wall on day five of an elk hunt, using “I am” statements to shift from doing to being, and how those three words helped him arrow a bull when he was ready to quit. We also get into the difference between power over versus partner with, why he cried in a pasture when three horses wouldn’t let him catch them, and what that taught him about 20 years of narratives he’d been carrying. One of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Darin talks about being “porous”—how life doesn’t just happen to you or for you, but through you. And how as outdoorsmen, we’re naturally land-informed and nature-informed, which gives us this unique lens to filter everything else in life. It’s the same reason I believe elk hunting teaches you more about business and life than most MBA programs ever could. If you’re someone who’s looking for transformation, willing to get uncomfortable, and open to the idea that horses and mountains might teach you more about yourself than any boardroom ever will, this episode is for you. Darin’s work is for people who refuse to live small lives—people who want authentic experiences, not hand-fed success. https://www.level7highperformance.com/retreats?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss Sponsors Tricer – I run Tricer gear for a reason. One of my favorite products is the RP Bipod—a legit hunting bipod with all the high-end features you’d expect. At 10.5 ounces, it’s lightweight enough for any hunt. Comes with long legs, short legs, works on Picatinny or Arca. For $350, it’s a no-brainer. I’ve shot a ton of critters off mine. Head to tricer.com and use code TRO to save 10%. OnX Hunt – The new weather feature is a game-changer. Instead of checking weather for the nearest town, you can tap anywhere on the mountain and get hyperlocal weather data that takes topography into account. See wind variations across different parts of your hunting area. Become an Elite member at onxmaps.com and use code TRO to save 20%. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Ancient tech meets AI 05:15 – Darin’s military background: 20 years, 13 deployments 11:30 – From infantry to special operations 16:45 – Transitioning out and the two things he promised himself 22:20 – How passion becomes your job (whether you want it to or not) 28:40 – Being “porous” – life flowing through you, not just to you 34:15 – The horse window moment at 16: losing boundaries 40:30 – The mule deer at arm’s reach: permission to forge your own path 46:50 – Hong Kong beach: glowing plankton and Disney magic 52:10 – Flow state in the red zone: from doing to being 58:35 – Using AI to distill “I am” statements 1:03:20 – Day five of the Idaho hunt: hitting the wall 1:08:45 – Three horses that wouldn’t let him catch them 1:12:30 – Power over vs. partner with 1:16:00 – Level Seven High Terrain and authentic experiences 1:20:15 – Cow elk hunts as transformation: range day to butchering Three Key Takeaways Shift From Doing to Being – Darin uses AI-assisted coaching to help people create “I am” statements instead of “I do” goals. When he was exhausted on day five of an elk hunt, ready to quit, he repeated “I’m resilient, I’m flexible” as he climbed—pointing himself back to a state of being rather than performance. Ten minutes later, he arrowed a bull at 20 yards. The power isn’t in what you do, it’s in who you are. Those qualities remain true regardless of whether you punch your tag or eat it. Horses and Nature as Mirrors – Horses don’t lie. When Darin returned to Montana after 20 years in the military with this narrative of “this is my pot of gold,” three well-trained horses wouldn’t let him within 50 feet. He broke down crying in knee-high grass because they were reflecting back his energy—he’d come with an agenda, never asking what the horses’ agenda was. The next day, he left the halter at the gate, walked into the pasture with just a brush, and said “I’m here with fresh, if anyone wants something, come get it.” Within 10 minutes, all three horses were standing around him. Power over vs. partner with—that’s the lesson. Give Yourself Permission to Feel Something Different – Transformation isn’t about knowing what to do differently. It’s about giving yourself permission to feel something different. When you’re willing to accept the pain of change more than the pain of staying the same, you’re ready. Darin’s “window moments” in nature—with horses, with deer, with glowing plankton on a Hong Kong beach—gave him permission to see himself differently. You can’t half-ass walking on uneven ground, and that lesson translates to everything: relationships, fatherhood, business, life.

Most people are walking around with invisible permission slips that were written by someone else — parents who played it safe, teachers who emphasized limitations, a culture that rewards conformity and punishes desire. You have been waiting for permission your entire life. Permission to want what you want. Permission to receive without guilt. Permission to succeed beyond what your family has ever known. Permission to be seen in your full power. This episode is the permission slip you have been waiting for — and the revelation that the only signature it ever needed was yours.     In this powerful affirmation activation I guide you through over 150 pure permission-based declarations covering every domain where you have been holding yourself back. From the foundational layer — permission to exist, to take up space, to have needs — through inherited family ceilings, body and health, money and wealth, work and purpose, relationships and love, and the deep ones: permission to change your mind, to fail, to start before you are ready, to be happy now without earning it first. Every affirmation begins with "I give myself permission," "I allow myself," "I permit myself," or "I grant myself the right." This is the systematic dismantling of every self-imposed ceiling you have been living under — and the installation of unconditional internal authorization to receive, create, and become everything you came here to be.