Podcasts about Perfection

“How can we achieve perfection?” This question leads to a discussion on the steps we can take to avoid Purgatory, alongside insights on responding to Protestant challenges about Catholic doctrine. Other topics include the relationship between science and belief in God, the purpose of praying the Rosary, and the complexities of Church teachings on birth control. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 02:50 – What can we do to reach a level of perfection where we won't have to go to Purgatory? 13:45 – How do we respond to Protestants when they challenge our Catholic doctrine? 22:10 – Is there a good book that addresses the scientific basis for God? My intelligent 22 year old grandson says science prohibits him from believing in God. 30:19 – I'll be starting OCIA soon. Why pray the Rosary when we can go directly to God? And when would I pray the Rosary? It seems like if I just pray the Rosary I'd be giving up the fruitful prayer routine I already have. I wouldn't want to give that up. 41:45 – The verbiage of CCC 2370 regarding birth control, “rendering procreation impossible” puzzles me. I'm not sure how it would apply because both artificial contraception and NFP have similar success rates. 48:29 – What are some of the sins that a regular priest can't absolve? And what should a priest do if someone confesses something illegal?

In this episode:I talk with psychologist Dr. Nahal Delpassand about chronic illness, invisible conditions, and the pressure many high-achieving women feel to constantly push through discomfort. We discuss how to better listen to your body, separate your identity from your health challenges, and shift from always trying to “fix” yourself toward a more balanced and sustainable approach to wellness.Dr. Nahal Delpassand is a licensed psychologist based in Austin, Texas, with nearly a decade of experience in private practice. She has particular expertise in working with individuals navigating chronic illness, disability, and the psychological implications of infertility. Her philosophy is rooted in collaboration, empathy, and the belief that even in times of distress, people carry strengths that can be reactivated for growth and healing. She encourages clients to “pause, reflect, and understand themselves more fully,” creating a therapeutic space for sustainable change.Links mentioned during this episode:Dr. Delpassand's book: https://littletreestories.com/Dr. Delpassand's website: https://www.drnahaldelpassand.com/Free Initial Consultation with Dr. Megan: https://p.bttr.to/3a9lfYkLyons' Share Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelyonsshareJoin Megan's newsletter: www.thelyonsshare.org/newsletter

In this profound exploration of Matthew 25:1-13, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb unpack the parable of the ten virgins, revealing it as far more than a simple warning about preparedness. Moving beyond dispensational "rapture ready" interpretations, they demonstrate how this parable addresses the spiritual condition required for entrance into God's consummated kingdom. The discussion centers on the critical distinction between outward religious profession and genuine possession of the Holy Spirit's grace. With pastoral sensitivity and theological depth, the hosts examine the meaning of the oil, the significance of the midnight cry, and the urgency of both evangelism and personal examination. This episode challenges listeners to consider whether they possess not just the lamp of profession, but the oil of saving grace that alone sustains faith through the waiting period before Christ's return. Key Takeaways The oil represents saving grace, not perfect obedience - The critical distinction in the parable is not between those who stayed awake versus those who slept (all ten virgins fell asleep), but between those who possessed oil and those who didn't. The oil symbolizes the indwelling, regenerating, sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit—the grace that comes through effectual calling and genuine conversion. This parable warns against mere outward profession - All ten virgins carried lamps and waited for the bridegroom, representing outward religious activity and profession. The difference lay in the interior spiritual reality—whether that profession was accompanied by the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit or remained empty formalism. The "midnight cry" represents both personal death and Christ's return - Historically, Reformed expositors understood the midnight cry as either the actual cry of Christ's angels at His return or the voice of God in individual death. Each person's death functions as their personal midnight that irrevocably fixes their eternal state. Readiness is not about sinless perfection but possession of grace - The parable is not teaching a fearful "rapture ready" theology where Christians must be perfectly sinless when Christ returns. Rather, it teaches that readiness consists in possessing saving grace through faith in Christ, which sustains believers even when they "sleep" (fall into sin or spiritual drowsiness). There is urgency in the gospel call - The parable emphasizes that the opportunity for salvation has a deadline—"you know neither the day nor the hour." This creates urgency both for unbelievers to trust Christ and for believers to share the gospel, since no one knows when their personal "midnight" will arrive. Calvin's insight: you "buy" oil by receiving it freely through faith - Though the parable speaks of "buying" oil, Calvin notes this doesn't imply paying a price. Just as Isaiah invites people to buy wine and milk without money, we obtain the oil of grace not through merit or payment, but by receiving through faith what Christ freely offers. Key Concepts The Oil as Symbol of the Holy Spirit's Grace The oil in this parable has been consistently interpreted throughout church history as representing the grace of the Holy Spirit—specifically the indwelling, regenerating, and sanctifying presence that comes through genuine conversion. This interpretation aligns with Old Testament symbolism where anointing oil signified the Spirit's presence (as in "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit"). The crucial distinction Jesus makes is not about external religious activity (both groups had lamps and waited), but about internal spiritual reality. Just as a lamp cannot burn without oil, religious profession without the Spirit's grace has no sustaining power. This oil cannot be shared or borrowed; it must be personally possessed. The parable thus exposes the deadly danger of assuming that outward Christian activities—church attendance, biblical knowledge, moral behavior—constitute genuine Christianity when the transforming work of the Spirit is absent. All the Virgins Slept: Grace Overcomes Human Weakness One of the most important details often overlooked is that both the wise and foolish virgins fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. This demolishes any interpretation suggesting the parable is about maintaining perfect spiritual vigilance or sinless living. The wise virgins' readiness was not based on their superior wakefulness or moral stamina—they fell asleep just like the foolish ones. Their preparedness came from having secured the oil beforehand. This has profound theological implications: our salvation and readiness for Christ's return does not depend on our ability to maintain perfect spiritual alertness or sinless perfection. Even when believers "sleep"—when they fall into sin, experience spiritual dullness, or fail in vigilance—they remain prepared because they possess the oil of the Spirit's grace. The parable thus provides comfort alongside its warning: those who have truly received Christ need not live in constant fear that a moment of weakness will disqualify them when He returns. The Midnight Cry and Personal Eschatology The midnight cry in verse 6 functions on multiple levels theologically. Universally, it points to Christ's unexpected second coming at the end of history. But Reformed interpreters have also recognized its application to individual eschatology—each person's death serves as their personal "midnight cry" that ends all opportunity for preparation. This dual meaning creates urgency both for evangelism and self-examination. The parable warns that whether Christ returns globally or death comes individually, that moment will arrive unexpectedly ("at midnight," the hour of deepest sleep) and irrevocably fix one's eternal state. Once the door is shut, no amount of pleading ("Lord, Lord, open to us") can change one's condition. This underscores a biblical truth often denied in contemporary theology: there is no post-mortem opportunity for salvation, no remedial path after death. The time for obtaining oil is now, in this life, before the cry sounds. Memorable Quotes Every man's death to him is the coming of Christ. That's when our state is irrevocably fixed. And so there's an urgency here—an urgency of evangelism and self-examination because the midnight cry may come at any moment. The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is not that one of them stays awake and one of them falls asleep. The difference between the wise and the foolish is that the ones that are wise are prepared for when the bridegroom comes, even though they fell asleep. The only way to be prepared for the end is to turn to Jesus. It's not about whether or not you've turned to Jesus and have become perfectly sinless. None of us are like that. It's about trusting Jesus. Full Episode Transcript Welcome to episode 494 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  [00:01:10] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother.  [00:01:15] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Looks like you and I need to get a midnight oil check. That's if you know, you know, that's what's coming up on this episode, and we're headed to Matthew 25 to do that oil check. We're still firmly in all of these beautiful parables that Jesus tells us, and this one goes by various names. You might know it as the parable of the 10 virgins, or if you're Petra. That classic Christian rock group who produced a song called Midnight Oil, which is absolutely a banger that that should be like the the theme song of this episode. If you haven't heard that song, go check out Midnight Oil by Petra and then come back and listen to us. Like, I wish we had the rights to that. We could just drop it in right here. But we're not that cool and we're not gonna edit that. So I'm gonna leave it up to you to craft your own version of this podcast with that great backing track. Have you heard that song?  [00:02:09] Tony Arsenal: I actually haven't. I, I came, uh, came into Christianity sort of at the tail end of Petra's Big Influence. So I know, I knew who Petra is. I've listened to a few of their songs, but they weren't mainstream by any sort, sort of, uh, stretch of the imagination when I was listening to Christian music. So  [00:02:28] Jesse Schwamb: this one's so good. It's so good. And it's right on point for our conversation today. So we're gonna get into all that stuff. The oil check, the midnight nature of it, the 10 virgins. What does it all mean? Of course, Tony and me, we have for you what I believe to be the definitive exegetical and hermeneutical reflection on the parable. So that's what you've come to expect from us and we're happy to deliver, but before we deliver on that, we got all the things we have to deliver to you, and that is affirming with or denying against something that's that point of course in the podcast or our conversation where we choose something they firm with that we think is. Undervalued, something we might recommend or conversely to deny against something that maybe is a little bit too overvalued or just not that great. So Tony, as is our customer, I say to you, sir, what are you doing? Are you affirming with something or are you denying against something?  [00:03:16] Denial Memory Blank [00:03:16] Tony Arsenal: I'm denying something. This is like denial. Ception is what's going on here. So, uh, first of all, thank you, Jesse for, uh, pitch hitting a solo episode at like, literally the last minute, last week. Um, I think we normally record at seven 30 on the Lord's Day, and I think I texted Jesse like 6 45 and was like, I just don't have it in the tank today. Can you do something? And he just hopped behind the mic. So that's a bonus affirmation there. But, uh, Jesse and I were, we're having a little bit of a pregame, uh, today, very much, you know, like five minutes of how you doing and are you ready to go? And, uh, I realized I, I had a really great affirmation last week, all ready to rock. I remember being super excited about it. I remember, uh, when I decided, or when we decided you were gonna do a solo episode thinking, I gotta make sure I remember this for next week. Right? And it has totally left my brain. It's gone. And, uh, it's, it's the worst feeling in the world when that happens. And I remember reading at some point, like, there's a biochemical reason why this happens and why it feels so weird. Like, it, it feels like you should be able to just dive into your mind and like search around enough and find it. And that's just not actually how your, how like your memory works. It's not, um. I think we think of memory as though it's like a big filing cabinet and you can just, like, you can just flip through the CAD catalog like long enough and find it. That's not how it works. Um, it's kind of like more organic network kind of stuff. But yeah, the, the, it's gone. It's just gone and I hate that feeling and it's gone. And that's what I'm denying is that feeling and losing your mind and feeling like you don't remember anything.  [00:04:56] Jesse Schwamb: I'm totally with you because incidentally, as we talked, we discovered we both had that experience because I had something too. And it's not just that, well, you know, we try to set aside or do a little prep on the affirmations and denials because you know, we come across something great in life, or again, the opposite. And you think, I gotta remember this because I wanna talk about this with Tony. And the worst part of that is like twofold. One, it never is great to forget something that you had or you knew you knew at one time, but it's all the less satisfying when it was something that you're super excited about and you're like, this is gonna be great. And it's that thing that you've completely forgotten that's like double the worst. So I'm, I'm totally with you in this denial. [00:05:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, it's, it's a really frustrating, terrible feeling. And there's not much you can do about it. And the, the secondary denial to that is it always comes back to you in the worst possible part of whatever conversation you're having. It's like you hem and hover it and you think about it and you, and I'm doing it right now. You, you sit here and you, you continue to try to talk thingy. It's gonna come, it's gonna come. Yes. It's gonna get here.  [00:05:59] Jesse Schwamb: Yep.  [00:06:00] Tony Arsenal: And then just when you finally have resigned yourself and, and the conversation moves on, that's when it comes back around. So I don't know if that's gonna happen or not, Jesse. If it does, I will try my best to ignore it, but I probably won't be able to. So No, I think you probably should get moving. So whatever it was the amazing affirmation, I don't remember. It can come back to us.  [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: It can come back. Yeah. I'm hoping that it does. And when it does, you guys just tell us you got, just let it, let it rip. Like even if we're like right in the middle of some deep, heavy, robust, thick theology, I just wanna be like. I, I can't even imagine what your affirmation was. It must have been like something pretty, pretty good.  [00:06:33] Tony Arsenal: I don't know. I don't know. I, I'm sure it was something interesting. I don't even, I'm  [00:06:37] Jesse Schwamb: trying to draw it out of you now.  [00:06:38] Tony Arsenal: Course. I can't even like, think of the ballpark of what part of like, what, what the category even was. It's just totally, it's totally gone. Like it never happened. Yep. It's, it's totally, totally gone. So I keep on saying, and you would think with all of my talk of like note taking apps and how important it's to keep a journal and all the stuff we've talked about that I would finally get around to like just jotting down in Apple Notes what my affirmations are and I just never do it. So. Yeah,  [00:07:05] Jesse Schwamb: I have every intention, but then I think, well, this is the record of them and I'll have it available to me when it comes time. The talk that's, and sometimes it just goes away. Has it happened yet? I'm still trying to draw it out of you by talking.  [00:07:15] Tony Arsenal: No, I'm just gonna give up. It's just gone. It's gone. That's just gone.  [00:07:19] Jesse Schwamb: That's, that's fair enough. Maybe. What do you  [00:07:21] Tony Arsenal: got for us, Jesse?  [00:07:22] Prayer and Anointing [00:07:22] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I was gonna say, maybe I can just help push it along, as it were by my own. So I'm also affirming with something, lemme just read a couple verses from James chapter five. Is anyone Among You Sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and there to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who's sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they'll be forgiven him. I had really just the profound opportunity and privilege today to participate in this because. My wife at the end of this week, uh, which will be a week past when this is, this airs, is about to go undergo that serious surgery, which she spoke about in an episode, I don't know, maybe several weeks ago. And, uh, my pastor asked if it would, if he'd like us and the elders, um, to come and to pray over my wife. And they did so after our service today. And it was just a really incredible thing. Even I'm still processing it. I don't really know. Like the words to say with what I can bring forward is just like words of gratitude and gratefulness for this kind of living out of the scriptures. What I can say is that the way in which he brought this forward and the elders prayed was just so incredibly loving and genteel and spirit-filled. And I think which is a manifestation of, of God's love for us in this moment as we prepare for this great thing to give us peace, peace, and to increase our faith and to do so by just following what the scriptures say here. So my affirmation is maybe twofold. One, it's for this particular experience, it's certainly for pastors, for elders who make it their objective to care for their flock and to do so under the rubric and the instruction of the scriptures. So I'm grateful, and if you have those kind of pastors and elders in your life, I hope that you'll be grateful to them for them as well, and that you might express that gratefulness. So this was a really incredible and, and lovely thing, and, uh, fills us with a kind of hope and encouragement. And if anything else was a reminder of the feel, there's something different going to experience like this armed fully with the promises of God and asking that he would be glorified, that our testimonies would be strong, and that of course, that he would bring healing through it. So I'm ever so grateful and affirming what this passage and this passage put into practice.  [00:09:51] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And if you are listening to this, when, uh, when it comes out or shortly after, probably not even shortly after, probably for a couple weeks after or months after, um, uh, Jesse's wife Jen did talk about the surgery and the condition she's been suffering under. So, uh, she's part of the Reformed Brotherhood family. She is, uh, just as important to the show, uh, as Jesse and I are in terms of the support that our wives give us and, and the space that we need to do this. So please do pray for Jen. Um, she'll be recovering when you hear this, if it's anywhere near the time that this comes out. Uh, it's a fairly large surgery with a, a, a moderately long recovery time. So please, uh, please do pray for her, uh, and, and make sure that you're lifting her up. Um, we are trusting the Lord for good things, uh, for her. Yes. And uh, we're confident that he, his will will be done 'cause it always is. But yeah, definitely pray for her. [00:10:42] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. Thank you for saying that, Tony. I appreciate that as her husband and. We are encouraged that we've said this before, but this is where our theology matters, isn't it? It's in the times where we come before the Lord in faith and in full trust, because one, there's nowhere else to go. He has the words of life for us. He is our life, but also because. In his son, this beautiful gift of salvation whereby his son is the suffering servant. So he's well acquainted with all of this kind of thing. And so stands with us in every conceivable way to be both so incredibly transcendent and above the nonsense and the noise of our world with full power and sovereignty over all things. And at the same time, to be fully eminent. To be literally with us in all the ways. In all the things. And again, well acquainted with our condition, including the grief and the suffering, the anxiety, the all of this, which we experience as part and parcel of what it means to be human, who is like our God in this way. And so we do sense his great and uncommon care for us, and it would be dishonest of me even in the midst of these difficult and challenging things to say that he doesn't care for us. He has good and he loves us, and he's making a way, even though that way be hired. So we're sensing even from, I think, following that time of prayer, that whether we receive the bread of affliction. Uh, or the, the water of of agony that we hear God's voice behind us saying, this is the way, walk in it, and he's with us. So I hope that's encouragement maybe to others who are also going through their own things and who isn't going through something, right?  [00:12:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:12:18] Jesse Schwamb: So we all have this great promise in the gospel that God is for us, and I love that James here gives us some practical instruction to that end. [00:12:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure.  [00:12:31] Support the Show [00:12:31] Tony Arsenal: Well, before we move into our topic for the evening, uh, the internet tells me that I'm supposed to do this at this point in the show rather than at the very end like we usually do. Well, let's do it. Um, we are a listener supported episode, not like PBS, uh, not like other things. Uh, maybe kind of a little bit like PBS Yeah, a little bit. Anyway, uh, we have a, a pretty dedicated group of Patreon supporters who, uh, donate a little bit and sometimes some people, a lot, a bit of their discretionary income, uh, to help make the show go. And we've said before, like, we are not interested in providing special content or special gear or swag every once in a while. I think we did it once and we've, we've got plans to do it again sometime in the future. We'll send out a thank you gift to those who are subscribing through Patreon. Um, but we are committed to producing the show and making everything that we put online and everything that we make available, available to everybody. And really the only reason that we can do that, especially in today's economy, is uh, because there are people who support the show. And so we always want to make sure that we're saying we're thank you to those people. Yes. Um, they are a part of this show. I don't know if we are not gonna do like executive producer credits, but they're as close to that as you can get. Since we don't do that, um, we really wouldn't be able to do the show, at least not the way that it is without that supporting group of people. So if that's something that you hear and you no, I kind of think that maybe I wanna be a part of that. We would love for you to go to patreon.com/reform tears. There's no special swag, there's no early releases or anything like that. Um, but we would love if you would partner with us. Um, this is a lowercase m ministry, and if you've listened to the show for a long time, you know what I mean by that. Uh, we, we do consider this to be a calling, something that God has given us and we, we understand there's a responsibility with it, but we also know that we can't do it alone. So if you're interested after you've fulfilled all your personal finance obligations, your obligation to your local church and your immediate area, if there's a little bit left over that you're looking to spend somewhere on something that is valuable, uh, please do consider going to patreon.com/form Brotherhood. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: And if you've been listening for a while and you've thought, you know what, I wonder who else is out there that's like me, that's listening to these guys on the internet. Guess what? You can actually meet some of those people. They have a little spot where they hang out. It's called Telegram. It's just a chat app, and we have our own little section of that app. If you just go to your favorite browser, whatever it is, you can choose and go to wherever you like, just go to t me slash Reform Brotherhood. And that link will take you into kind of a preview land where you can see the space where everybody's talking, and you can peruse some of the different channels, everything from uh, channels just for prayer, for a crusting, prayer to general conversation, talk about the episodes, talk about baptism, all kinds of things. It is, as we always say, one of the kindest, most charitable, most loving corners of the internet. Guaranteed. You can test us on that. So in fact, you should by going to t.me back slash reform Brotherhood, Tony, back to you. [00:15:36] Eschatology Shift [00:15:36] Tony Arsenal: Well, let's just slam it right into gear. We, we, we haven't figured out how to do transitions into or out of, uh, Patreon announcements, uh, or telegram announcements,  [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: right?  [00:15:46] Tony Arsenal: So this, I, maybe this is the awkward charm of the show, or maybe it's just the awkwardness of the show. It's just charm, Jesse,  [00:15:53] Jesse Schwamb: all charm. [00:15:53] Tony Arsenal: We need to talk about some things tonight. We need to talk about some oil. Yes. We need to talk about some lamps. Yes. We need talk about some bridegrooms.  [00:16:00] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:16:00] Tony Arsenal: It's the parable of the 10 virgins or the 10 lamps, or the parable of the oil flasks. Yes. There's lots of different things that it's called. Uh, it's what it isn't, it's not the parable of, uh, the 24 hour Jiffy Lube, which is what it made, what you made it sound like when you talked about the midnight oil check. Um,  [00:16:18] Jesse Schwamb: I  [00:16:18] Tony Arsenal: didn't even think about that. But yeah. This is, this is a good one. And I think we've, we've sort of. I've sort of observed that the parables do tend to clump around systematic theology themes, and they clump within the narrative of the gospel within Matthew itself around themes. So the last three parables that we talked about were all sort of like parables of judgment against the Pharisees and a, a lot of things like unconditional election and reparation were all baked into that pie. You know, we talked about with the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coins and the lost, um, the lost, uh, brother. We talked about how that has a lot to do with like election. It has to do with salvation and what the gospel looks like in terms of justification in the father's initiative. And we're moving into a section of Matthew, um, where Jesus is starting to teach on the last days. And so the parables in this section start to move toward ha to have more of an eschatological bent. Yes. We talked a little bit about some of the eschatology and the parables when we, we went through the, um, through the, the. Um, my brain just left me. It happened again, Jesse. The, the denial thing, uh, when we talked about the parable of the tears and the wind field and the, the, the different kinds of soils back on track, there was an eschatological element to that. But we are in like straight up eschatology Yeah. In these, these sections now. That's right. So we're coming to the end of Matthew, uh, our plan right now and who knows what the Lord has for us. But the plan right now is once we finish Matthew, to go back and visit some of the parables that are present in the other gospels. And there's not too many of 'em, but that are present in the other gospels that aren't necessarily, uh, present in Matthew. So, like you said, there's not a ton of 'em. Uh, we do want to hit all of 'em. And if there's, if there's time, and I say if there's time as though we have some sort of time constraints, um, if there's time we probably will talk a little bit about some of the I am statements and some of the things in John. 'cause John doesn't do parables quite the same way in quite the same fashion, but he does have sort of some of this. Allegorical figurative language baked into some of his, um, some of his writings or some of the accounts of Jesus that he, he, um, captures that are probably worth talking about in the seam light. So right now we're, we're coming up quick on the end of the parables of Matthew. Um, there's not very many left and then we'll, we'll keep moving on. Uh, that said. We are, it's almost unbelievable to say this. We're going to be coming up to the end of the parable series sometime in the next, I dunno, six to 10 months. Uh, if you've got ideas for what you think the next series should be, start thinking about those now. Bring 'em to the telegram chat. Let's start percolating those ideas up, right? And, uh, like a good coffee maker. And we'll, uh, we'll brew some goodness. How many more parables? How many more, uh, metaphors can I throw in there? Puns, can I throw in there? But yeah, Jesse, let's get started. This is a good one.  [00:19:08] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that was a really, I think, fine introduction. I always enjoyed this parable because it has some really fun, dramatic elements, but I think I, I really haven't really appreciated all the eschatological underpinnings that you were just mentioning. And when you think about it as we're, I think we're gonna soon find here. That this is one of the most searching and solemn parables, actually, that Jesus uttered, and you start to get a sense for that as we've just kind of been hitting them, one after the other. As you said, this one belongs to the great olive discourse. It's delivered by Jesus to his disciples on the Mount of Olives just days before his crucifixion. It's in direct response to their questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and the sign of his condiment coming and the end of the age. So you're right. I think this carries like unmistakable eschatological weight because it's not merely this fable about preparedness in general, which sometimes is where we go. Yeah. But it's really more of like a precise theological warning about the spiritual condition required for entrance into the consummated kingdom of God at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  [00:20:11] Tony Arsenal: Yeah,  [00:20:11] Jesse Schwamb: I think that's the full setup.  [00:20:12] Read Matthew 25 [00:20:12] Jesse Schwamb: We, we've gotta go to the scriptures, right?  [00:20:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:20:16] Jesse Schwamb: Alright. It's time. You want me to read it? [00:20:17] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, yeah, go ahead.  [00:20:18] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. Here we go. Matthew 25, beginning in verse one, then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bride groom. Now, five of them were foolish and five were prudent for when the foolish took their lamps. They took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout. Behold the bridegroom come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered saying, no, there will not be enough for us and for you too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves. And while they're going away to make the purchase, that bridegroom came and those who already went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut. And later the other versions came also saying, Lord, Lord, open for us. But he answered and said, truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Therefore, stay awake for you do not know the day nor the hour.  [00:21:27] Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  [00:21:29] Assurance Not Fear [00:21:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, this one's heavy. And I just wanna say, kind of coming into this, right, I think a lot of our audience, and I would, I would include myself in this, um, we, we came to sort of like an awareness of faith. And I, I don't say that in a sort of tongue in cheek fashion. What I mean, um. I'll, I'll just speak from my perspective, but I think it's probably one that resonates. I came to faith when I was a, you know, a relatively young teenager, 15 years old, and, um, when you first become a Christian, you're not aware of all the different theological debates or even all of the major implications of the Christian faith. And I think a lot of us and myself, uh, as, as sort of the example when we be started to become aware of the different conversations happening in different dynamics and some of the more, uh, maybe third or fourth tier doctrines that you learn when you're, um, sort of being catechized as a new Christian, uh, catechized in sort of an informal sense, eschatology is probably one of those ones that comes along fairly, fairly late in the game. And I recall, um, when I first became aware of the left behind books, right? And so I, I came to faith in a large Lutheran megachurch, uh, that wasn't really as Lutheran as you would think, cup being a large Lutheran megachurch. It was very dispensational. And I think there is a sense of dread and fear associated with rapture ready theology. And I don't, I don't think all dispensationalist that, um, believe in a, a literal rapture of the church either prior to or following or in the middle of the tribulation. I don't think all dispensationalist fall into this category. But there are definitely dispensationalist out there that would emphasize being rapture ready. And you know, you think of like the song, I wish We'd All Been Ready, you know, and, and this, this sort of existential fear that the Rapture's gonna come and I'm not gonna be ready and I'm gonna be left behind. Right. There's an, the entire book series is about people who thought that they were Christians who thought that they were justified and saved and then weren't. And, and I don't think the book gives all that much explanation other than sort of like a general sense of like, these are sort of nominal fake Christians that maybe some of them think they're saved and some of them don't. I know there were definitely characters in the book who really thought that they were followers of Jesus and then they didn't realize they weren't until they were not raptured with everyone else. The only reason I sort of launch into that progam is I think that the tendency in most circles because of the pervasive. Sort of all expansive influence of dispensationalism in the United States, and particularly sort of this like rapture ready, left behind theology that is a, a major thread within, um, American dispensationalism. There's a tendency to look at this almost exclusively in light of that sort of rapture ready fear that right the end is gonna come and I'm not gonna be ready and. I don't, I'm not a dispensationalist, I don't hold to a rapture in that sense. I don't think you do either. Jesse and I, I think there's an element of this that has that same flavor that we have to acknowledge, but I don't think we should read this in light of like, you think you're gonna be fine, but actually you're not. So you better get it together. I don't think that that's the point of the parable. Um, and I wanna say that upfront because it is easy to read a parable like this and to, to become extremely fearful to the point that it actually shakes whatever assurance you may have had. And I've said it before and, and I, I will say it again, it is not, I am not in the business of robbing the assurance away from Christians. The assurance of faith and the assurance of salvation is the rightful possession and inheritance of all those who are Christ. And so I have no, no desire to shake or rob you of your assurance. That's just not my jam. Um, so I wanted to get that out there. Like I don't think that this parable is here. To scare the daylights out of us and make us question whether or not we actually belong to the bridegroom. I actually think it's here for a different reason.  [00:25:39] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I agree.  [00:25:40] Watch and Be Ready [00:25:40] Jesse Schwamb: I, I think this may have more in common with like the tears in the wheat parable that we've spoken about before versus trying to promulgate a particular understanding of eschatology. There's no doubt that this is calibrated to the period preceding the perusia. At the same time, the parable is a reminder that describes like the visible professing church on earth as it moves toward that consummation. So this is why I think it is important for us to talk about, well, what do we mean by these 10 virgins? What do we mean about the lamps themselves? What is this saying generally about God's church? And again, him addressing the question of what does it mean for that church to be consummated in his kingdom?  [00:26:18] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I, I'm, I'm trying to find the specific passage, but um. We also should not miss the verbal affinity here. Uh, at the end of the parable, when it says truly, I say to you, I do not know you. We should really read this in light of, um, the, um, the statements. You know, I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was, you know, and you say, Lord, we did these things. He said, away from me. I never knew you. We really should read this parable. I think in light of that passage and that phrasing, I think that's, that's actually the punchline of this  [00:26:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:26:55] Tony Arsenal: Punchline. That's, that's the point. Parable is that last phrase, and then the, the extra parable, the outside of the parable, um, payoff or sort of like explanation that Christ gives is watch. Therefore, for you neither know the day nor the hour. The point is not, um, you may think you're a Christian. You may think you're, you're on top of things, but you actually, you might be totally wrong. And so you better get your stuff together. The point is what, what happens? Or the point is the same thing as I think it's the author of Hebrew is like, today is the day of salvation, right? Like, do not wait to turn to Christ. Do not wait. That's right to trust in Jesus. Do not wait to enter the kingdom of heaven until the last minute. Do not wait because you don't actually know when the end is coming. And I, I read this when I, when it's watch, therefore for, you know, neither the day nor the hour. I read this less in light of, um. Like universal eschatology, uh, every single person that, that Jesus was speaking to in this original audience that he actually delivered this parable to, did not see that, like, did not see the last days. Right. Whatever the last days looks like. And I mean, like, yes, the last days is from the resurrection to the end of the age. So some of them saw those last days. But what I mean is none of these people saw the return of Christ, like the second return of Christ and that the last judgment. So he would, it would be sort of meaningless to be delivering this parable to those people. With only whatever the last things are with only the rapture in mind with only Right, exactly. The great judgment. None of that would make any sense. So I read this more in light of you never know when your day and hour is coming. Not, not necessarily like the day, like the day of the Lord, although that's true. Yes. There will be a generation on earth who the last day, the final judgment is also their last day in terms of their ordinary human life. But I think this is more of a general call to all of us, and especially to those, um, out there who are in the orbits of the church who are exposed to the gospel, um, and have not yet trusted Christ. [00:29:09] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:29:09] Tony Arsenal: Um, there is a call to turn to Jesus and to, uh, to, to come into the kingdom of heaven, to be prepared by coming into the kingdom of heaven here. That's, that's the main point of the peril that we have to land on.  [00:29:21] Bridegroom And Virgins [00:29:21] Jesse Schwamb: I agree with you, and I think all of the imagery here points in that direction. So even starting with this image of these 10 virgins, which of course you've been listening to us talk for long enough, or you've read through the Old Testament, you're gonna quickly, and I think cogently see that this is the Old Testament imagery of Israel as the bride or the covenant community. It's also of course, like the Greco Roman custom in which the bridesmaids attended the bride and accompanied the wedding procession when the bride groom arrived to claim his bride. So to your point, what I think is really interesting about this is that we're basically saying that this parable is not speaking of like strangers or enemies, but those who have made a profession of faith. And so even this like idea of the bridegroom who, who's without a question? Christ here, that's a self-identification that's rooted in like John chapter three, where even John the Baptist calls himself merely the friend of the bridegroom and a revelation where you are going already, where the marriage supper of the lamb consummate, consummate redemptive history. [00:30:19] Lamps And Oil Meaning [00:30:19] Jesse Schwamb: So once we get through the idea of we have those whom Jesus is speaking about, and even those who he's speaking to as those who have made some kind of profession, religious or otherwise, to me, where this hinges is in this idea of the lamps or these torches or or burning lamps, which I take to be like this outward profession. And so the question is you have all of them coming with these lamps. Lambs represent this external common to true or false professors alike. But I think to what you are driving at, it's whether within that profession there is a true and actual reliance on Christ himself for righteousness.  [00:30:57] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, oil, I think the oil is really key here too, right? Oil in the, uh, in the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament. Um, but also in some places in the New Testament, oil is associated with the Holy Spirit.  [00:31:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes,  [00:31:11] Tony Arsenal: exactly right. So if, if we wanna sort of take the symbolism here, take, take the, the situation sort of as a mixture of, of different kinds of symbols. We have these folks that have all of the outward things necessary to be able to light the lamps. They have the lamps, the wicks are there. Um, they're, they're sort of ready to go. They're, they're ready and waiting for a time. Uh, but what they don't have is they don't have oil, they don't have the Holy Spirit. So yes, we, we need in some senses about false professors, but I do think it's broader than that.  [00:31:43] Salvation Has A Deadline [00:31:43] Tony Arsenal: I think this is, um, again, is a generalized parable about. The, the fact that the hour of salvation, the day of salvation, the opportunity to turn to God, the opportunity to come into God's kingdom is not an indefinite opportunity. It's not going to be out there as a possibility forever. There is a day and an hour and a minute for every single person where that opportunity is no longer available. And of course we're the reformed brotherhood, not the Armenian Brotherhood, right? We're the reformed brotherhood. So yes, God has ordained who will come and who will not. He's ordained the hour and the minute of those who will, and he's ordained that some will never come. But that all operates on God's God's level in God's knowledge. And that's not something we have access to know down here, right? Deuteronomy 29, 29, the sacred things belong to the Lord, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever. And one of the things that's revealed is that God calls us to salvation. He calls us to repent and trust in Jesus. And here in this passage, he is cutting us to do that, to not delay doing that.  [00:32:53] Personal Evangelism Story [00:32:53] Tony Arsenal: I think there are a lot of people, um. I can actually think of a couple really specific examples in when I was in high school. Um, I was, I, I don't do as much personal evangelism as I I did when I was, uh, when I was in high school and younger. I, I don't know for sure what the reason is. Some of it's probably my own cowardice, but I think probably just that's normal, that as you grow and you kind of settle into different kinds of relationships, you have a different context. But I remember a, a friend of mine named Dave, I'm not gonna say his last name, I remember his last name, but I'm not gonna say it, but a friend of mine named David, um, who. All of us were coming to faith, like all, all of our friend group were coming to Faith. There was one of my friends, James was sort of like the first guy who, he was raised in a Christian home and he sort of came to faith in a very real faith, real way. And he sort of brought all of us along with him and sort of one by one we, we sort of like, it was like Domino's falling. And we all came to a genuine, true saving faith kind of all right in a row. And then there was Dave and Dave just didn't like he, he with us. He did all the things we were doing. And I remember having a conversation with him where I was like, what are you waiting for? Like, what's, what's the hold up here? And I didn't have any, again, I didn't have any framework for like what apologetics were, I wasn't trying to make an argument or any sort of like, um, any sort of like persuasion. It was just a real raw like we are all loving this. We're all, we're all so joyful and happy. The lives are changing and we. This is real, Dave, what, what are you waiting for? He never had a real answer. He, he didn't ever make an argument against the faith. He was very clear that he believed that God was real. He believed that God existed, that the sort of the facts of the gospel were true. Like he, he, um, to sort of put like theological language on it, um, he had, he had a ticia and a census, right? Right. He, he acknowledged he knew the true facts of the gospel and he acknowledged the reality that, that those facts were true. He just never actually took the step to trust in Jesus. And I don't know what happened to Dave. Uh, there's another friend of mine named Theo that very similar kind of situation. I don't know what happened to Dave and Theo. I have no idea whether they eventually came to faith or not, but, but it was like, you guys never know when the day in the hours. That's the kind of person that I think this is pointing to.  [00:35:15] Against Rapture Ready Fear [00:35:15] Tony Arsenal: Not necessarily the person within the church, um, who has made some sort of credible profession of faith, but thinks, but like, because like they haven't stopped swearing yet, or because they still have lustful thoughts once in a while. Like I think that's the rapture ready theology is like. You better not hope that like that's the day that a pretty girl walks by and you have a lutful thought. 'cause if Jesus comes back right after that, you're really in trouble. Like those are, those are actually, um, again, this is, this is a caricature of dispensationalism, but it's a caricature that I experienced. It's, it was people who were being characters of themselves. Right? This idea that, look, you better, you better not sin ever. You better not be asleep. And being asleep means sinning. You better not ever sin. Because if you happen to sin right before the rapture, then Jesus is gonna leave you behind. Right? You're not gonna fly up in the clouds if you're not perfectly rapture ready. And like, again, not all dispensationalist are like that. I actually think most dispensationalist these days would probably not fit into that category. Right? But when I was coming to faith in the late nineties and early two thousands, that was the real theology being presented. I don't think that's what this is. This is about a life orientation of preparedness. This is about an entire life. Yes. That is prepared for Christ's second coming or for the hour of our death. And that the only way to be prepared for that is to be happy in Christ, is to be blessed, blessed assurance, like to have your blessed assurance because Jesus is mine. Oh, what a, you know, oh, what a happy delight like that is. The only way to be ready for death, to be prepared for the end is to turn to Jesus. It's not about whether or not you've turned to Jesus and have become perfectly sinless. None of us are like that, right? It's not about, I just got done writing this series of articles on John Piper's affectional theology, affectional Justification, like it's not about perfectly treasuring Christ. There are gonna be times where your emotions do not sync up with what you actually believe. It's not about being perfectly obedient or wanting to be perfectly obedient. It's about trusting Jesus. And there's only one day an hour that that opportunity closes, and you never know when that is, when that day an hour is gonna be. [00:37:26] Wise Versus Foolish [00:37:26] Jesse Schwamb: We know that to be true in this particular parable because of what's written for us in verse two, how Jesus himself bifurcates and labels these two groups. He says five of them were foolish and five were wise. So Christ himself introduces the critical distinction, not of course, with reference to whatever the external practice is, because both of these groups are carrying lamps, both weight, both know the bridegroom is coming, but with an interior character judgment one is literally foolish, which is the same contrast that Christ employs actually in the parable of the two builders at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, where the wise man hears and does, while the foolish man hears, but does not translate hearing into obedient transformation. So I'm with you on this. The terms carry, I think, significant Old Testament fruit because in the all the wisdom literature, wisdom is synonymous with the fear of the Lord, that true knowledge of God, right? And that practical orientation, I think as you were saying, of one's entire life toward God. The fool is not like an intellectual simpleton, but it's a world spiritual category. It's one who lives as though God does not exist or God does not matter, or refuses in the light of incontrovertible evidence to come before God and to submit to him In this way. They are foolish or they are wise. And so again, I like what you're saying. It's not as if like they've just exhibited some kind of quick departure or they've fallen into temptation or sinfulness, but instead, rather, there's something way larger at stake here with respect to a spiritual category. And I think that's really what Jesus is after, as he's bringing these two groups apart from each other, explaining that essentially that they access the same things. They heard the same stuff, they had the same on the outward, at least the same priorities, but the true internal character, the interior character of who they were, was not compatible. These are not the the same kind of person.  [00:39:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  [00:39:21] All Virgins Fall Asleep [00:39:21] Tony Arsenal: And this is actually something, um, that I hadn't picked up on before. Right. I think we can get into these ruts when we're reading and understanding, uh, the scripture, especially really familiar passages like this. Um, probably like at some point in the past, someone has taught it to me in this way. I heard a sermon or I heard it at a youth group in a particular way, and I just never really went back. The, the wise virgins also fall asleep.  [00:39:46] Jesse Schwamb: Exactly.  [00:39:46] Tony Arsenal: Like, like that, that's amazing to me, like Right. I've always heard this passage as though like, falling asleep is the equivalent of spiritual death.  [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yes. [00:39:55] Tony Arsenal: But the reality is, in this passage, the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is not that they, one of them stays awake and one of them falls asleep. One, the, the, the difference between the wise and the foolish is that the ones that are wise are prepared for when the bride root clump comes, even though they fell asleep and, and actually, uh, they're, they're shown to be even more wise because they all fell asleep. Yes. Right. If they hadn't fallen asleep, then the foolish ones probably would've had time to go get more. But the, the wise virgins in this, uh. And not only were they wise in terms of like they had the stuff they needed, they were ready to go, but so wise that in fact their wisdom overcame sort of this happenstance that they were in a state of, of preparedness being asleep when the comes is a state of Unpreparedness, but they have able to compensate for the ready in every other area. And I think this also kind of like mitigates away away from the idea of like the, um. The, the emphasis of the parable here, the readiness of the par of the virgins is not based on the wakefulness of the virgins, right? Yes. The virgins are ready because they have the supplies they need. Right. They're not Exactly, they're not exactly, they're not un 'cause they fell asleep. They're ready because they've, they've prepared by purchasing the supplies they need, by having the supplies they need when the breadroom comes. That's true. Whether they fall asleep or not. So I think like this whole parable needs to sort of like be reoriented in reference to the way a lot of us have, A lot of us have been taught and understood this parable. I was always taught that the, the foolish virgins were foolish because they fell asleep. Yeah, that's probably partially true in that it's foolish to fall asleep when you're waiting for something, but that can't be the only thing that makes them foolish. 'cause it doesn't make the other virgins foolish. [00:41:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly.  [00:41:52] Oil As Saving Grace [00:41:52] Jesse Schwamb: And that's why it's so interesting that Jesus basically doubles down or elaborates in verses three and four by saying for when the foolish took their lamps. They took no oil with them. Yeah, but the wises took flasks of oil with their lambs. I think it's actually, as you're, I think leading us into like the theological height of this whole thing, the foolish virgins took their lambs, but no oil. The wise took lambs and extra oil in vessels. And of course the lambs cannot burn without oil in the same way. I think what we're led to believe here is profession without grace has no sustaining power. So I know like throughout church history, this idea of the oil has been interpreted in various ways, in various forms. I think there's a lot of unification though on the point that the oil is more or less like a representation of the grace of the Holy Spirit. That like specific indwelling regenerating, sanctifying presence of the spirit imparted in effectual calling and genuine conversion. And that's why I think this has a lot in common with both like the tears and the wheat parable. But also what you've been saying about the time that is appointed onto a man to die, either for Christ to return or just for you and I to die. And so this understanding, I think is consistent with the Old Testament symbolic use of, like you said before, anointing oil is a sign of the spirit's presence. Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. And so I'm seeing here like this oil is, I mean, is it going too far to say almost like a saving grace? It's, it's not common grace, it's not the gifts of the spirit, which the reprobate may possess, but I think we're, we're seeing here like that special sanctifying preserving grace, which is inseparable from true election and calling. [00:43:29] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I think that's spot on. While you were talking, I was actually just looking up, uh, what Calvin has to say on this. I, I think it's funny because I constantly am saying things that I feel like I'm discovering for myself in real time. But if I actually just took the, a little bit of time to read some of our great sources a little more carefully, I would run into them. This is what he says. He says on, uh, verse five, he says, some interpret this slumbering in a bad sense as if believers along with others abandon themselves sloth. And they were, they were asleep amidst the vanities of the world. This is all together inconsistent with the intention of Christ as structure of the parable. [00:44:05] Slow Down And Read [00:44:05] Tony Arsenal: Like I think it's clear now here as we're working through this and this, and this is the main benefit, um, of taking time to just walk through the parables, any, any text of scripture, but the parables is what we're looking at. Taking time to just actually slow down and read them. I didn't intend to get to like a whole discussion about Bible reading plans, but the typical, I'm gonna read the Bible through, uh, the entire Bible in a year that typically has you reading three to five chapters a day is the average. That's probably too much if you want to be reading for understanding. And there is, there's definitely value. I've, I've commented in the past, there's huge value in reading large tracks of scripture all at the same time. Like if you wanna sit down over 10 chapters of Scripture day and you've got the time and the energy and the discipline to do it, then more power to you. But I think it's not realistic to think you're gonna sit down and read 10 chapters of scripture and have good comprehension and retention of the 10 chapters that you read. This is a really good example of that. If you sit down and you read three chapters, you're gonna be reading this, you're gonna be reading, uh, another parable. The parable of the talents you are gonna be reading. You know, the all of it discourse all at the same time, all in one sitting. Um, it's not until just now when I slowed down to really look at these passages, verse by verse individually and take an hour to discuss 13 verses with my brother-in-law in front of a microphone, right? Then I realized all of the virgins fall asleep. Like that's the kind of stuff that you really only, um, you only overcome. The assumed teaching that you heard when you were in high school, 15, you know, 15, 20 years ago at a summer camp. You really only overcome that when you slow down enough to read things and actually comprehend them. So that's not much of a commentary on the passage, but it is something that I'm learning as we do these parable studies. Just slow down, slow down and read them, read them multiple times, read it over and over again. Um, it is totally fine. The, this is the last, uh, Bible reading soapbox thing I'll say tonight. Um, I think like, because. Of the influence of like expository preaching and like wanting to read things in, in context, and all of those things are good. I think there is this tendency to think that if you sit down and just read a very short portion of scripture, that you're kind of automatically taking that out of context. I don't think that's the case. Like it's totally fine to sit down in the morning and go, you know what? I've got, I've got 10 minutes, I've got five minutes. I've got two minutes before the kids are up. I've got two minutes before the bus stop, you know, before the bus gets here. I'm standing at the bus stop. I've got 30 seconds before the coffee's done. It's totally fine to open your Bible app. And read two or three verses of scripture, that's a totally fine thing to do. It's totally fine because you've got 10 minutes before the kids got up. Oh, and by the way, you've gotta unload the dishwasher before they do. Totally fine to sit down and go, I've got time to read 13 verses of scripture today. So that's what I'm gonna get done. Um, and, and then just think about those things like meditate on those scriptures all day. I just think there's a lot of values to that and that's maybe that's my takeaway from this episode. I know like that's not a takeaway directly related to this passage. That's good. But I think we can oftentimes. Have and understand that isn't right because we've been taught it and we don't ever have the time or space in our life to like realize that what we were taught is maybe exactly right. This is like something so obvious on the surface of the text. It didn't even take any real thought. It just took slowing down and actually reading the words  [00:47:45] Jesse Schwamb: right. It's also a good reminder, like we said from the beginning, that our goal here shouldn't be to torture every detail, to like press it for some kind of allegorical significance.  [00:47:55] Tony Arsenal: Yes.  [00:47:55] Jesse Schwamb: But to take it on the face and to understand in context what's being said. And by context I just mean the context of the story. Of the accounts of the drama that's unfolding. And it is pretty remarkable that all 10 virgins sleep, that maybe even as you start with the details might not be your impression that that was gonna be, was gonna be the difference here, but both the wises and the foolish alike fall asleep. So to me, the parable is not condemning sleep per se, but I think it's the absence of oil which the sleep merely reveals, right? That's the critical detail here. And so Jesus delivers that to us and that's why it's, I think, important to think about these, these variables about what the oil represents and the context in which they're tested with their preparedness. But it's not because like they had it almost times you get the impression, it's like what we're saying here is the wise had more stamina, that they were the ones that were just willing to tough it out, and they knew the bridegroom was coming. And so as a result of that, they decided that they were going to ensure that they stayed awake, even if they had the drink, a couple of extra cups of coffee, just to make sure that was the case. But really their sleepiness, which they both have to endure, is the very context in which proves that they do are not prepared by having sufficient oil, not that they're unprepared by having sufficient energy or stamina.  [00:49:18] Prepared Despite Fatigue [00:49:18] Jesse Schwamb: Well, with all.  [00:49:21] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, that's a good takeaway too, is, is we all, um, we all will succumb to temptation in this life,  [00:49:32] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:49:33] Tony Arsenal: Right. Every single one of us. And even if we think of sleeping in this negative sense, which I think we probably need to move away from it, even if we do, I think the point that you're making is really good, for instance, between the foolish and the wises is not their ability to stay awake. So I do think that, I do think there's a slightly negative connotation to drowsy and slept here. Like I think that, I think it's intended to show some level of fatigue. Fatigue, maybe not like a moral right, maybe not a moral, uh, negativity, but there's a fatigue. There's something that overcomes both wise and foolish virgins in this parable. Fatigue and drowsiness overcomes them and they sleep. And it's because the bridegroom was delayed, right? We wanna talk about eschatology, right? This is probably also more a commentary on the church as a whole. The church becomes drowsy and sleeps right, and then there's the foolish and the wise. The foolish are the ones who are not prepared even though they are drowsy and sleep. And then there's the wise who are foolish, or the wises who are prepared and are drowsy and sleep. But E, either way, if we think of drowsy and sleep, even in moral negative terms, right? All of us will succumb to temptation. All of us will succumb to sin in this life. I would even go so far as to say all of us sin in every moment of our life in that we never love God. Truly. Yes. With our full hearts and souls. You got that right soul the way that we're, we're commanded to. Right. Right. So all of us become drowsy and sleep. The difference is not in those who pull themselves up by their bootstraps and tape their eyelids open so that they don't fall asleep. Right. I don't, I don't know if you ever like had trouble staying awake in school, but I used to, like I used to sit at my desk with my pencil under my chin. Oh my Lord. So if I started to fall asleep, it would like jab me and I would wake up so I could stay awake in school. Oh. It's not about like gimmicks to stay awake.  [00:51:20] Jesse Schwamb: Right, right.  [00:51:21] Tony Arsenal: It's about the fact that those of us who have trusted Christ. Have received the oil. Yes. So even when we sleep, yes. Even when we are drowsy, even when we are overcome by the fatigue that prevents us from, uh, from resisting sin. Right. Even when that happens, we still have the oil. We still have the grace of the Holy Spirit. We still have the empowering presence and the, the, the justifying reality of Christ's death For us, in my mind as I read this parable, that really is what it is, right? Get the oil, go get the stinking oil now, because you never know when the day or hour is coming. Mm-hmm. Whether that's the day or the hour that you fall asleep and you're not prepared, or whether that's the day or the hour that the bridegroom was, even if you're awake. That's the other element of this. Even if the virgins had stayed awake, they didn't have the oil.  [00:52:11] Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  [00:52:12] Tony Arsenal: So it it's not as though, it's not as though had they stayed awake, they would've had time to go get the oil and come back. They, they wake up right away. Like there's nothing in the parable that's like, oh, it took 'em a little while to get up. So that's why they didn't have time to get the oil. They, they didn't have time to get the oil. 'cause there wasn't time to get the oil  [00:52:31] Jesse Schwamb: right.  [00:52:32] Tony Arsenal: So the only way you're going to be properly prepared when the bridegroom comes is if you already have the oil and you're already ready to go. Regardless of whether you fall asleep or not.  [00:52:42] Gospel Call Get Oil [00:52:42] Tony Arsenal: So I, I think, I think we have to kind of close this with like a gospel, a gospel call here. Like we don't do this very often on the show, and I think the vast majority of our show are professed, regenerate Christians. I don't, I don't know anyone who listens to the show that is outwardly not a Christian, but I think this is a time for us to say, listen, if you are hearing the sound of my voice, be diligent to make your calling an election. Sure. And that both takes the form of what Peter talks about, where he talks about growing in graces and walking in, walking in the qualities of holine

A Guide for Chicken and Gamefowl Breeders Are you ready to take your breeding program to the next level? In this episode, host Kenny Troiano and co-host Frank Bradley talk about the heart of what makes a true breeder: selection. Based on Kenny's proven, five-stage method, this episode of Bred to Perfection is your blueprint for choosing the right brood fowl, whether you're starting a new strain or improving an existing one. You'll learn how to go beyond surface-level traits and evaluate birds with a critical eye for genetic quality, conformation, and long-term potential. Through hands-on advice, practical grading systems, and decades of experience, Kenny breaks down how to select only the best to build and protect your strain. In This Episode, You'll Discover: Why selection, not just performance or looks, is the foundation of all great breeding programs How to assess genetic purity, type, and structural soundness The most critical defects to avoid (and how skipping this step can destroy your line) What physical and behavioral traits to prioritize during hands-on inspection How movement, posture, and presence reveal deeper genetic quality A practical grading system to help you rank and select elite brood fowl Whether you're breeding for show, performance, or preservation, this episode will help you move from multiplying birds to creating a legacy. #BroodFowlSelection #PoultryBreeding #GamefowlBreeding #ChickenBreeding #BreedingProgram #GeneticSelection #BroodFowl #PoultryGenetics #FowlBreeders #StrainDevelopment #LivestockBreeding #BredToPerfection Make sure to follow and watch our future shows. We plan to dive deep into the world of breeding and genetics, nutrition and health management, and provide essential tips, so you too can create high quality strains.  Whether you're breeding domestic chickens, gamefowl, or various types of livestock, this show is for you.  Watch Bred to Perfection Live - Mondays and Fridays at 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST on YouTube - Join Kenny Troiano and guests as they explore advanced breeding techniques, poultry nutrition, health management, and genetic sustainability—all with one goal: helping you create high-quality, long-lasting strains. See ya there! Kenny Troiano Founder of "The Breeders Academy"  We specialize in breeding, and breeding related topics. This includes proper selection practices and the use of proven breeding programs. It is our mission to provide our followers and members a greater understanding of poultry breeding, poultry genetics, poultry health care and disease prevention, and how to improve the production and performance ability of your fowl.  If you are interested in creating a strain, or improving your established strain, you are in the right place.  We also want to encourage you to join us at the Breeders Academy, where we will not only help you increase your knowledge of breeding and advance your skills as a breeder, but improve the quality and performance of your fowl. If you would like to learn more, go to: https://www.breedersacademy.com

Have you ever convinced yourself that you're "not ready" when the real issue might be perfectionism?In this episode of the Happy Single Ladies Podcast, Raquel explores the connection between perfectionism, procrastination, fear, and delayed action. She shares personal reflections on launching her new community, Her WHOLE Life, stepping into YouTube, and finally moving forward on projects that had been sitting on the shelf for far too long.If you've been waiting for the perfect time, perfect plan, or perfect circumstances before taking your next step, this episode is for you.Remember, progress creates momentum. Perfection often creates paralysis.Keywords: perfectionism, procrastination, emotional wellness, personal growth, Christian women, purpose, fear of failure, mindset, self-improvement, wholeness, personal development, Christian women over 50, single Christian women

Song of Song 8:5-14 Love's Spiritual Biography is a song that begins with grace, grows in grace, perseveres by grace, and is perfected through grace in union with Christ, the Church's Beloved. Faith in the Beloved What does it mean to lean upon Jesus in the wilderness? Hope in the Beloved How does the unquenchable love of Jesus sustain the soul? Love in the Beloved Is your soul dwelling in the garden with the Beloved?

Fluent Fiction - Danish: From Market to Menu: Emil's Passionate Pursuit of Perfection Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/da/episode/2026-05-31-22-34-02-da Story Transcript:Da: Forskellige dufte svæver over Forsyth Park denne sene forårsdag.En: Different scents float over Forsyth Park on this late spring day.Da: Emil går mellem de farverige telte i det lokale marked.En: Emil walks between the colorful tents in the local market.Da: Solen bager blidt, mens vinden suser gennem parkens gamle egetræer.En: The sun bakes gently while the wind rustles through the park's old oak trees.Da: Karin går ved hans side.En: Karin walks by his side.Da: Hun stopper ofte for at beundre de kunstfærdige håndværk, som de lokale har udstillet.En: She often stops to admire the artistic crafts displayed by the locals.Da: Emil har en mission i dag.En: Emil has a mission today.Da: Han skal finde de perfekte ingredienser til en ny signaturret, der skal pryde menuen i hans kommende restaurant.En: He needs to find the perfect ingredients for a new signature dish that will grace the menu in his upcoming restaurant.Da: Han ved, at Sofie har de bedste, økologiske tomater, men hun gemmer dem til sine trofaste kunder.En: He knows that Sofie has the best organic tomatoes, but she saves them for her loyal customers.Da: Alligevel er Emil fast besluttet.En: Nevertheless, Emil is determined.Da: Han vil vise Sofie sin passion.En: He wants to show Sofie his passion.Da: De nærmer sig Sofies bod.En: They approach Sofie's stand.Da: Den er fuld af friske grøntsager, som skinner i dagens lys.En: It is full of fresh vegetables, gleaming in the day's light.Da: Sofie står bag disken.En: Sofie stands behind the counter.Da: Hun smiler til kunderne og vejleder dem om hendes grøntsager.En: She smiles at the customers and advises them about her vegetables.Da: Emil ser sit snit til at præsentere sin idé.En: Emil sees his chance to present his idea.Da: "Hej Sofie," siger Emil med et venligt smil.En: "Hi Sofie," says Emil with a friendly smile.Da: "Jeg er virkelig interesseret i dine tomater.En: "I am really interested in your tomatoes.Da: Jeg vil lave noget helt specielt med dem."En: I want to make something truly special with them."Da: Sofie kigger op med en hævede bryn.En: Sofie looks up with raised eyebrows.Da: "De er til min faste kunder," svarer hun.En: "They're for my regular customers," she replies.Da: Emil nikker forstående, men han giver ikke op.En: Emil nods understandingly, but he doesn't give up.Da: Han begynder at fortælle om sin ret – hvordan tomaterne skal være stjernen i en elegant anretning, som vil hylde deres friske smag.En: He starts to describe his dish—how the tomatoes should be the star in an elegant presentation that will celebrate their fresh taste.Da: Inden Sofie får svaret, samler skyerne sig pludselig over dem.En: Before Sofie can answer, the clouds suddenly gather above them.Da: En uventet regn begynder at falde.En: An unexpected rain begins to fall.Da: Alle skyndes sig mod teltene for ly.En: Everyone rushes to the tents for shelter.Da: Emil reagerer hurtigt og hjælper Sofie med at redde de ting, der kan blive ødelagt af regnen.En: Emil reacts quickly and helps Sofie save the items that could be damaged by the rain.Da: "Tak, Emil," siger Sofie åndeløst, da de begge står under teltets beskedne skygge.En: "Thanks, Emil," says Sofie breathlessly as they both stand under the modest cover of the tent.Da: "Jeg kan se, du virkelig brænder for dette."En: "I can see you really have a passion for this."Da: Regnen aftager, og markedet begynder at summe af liv igen.En: The rain subsides, and the market starts to buzz with life again.Da: Sofie ser på Emil med et mere åbent blik.En: Sofie looks at Emil with a more open expression.Da: "Måske skal du have de tomater alligevel," bemærker hun med et smil.En: "Maybe you should have the tomatoes after all," she remarks with a smile.Da: "Jeg vil gerne se, hvad du kan lave med dem."En: "I'd like to see what you can make with them."Da: Emil takker hende varmt.En: Emil thanks her warmly.Da: Med tomaterne i sin kurv ved han, at han er tættere på at opnå sin drøm.En: With the tomatoes in his basket, he knows he is closer to achieving his dream.Da: Han har lært, at samarbejde og at opbygge relationer er lige så vigtige som selve maden.En: He has learned that collaboration and building relationships are just as important as the food itself.Da: Sammen går Emil og Karin hjem gennem den smukke park, mens solskinnet bryder frem igen.En: Together, Emil and Karin walk home through the beautiful park, as the sunshine breaks through once more.Da: Emil føler, at dette kun er begyndelsen på en spændende rejse.En: Emil feels that this is only the beginning of an exciting journey. Vocabulary Words:scents: duftefloat: svæverrustles: suseradmire: beundreartistic: kunstfærdigecrafts: håndværkingredients: ingrediensersignature dish: signaturretgrace: prydeloyal: trofastedetermined: fast besluttetapproach: nærmer siggleaming: skinnerraise eyebrows: hævede brynadvises: vejlederpresentation: anretningcelebrate: hyldeunexpected: uventetshelter: lymodest: beskednesubsides: aftagerbuzz: summerelationship: relationerpassion: brændermission: missiondisplayed: udstilletreacts: reagerersave: reddedamaged: ødelagtachieving: opnå

In this episode of the Can We Talk? R&B Podcast, Ian Von reconnects with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Eric Roberson to discuss his 18th studio album and companion book, Beautifully All Over the Place. Eric shares insights into his creative process, the importance of completion and consistency, balancing music with family responsibilities, and finding joy through life's challenges. He also discusses collaborations with Avery*Sunshine, the stories behind standout tracks, and what's next—including Beautifully All Over the Place 2 and a unique musical audiobook.

FROM THE VOID: Judges Halle and Alison give The Perfection 10, 10, 10s across the board, though to be fair, all cello concerts sound the same to them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, internationally renowned sex educator Dr. Nicole McNichols spills the secrets about intimacy, desire, and the power of prioritizing sex—even for busy women + tired parents. Discover how to reignite passion, deepen emotional intimacy, and break free from stale relationship patterns. Morning Microdose is a podcast curated by Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik, the hosts and founders of Almost 30, a global community, brand, and top rated podcast. With curated clips from the Almost 30 podcast, Morning Mircodose will set the tone for your day, so you can feel inspired through thought provoking conversations…all in digestible episodes that are less than 10 minutes. Wake up with Krista and Lindsey, both literally and spiritually, Monday-Friday. If you enjoyed this conversation, listen to the full episode on Spotify here and on Apple here.

In this recap episode, Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell break down the transformative conversation with Inna Segal, the bestselling author of The Secret Language of Your Body and a pioneer in the field of energy medicine and human consciousness. Together they explore why perfection stifles creation, how the gut operates as our emotional center, and what it actually takes to build and uphold healthy boundaries with the people closest to us. 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 perfection is the enemy of creation and refinement leads to growth.How the gut assimilates daily experiences as our emotional center.What healthy boundaries require: confidence, clarity, and consistent enforcement.The difference between what happened to you and your healing.How creating time to self-reflect helps you discover what you stand for.Episode References/Links:Amnesty International – https://www.amnesty.orgThe Observer – https://www.theguardian.com/observereLevate Mentorship Program – https://lesleylogan.co/elevateOPC Summer Tour – https://opc.me/tourOPC Pilates Flashcards – https://opc.me/flashcardsOPC YouTube – https://opc.me/ytNevada SPCA – https://nevadaspca.orgRSPCA – https://www.rspca.org.ukInna Segal's Website & Free Resources - https://www.innasegal.comThe Secret Language of Your Body by Inna Segal – https://a.co/d/0fL3MSwgThe Holistic Psychologist – https://theholisticpsychologist.comEp. 183 with Dr. Kelly Bender - https://beitpod.com/ep183Submit 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:Inna Segal 0:00  I'd always relied on somebody else to do all the healing work, and I never actually did any thing myself, because I didn't think I was qualified to do it. I think that I knew how to do it, except that it was my body, and it's your body, when you're that you're dealing with. So nobody knows as much about you as you know about yourself.Lesley Logan 0:23  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 1:05  Okay, Be It babe, we've talked we've we've had people talk about boundaries. We've had people talk about listening to your body. We've had people talk about getting to know yourself. And now I have your guest expert who is able to actually explain how to do all these things, explain how to actually listen to your body, explain how you can heal yourself. And really, we had a really great conversation about what it really looks like. And I mean, she was just describing being it till you see it in such a beautiful way, without saying it. And I just, I'm so excited that you're about to listen to this episode, because I just finished doing it, and I am pleased as punch. And I feel like I learned so much and or and even things that I think I knew were more solidified, and I have more confidence in that. And I just, I'm excited for you. So here's Inna Segal. Lesley Logan 1:52  All right, be it, babe, I'm ready to have this conversation. I got to talk with our guest today before the end of last year, and I was so excited about all the knowledge she has in the area that we're going to dive into. Also, she's a best selling author, and I think it's really important to bring that up. She is the author of The Secret Language of Your Body, and, you know, as a Pilates instructor and someone who's really big on mind-body connection, I couldn't agree more with someone having access and information on how we can get to know and talk with our bodies in such a better way, I think the world will be a better place if we all could do that. So Inna Segal, if you can tell everyone who you are and what you rock at.Inna Segal 2:28  Thank you, Lesley. So I teach people how to connect to their body and listen to their body, but I'm going to also add the soul and really work with it to transform their health, to transform their emotions, to essentially transform any area of their life which is stuck a block into something that is much more wise, flowing and deep. And so they get to know themselves in a deeper, more enriched kind of way. So it's not a surface-based experience, it's a deep dive experience.Lesley Logan 3:07  I know and that's the hard one. The surface is, I think, easy and necessary to, you know, wake up and go to bed and do some stuff in between, but getting to know ourselves on a soul level. I mean, that is, it feels like it shouldn't be tricky, but for whatever reason, it feels like it's the hardest thing for people to do.Inna Segal 3:29  I think it's the hardest thing just because we are not taught from an earlier age that we should listen to our inner self, and that's through our sensations, through our emotions, through what's really going on within ourselves, but we're actually taught to ignore everything and adjust ourselves to everybody else in the world, and so because of that, I feel that it became hard thing, instead of natural, and part of everybody's life is to go my body is essentially showing me if I'm in alignment with my life, with my purpose, with my relationships, with every part of my life, with my health, or it's not, you know, and if it's not, what is it that I need to change and adjust so that it can be?Lesley Logan 4:27  Yeah, yeah. I mean, oh my gosh, you said so much there that I couldn't agree more with. I think we're all taught from a very early age, you know, to not listen to our feelings even as babies, you know, babies are crying and people are like, it's okay, you're okay, and it's like, well, they're crying, you know? And I get, I get why. And by the way, we have a lot of moms listen, I get why. I probably too be like, you're fine, stop crying. But also like, you know, at what point are we teaching our, teaching them at such a young age to not listen to how they feel, or for us to not listen to how they feel, or how we feel so, so I find maybe our bodies are their own language, like we, we grow up learning English, but our bodies are speaking Spanish, and we were never taught to listen to that language. But maybe I'm simplifying a little bit. Inna, can you I would just want to know before we get too deep into this. Like, were you born knowing all this? Did your parents teach you this? Did you come from a mother who made sure you knew how to talk to your get to know your soul and your purpose or how did you get here?Inna Segal 5:28  Well, my mom was actually she's very open-minded as a person, but she was very much when I was growing up. She was very much into the medical world, and she thought the word of the doctor was kind of the Word of God, essentially. So I went to a lot of doctors when I was younger. I had digestive issues, I had psoriasis, I had really bad back pain, sciatica, inflammation in my back, a twisted back, and I had anxiety just from constantly being uncomfortable inside my body and being in pain. And essentially, I want to say my turning point came when I ended up seeing this chiropractor that I'd seen for a while, and he came out of his office looked at me and said, Your body's stuck. And I said, yeah, I know that part. What are you going to do to help me? And I've been seeing him for a while, so this was not my first session with him.Lesley Logan 6:28  That's good. He's not like, look like, you're stuck.Inna Segal 6:32  Yeah, you know, we'd known each other for some time, and he so he's basically, he basically said, you know, your your body wants to be stuck at this point go home, and I didn't take very well to that. On the way home, I was pretty angry, but because I actually come from a background of professional writing and journalism and editing, I was and I was studying that at the time, I was thinking exactly like you were saying before, from that linguistic perspective that I'm stuck my body's speaking to me. I don't know what it's saying, because it might as well be speaking. I felt like it was more Chinese or Japanese, because I literally I can't even recognize the letters, but what I was aware of is that I'd been going to see somebody for about it was two years solid, between three and five days a week, And I would have, you know, times, maybe a week to maximum month, where I felt better and I could forget about everything and just do whatever I needed to do in my life. But then I would have this crash, and all the pain would intensify and explode, and I would feel like it would get worse rather than better. And so what occurred to me on this drive home was that I'd always relied on somebody else to do all the healing work, and I never actually did any thing myself, because I didn't think I was qualified to do it. I think that I knew how to do it, except that it was my body, and it's your body to when you're that you're dealing with. So nobody knows as much about you as you know about yourself. And so when I went home, I made a decision, I'm going to heal myself. And I essentially just did the most basic things. I placed my hands on my back. I was breathing into my back because I realized that I was holding my breath. And you know, if you hold your breath, you are stuck. And I know you probably know about this more than most of us, Lesley, from teaching Pilates, and you know, and connecting to your body in that way. And so as I was doing that, and counting backwards from 30, it occurred to me to ask for something higher in terms of help. Because I thought, why not? Why? You know, at this point, I mean, there was conflict in me around, you know, whether I believed in it fully or not. And I say this because most people go, well, you have to believe. I didn't believe in anything. I'm one of the most skeptical people you're going to meet when it comes to things, you know, where I need proof for things.Lesley Logan 9:30  Right, right.Inna Segal 9:31  And so, you know, I have a very scientific, skeptical mind, and I ask, because I just essentially felt like, Why? Why wouldn't I? Why not ask for help? At this point, I had zero expectations, but this warmth just moved through my body, and as my eyes were closed, I saw this golden light, and then I said, for whatever reason, or I thought, I thought, I wonder what my back would look like if I could see it, and without any expectation, within a few moments, I felt like somebody switched the light on and I could see my back. And although I was a bit shocked, I thought to myself, okay, this is kind of my (inaudible) to Japanese. Show me. Show me why I have this. What is the real reason that I have this? And the best way to describe this is as in having a memory meets a vision meets wisdom, right? So it was kind of like there were several, I am very visual. I didn't know that I was until that moment, but I am and visually, I could connect back to memories of things that happened. But not everything was a memory. Some of it was more of an insight, vision, understanding, kind of wisdom, what happened. And so I saw I was born in Eastern Europe, I saw myself coming to Australia and going to school and being bullied, and from there, developing psoriasis all over my skin. I saw the conflicts that my parents had in terms of trying to adjust to a new culture going to high school and not necessarily being bullied for not being able to speak the language, but being bullied for not being one of us, so to say, not being because it was a private school, not being someone who came from a super wealthy family, not belonging to the same club, and all of that affecting me from the perspective of, I don't feel myself, I don't feel supported, I don't feel comfortable in my own skin. I don't want to be here and.Lesley Logan 11:57  I get all of that. I get all of that all and I think so many people are probably nodding along, we don't realize how it doesn't have to be so bad that we would be on news show or be a documentary about you, but those little things that make you feel unsafe and or you don't belong, it means that your body becomes this foreign thing you you no one know. Not only do you not know how to read Japanese to talk to your body, but it just you know, if you can't belong in your own body, it's really hard to feel like you belong anywhere. And if you don't feel like you belong anywhere, it's hard to know what belonging in your body is. You don't know what what that feels like.Inna Segal 12:41  Well, exactly, and the last part of this was an understanding of ancestry meets my own, I guess, challenge everything interestingly was coming up around this communication challenge, right? So not being able to speak and be myself, not being able to speak English, not being able to speak the language, and I don't mean, you know, when I, when I got older, the language that people are speaking about. Oh look, this is my label. This is what I bought here, and so on. Lesley Logan 13:18  Oh, yeah. Inna Segal 13:18  So there was an interesting aspect of that. And then there was this ancestral trauma that was connected to my digestive system that took a long, long time to work on. And it was to do with my grandmother losing a lot of people in her family. And then when I was 19, I got pregnant. It was very hard for me to adjust to that idea that I was going to become a mother at that age. Out of all my friends, I would have been, you know, the one they thought would either have kids the latest, or maybe not even have them. So the fact that I was the first, and everyone went, oh my god, wow, okay, was pretty intense. And then, when, then I just had this sense that something was off, probably about a month or three weeks before the baby was born and when, but I was told by the midwives that I was crazy, that nothing was happening. And this is, again, how medical professionals often kind of push aside anything intuitive that shows up, and essentially, the baby died pretty much 38 weeks.Lesley Logan 14:31  Oh, I'm so sorry.Inna Segal 14:34  Yeah. So it was so I was in trauma. I didn't want to leave. I was, you know, I just want people to understand I was at rock bottom, even wanting to be here, and I was 20. In my mind, whilst I don't, I can't say 100% I was told that the baby would have died two or three days before, which was actually my birthday, where I turned 20. So it was, you know, so I kind of connected it to my. Birthday and all of this stuff and that I didn't want to be here, and what's the point of everything in life, and this, this whole experience of connecting to my body, was pretty profound. So I really saw how my grandmother and her loss, she lost her mother, and she she was part of a family of eight, and everybody died, except her and her father, who survived for a few years after the war, and she never really grieved it or worked through it in any way or form, because people didn't at that time, and everybody had digestive issues in my family, and so I could see how the explosion occurred. Especially, I had issues before, but after I had the baby, it was just, you know, I, my digestive system just wasn't working well, and during that experience, I cried a lot. I understood a lot of things. I also realized that I was a sponger. I was one of those people that just took on everybody's pain in general, as well as it all. And after all of these insights, I fell asleep, and then the next day, when I wake up, about 70% of the pain was gone from my back, and I felt different. There was something different inside of me where I went, oh my god, my body's working with me. I can help I can work with it. It's because I made this step towards it that it's coming towards me, even though I'm still super skeptical that, you know, this is not just something that's not going to return. And so, you know, over the next few weeks, I just journaled a lot, I asked a lot of questions, I connected, and by the end of it, all the psoriasis was gone. So that was the first thing that went that was and again, lots of people, my family, have it and have had it their whole lives. So it wasn't, and I'd had it for by that stage, for 10 years. So it wasn't like, oh, you know, I had this.Lesley Logan 17:10  Mis-diagnosis of some kind. Inna Segal 17:11  Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then, you know, I noticed, yeah, my back pain disappeared. My anxiety went down. Digestive Issues took years and years to work on. Lesley Logan 17:26  They do. But also with that generational and ancestral trauma, it just takes a while, because the gut just takes a while to, like, rebuild and do all that stuff and figure out what you need. Sorry, I cut you off. But yes, I actually it feels better that it didn't happen overnight, because that would feel weird.Inna Segal 17:47  Well, yeah, exactly. And that's what people need to understand, is that, especially when it comes connects, like, well, what's the gut about? It's about digesting life as well as food, right? It's assimilating, every day we have experiences, this is our emotional center, one of them, and we always talk about our what's your gut saying? Right? So we already know we have it in our language. So we have our intuition, we have our emotions here. We have knowingness here. But it's also all about how we, our relationships. It's an area that processes what happened during the day, your relationships, your experiences how something happened in your life, and what you believe you're capable of doing. It's kind of where your sense of self lives, and many of us need to clarify what that even means and rebuild it, because a sense of self has been beaten down over the years through all sorts of things in our you know, family and even at work, relationships for sure, and so this is something that is daily, right? It's a daily experience where you go, you know, how did I, how did I go today? Did I push down and push away and just keep going, or did I face things?Lesley Logan 19:20  Yeah, I think that's a great, first of all, I love that you ask yourself questions. And I think that that's where a lot of people, well, I think a lot of people get stuck on what am I asking? But also do I ask myself how am I doing? Yes, that's a great place to start. But I do think a lot of people, you know, it's, it's okay if you're one day, like, I can't do it today. I just have to go through. Okay, one day. But where I think happens is that people keep going the next day into the next day. We procrat, we keep putting off the prioritization of ourself. And that's where it builds up on top of the ancestral stuff. So it's we have our own stuff, and then there's the stuff. So I guess I have, I don't want to forget to talk about boundaries, because I know you've clearly had to figure out how to do that since you are so, since you were a sponge before, and obviously we're probably not now, since you figured this out. But for the people who I've heard of, ancestral stuff, like it comes through, how do people know what's theirs and what's ancestral, and then how do you cut the ties of that? Because is it visually cutting the ties? Is it telling your family that's your stuff? How do you do that?Inna Segal 20:31  Well, it's, I don't know about visually cutting it. I'm not gonna be a fan of cutting things in general. I think I'm more into clearing or being very clear in things that I feel in terms of, again, boundaries, it often takes a long time for you to gain your confidence first, to become aware of what is a healthy boundary, right? So you have to even come to that place of, what does it mean and who with, right? Because it's completely different with different people. So I can be incredibly good with having healthy boundaries, let's say with my students or with my clients, but not necessarily with family. And I'm saying it as an example, right? It's easier with people who are not close with you. The hardest thing is with those who are because you don't want to hurt them and you don't want to be harsh. And so from my perspective, I've done all sorts of things with boundaries. I've spent, you know, countless hours at different times in my life writing them down again. I write to get clarity, and I actually encourage everyone to do that in terms of boundaries, because what does it mean to you? You know, is it self respect? Is it self love? Is it space that you need? What boundary are you actually looking at? Is it actually you know, I know so many people that are single and don't have healthy boundaries with people that they have dated or been in relationships before with, or they keep going and then they wonder why they can't find the part, you know, the partner that they want, and all sorts of things. So there's many, many different boundaries that you need to look at. I think the hardest are definitely when it comes to your parents, children and partner. You know, I really think it's also how you present it and then sticking to it. So for instance, with my children, it's also changed over time. So there were times when they were younger, where it was like, well, you have to knock on the door. That's my boundary. Can't just barge in. So if you barge in, you go back, you know, and you knock on the door, that's a boundary, right? And they had to write down their boundaries as well when they were younger, when they were kind of teenagers, and so on. And then it became, well, you know, with my son, for instance, he would go into this place of overwhelm, and then he would bombard me with negative messages in the middle of the night. And so even if I turned my phone off, which was part of my you know.Lesley Logan 23:15  Yeah, you wake up to a crappy day.Inna Segal 23:19  Exactly. And so I said I had to clarify this to him over and over and over again. You can't do this. If you do this, I'm going to, I'm actually not going to speak to you for a while. I mean, unless you're asking me for help, don't, don't send me this, unless you're willing to do what I'm what I'm going to say, so we had a lot of kind of like, here's a boundary. Here's a boundary. Here's a boundary. With my mom, she used to call me, and the first thing that she would say would be some kind of complaint, and I'd be like, as she called, I wouldn't pick up the phone half the time. And she would go, you know, you don't pick up the phone. And I was like, well, let's think about why I don't pick up the phone. You know, what do you usually say when you call me? You know, do you say something positive? Is it something encouraging, or do you kind of attack and say all these things to me? And so again, we had to have a break for several months from talking to each other, because I was like, you can't do that. And then we had a break another time, because she learned her lesson where, you know, and I would say, I will hang up if you start being negative and telling me all this stuff, I'm not your therapist. I'm your daughter. So, you know, we need to change our game and the roles that we're playing, because this, I cannot grow the way that you're you're doing this. And also, I don't want to be in, you know, like you are with my children. So I need a completely different overhaul of mothering, you know, so that I can be the mother that I think they need. There's so many different ways, and I think luckily for me, everybody in the family eventually, because they kind of got the message in terms of what the boundaries are. But it takes time, and it takes a lot of effort.Lesley Logan 25:24  Well, I appreciate you, one, giving all those examples, because I have asked other people this question, and I don't get nearly the detail. I get be patient, but also be clear. And it's right? I thank you for the you know, the same thing I could read on a blog. What I appreciate is like, you explain how your how the boundaries, healthy boundaries evolve over time, based on the person and based on your needs. And also that it is, it is hard. You have to keep enforcing that boundary until you know it's an actual boundary that they see and you can and it can be appreciated. And also that means that they could have boundaries too. And I think that's where a lot of people who struggle when people put boundaries up, is that they don't realize that they too can also have a boundary they too can go reflect on. So I think what a great example you are. So thank you for diving into that. So I do, I do want, before I forget. I do want to go into that ancestral stuff. Because, first of all, I can only imagine what your grandmother went through. But I do, I do know that, most of us, no matter where you live in the world, if you're over 40, you have grandparents or great grandparents who were in these were World Wars. So there was, there was a lot of loss. And you know, I know my father was in a war that was not appreciated and liked, and in hindsight, was a terrible thing, and so not treated the same as people who were in one of the world wars when they came back home. And so I think all these things depend. So how do you how did you discover what was ancestral with your grandmother versus, oh, this stuff, this over here is my stuff. How did you kind of figure that out?Inna Segal 27:04  Well, I started looking at everybody in the family, actually, and I started asking questions, which were, was I born with this? I mean, in other words, did I bring this with me into this life? Is it does it feel like completely mine, or does it feel like I've brought it? I'm picking it up, I'm carrying this, and if I am, then am I doing it unconsciously in the same exact way that my grandmother, or great grandmother, whoever else did, or my mom? Or am I doing this differently? So I was closely looking at it, and one of the biggest things that we do take on, and that I was watching myself, you know, absorb, let's just say, was constant worry, right? Constant worry, because that was something my grandmother did. My grandfather did it. They had digestive issues, they had surgeries, they had cancers. My mom had it, and I was like, what are they doing that I don't want to get the same health issue? Let's break that down. So to actually, because the biggest thing in my family is intestinal cancers, I was like, okay, let's look that up. Well, in my book that I write, let's look at that right, and let's go, what causes this? And if I don't want to get this, I need to act in a very, very different way, meaning internally, not just on the external which means I need to go rather than just sitting in that state of tension and worry, it's like, what can I do to transform that worry? You know, what can I what do I need to work on in terms of that? So, how do I change that when this shows up? What am I worrying about? And actually, my daughter asked me the other day. She goes, Mom, what do you do when, you know, when things happen to her, mainly to my son. And you know that's different, because she was asking me about this ancestral stuff, and I said to her, well, actually, I start to think I know so many processes, right? I teach them, I write about them. So I immediately get my journal out. I write down what's going on for me, and then I look at what are the processes that are available to me that can help me and him? And it could be as simple as I am focused on buying into whatever he's telling me, which is negative and he obviously wants me to feel as bad as I possibly can feel because that's his pattern that he's learned from, you know, his dad and other people in the family. So what if I don't buy that, and I actually keep seeing him being healthier and being stronger and being, you know, different and so at different times. I mean, not different who he is, but being aware of where he's at. And you know what I found is that it's not immediately that the change happens when you hold something different for, let's say, your your child, but eventually they have. It's like they have something different to adjust to than that ancestral line that you've worked on yourself, and that's how you change things for your family.Lesley Logan 30:50  Inna, that is freaking amazing. It's like, I'm obsessed with this, because it's instead of me turning on the emotion that they're trying to get me to have, I'm visualizing the person that I wish they could be in that moment. I can stay good, and their stuff stays their stuff, and it's not going to solve it in today's conversation or tomorrow's conversation or whatever. But I'm not taking it on either, because it's not mine. I love this so much. Oh my god. I mean, I could keep talking about this with you, but I do want to pick your brain about something that we talked about that made me so excited. You have a whole thing you talk about archetypes and with masculine and feminine. I just kind of wanted to get into that, because I think it's really easy for, you know, with Instagram, to say, like, oh, you got to be in your feminine. And it's like, well, yeah, and I run my own business, so, you know, sometimes I have to talk about taxes, sometimes just got to do it. So I kind of wanted to hear your take, because I'm I also am someone who's, like had gut issues, and I've had a lot of people who listen, who have that, and I'm like, how do I stay not taking it all in, but also, being in this world, this world is a lot going on.Inna Segal 32:02  Yeah, absolutely, when we're looking at archetypes, essentially, what we're looking at is emotion meets your belief systems and a perspective, a particular way of seeing life, meets your life story. So what's actually occurred to you specifically, and also it connects to your ancestry, what you've picked up and you're playing out that you're not necessarily aware of. So let's say we are looking at feminine and masculine as archetypes. So if I'm looking in the feminine archetype, and I feel hardly anyone talks about this, I need to, actually, to understand my own feminine I need to understand my feminine line. I need to understand, well, what was the feminine in terms of my grandmother, let's say, how did she express that? And is that in alignment with what I feel feminine is at this point, so was she warm, kind, loving, expressive, or was she cold, disconnected in herself? What was the example of feminine from, let's say, my grandmother or my auntie or my mom, ideally, all of these people, because that became my idea of what feminine is. Now around the age of 14 to let's say 16, we are as we're growing in that teenage age, which is also an archetype where we're looking at our family, female and females and males, and we're going, who would I like to be like? Who is showing me something that is more appealing to me than the other person? So for a lot of us, especially of my generation, like you said, people in their 40s. You, you, you kind of had that more of a choice than the generations before that, where you looked at your mom and you looked at your dad and you went, I think I want to be more masculine because it looks more fun and I can and I want to, you know, for me, it was like, I want to be like, Madonna, look, if she can do it, I can do it. Lesley Logan 34:32  I wasn't allowed to have her on my wall, but I am so I feel like I missed out on an amazing chapter of life, if I could have had her as my mentor.Inna Segal 34:41  So, you know, and she was quite masculine, and since she went, I'm going to do whatever men do. I'm going to conquer the world, blah, blah, blah. So to me, it was that, and subconsciously, again, no one does this consciously. Subconsciously, I went, well, my mom, so. what feminine means for her. in terms of what I've seen, is cooking, cleaning, doing what you don't want to do, being subordinate to your partner. I'm not doing that. So I was like, I'd rather be masculine than feminine in that sense, again, not consciously, because my dad has freedom. He does whatever he wants to do. My mom does whatever my dad wants her to do, whatever she feels, she's constantly adjusting herself. And so I kind of went like this, you know, bull into the real, into my earlier relationships, going, oh no, it's my way, like I because I cannot be like what I've seen my mom be, which obviously then create a lot of conflict, and made me go, okay, so when I'm looking when somebody says, be feminine, and I'm looking at this, and it's still work, a work in progress, right? And I'm going, so what does it look like today to show up being feminine in terms of this person and that and I thought about it in so many different ways, and one of the easiest ways I've thought about it is through color. So it was like, okay, let's say I'm wearing pink today, so I'm going, pink is a soft color, quite feminine in that sense of expansion. It's it's a love color, but it's gentle. It's not that red passion, you know, and intensity. It's softer than green. Even the green is connected to the heart and healing the heart. So, I, you know, I might go, okay, so what does it look like to be pink and connect to my son, for instance, through that, you know, more of the gentleness let me, let me get to know myself in that feminine through that color. How do I breathe? How do I feel? How do I walk? How does my voice sound? Can I adjust my voice based on this color? Right? Because people get affected. And so it started to look at that. And I also think that when you're looking at again feminine or masculine, it's about role models. It was like, what what do I already have, and what am I missing? And so one of the things, because I grew up in, you know, both when I was very young, in Eastern Europe and then in Australia, most of the time now, in both of these places, gracefulness is not one of the things that you see in terms of women. But in France, you see that all the time. And so at one point, I was like, what am I missing? Oh, I'm missing this sense of grace that I find really attractive in terms of seeing in other women. And so where do I find this? And I was like, I need to, I need to look at old movies. I need to look at French women, not all of them, but. Lesley Logan 38:06  Yeah, no, Inna, this is so be it till you see it. This is the blueprint for how to be it till you see it. And I agree, oh my god, the French women, they know how to just like they exude luxury and grace.Inna Segal 38:20  Exactly. And just watching it and going, oh, okay, let me, let me embrace this. Let me practice this. Right? Because people think, oh, I am who I am, and I'm, I don't agree with that. It's like, you are a refinement, you know? And this is why I don't agree with this whole idea in the New Age movement of I'm already perfect. It's like, what? Why? What are you doing here? If you're already perfect, what's the point of this? Perfection, as my partner says this (inaudible) perfection is the enemy of creation. It's like, you're not perfect. You would not be here. This is not a holiday. You're here to evolve and grow. And, refine. You know, let's not even use the word perfect. Let's use the word refine. And, you know, grow in that sense. And it's the same with the masculine. What I find, for instance, is that people who find it very hard to be successful in the outside world have a very weakened masculine without any doubt, it's almost like that spine of the masculine is weakened inside of them, usually from childhood, usually from, you know, all sorts of belief systems and early failures and lack of direction and lack of support often from their family in terms of, rather than pushing somebody into direction, actually discovering the direction that and supporting them in the direction that is right for them. And so what ends up happening is that these people start having these very, very strong belief systems. But it shows up in their spine like literally shows up energetically in their spine, because lower back, for instance, is all about finances. And you know, how good are you at looking after and supporting your family? And I grew up with people who constantly thought about finances, so it was not a surprise when I figured it out I had back pain, and love back pain. So it's almost like, as you become aware of it, you actually have choice to do something about it. So with the masculine you can, you know, you can go, oh, I need to work on strengthening that archetype, that part of myself, but also my spine, and my ability to handle rejection, my ability to handle objections, my ability to to guide if it is my own business, let's just say my ability to make decisions, concentration, logic, so all of those are beautiful masculine qualities. But I need to, let's say, whether you're in a masculine or feminine body, feminine is creative. It's light, it's a bit chaotic, but it's, you know, it's flowing at the same time, it's colorful, it, you know that there is that divinity and spirituality magic that it has there, whereas the masculine is more about making it happen, taking something that's creative and amazing and putting it into practice.Lesley Logan 41:35  Well, and you can, I would love to hear, I want to make your own opinion for you, but it just sounds like we need both. We have to we all need both. And it sounds like understanding where we got our our vision of what those two things are and how we are using them in our body is going to either help us or it's or it might be what's harming us. And so the more we can take our time to discover who is. Where did I discover my feminine and where am I, where would I like it to be? And where did the masculine happen? And where would, where would I prefer it to be? And then working towards that. And I love that we are not perfect. There's no perfect. Just keep on evolving and refining and getting better and so but the Instagram world is like, oh, I have three friends who are like, I'm just gonna, live in my divine feminine I'm like, oh, okay. I mean, I think that's gonna be hard.Inna Segal 42:32  Well, actually, interestingly, quite a few years ago, when I was separating from my ex husband, I ended up meeting this friend of mine, and she was doing this whole divine feminine thing at the time. And I remember I would call her and I would say, we caught up three times a week at the time, which was amazing. And I'd call her and I'd go, oh, what have you been doing, you know, this week, besides the times we've, you know, caught up, and she'd go, I'm connecting to my feminine I'm just literally lying next to the pool, journaling, you know, getting the sun, having a swim, and that's all I'm doing, because I'm slowing down internally and and she would speak in this beautiful, kind of very slow way. And I remember thinking, it's like she's the complete opposite to me. I don't even know what that looks like, or what that means to just, you know, go, and this was happening over many months, where she just, you know, it was covered. She wasn't working, and she was, you know, she'd pick up her son and do some things in the evening from school, but most of the day was about this and and really embodying it. And I was well, firstly, I think it's amazing that she's doing it, but most of us do not have that luxury of just or a (inaudible). Lesley Logan 43:53  Right, we do have to kind of go do something today.Inna Segal 44:01  Exactly. And, you know, in the same way that it was beautiful, it was also really challenging for her, because then she was kind of like, well, I want to start a business, but there was all sorts of blocks that were coming up for her to start a n business, because she really got into that state of, well, feminine means there's no time limit. You just do what you want. You just kind of, right? And eventually it's she had to step into her masculine and start to balance it out, because you cannot just be in one, you know, constantly.Lesley Logan 44:41  Yeah, one or the other. Yeah, it goes the same with like, oh my gosh, I we don't have time to get into it. But on the ground, these people are, these dudes, this is what it means to be masculine. I'm like, is it though? Maybe you should find your feminine. Maybe you should. But I appreciate that you sharing that story and also, yeah, we it's kind of taking the time to understand both archetypes for ourselves and what that refinement looks like, and then working on what the transition is between the two and when, when you're applying both. You know, I feel like I could talk to you forever, because, it's so beautiful what you do, and you're so knowledgeable, and there's a lot of kindness and how you approach these things, it's also so patient. So, you know, I appreciate that, because, you know, our listeners are like, okay, but tell me. And I think they need to hear it does take time, so we are going to take a brief break and find out where people can find you, follow you, work with you, and your Be It Action Items. Lesley Logan 45:31  All right, Inna, where do you hang out? Where can they buy your book? Where they take courses? Where should they go to learn more about you?Inna Segal 45:39  So the best place to go to is my website, which is innasegal.com I-N-N-A-S-E-G-A-L dot com, and what I really invite people to do is to take a step forward. And in the last few years, what I wanted to do is to take away people's excuses. So I used to do these master classes, slash mini workshops. I used to charge quite a bit of money for it. And then I said to my partner, you know what? I just feel like I want to spread the seeds, so to speak, and I want to give people an opportunity for, you know, some time. And this can change at any point that we've decided to change it, but for some time, an opportunity to access these, you know, mini workshops for free, because I want to take away excuses, because most people have excuses, non stop excuses, of why they don't do something. And the only excuse I cannot take away is you actually making a time for yourself and going and doing it, right? Actually doing the course, the mini workshop, the masterclass, and giving yourself the opportunity to tune in and there's, there's several master classes, so there's option. It's not, I never believe in one fits all kind of mentality. Some, some people very new to my work, my book, The Secret Language of Your Body, and they just want to go, how do I work with the book in the best way possible, right? How do I work with my body in the best way possible? So we have options for that, where people can, you know, can can do a course based on my book, The Secret Language of Your Body, or they might, you know, we also did something called the eight-week challenge where, you know, connecting to your intuitive body, where I go through all the systems of the body through the eight weeks, as well as archetypes and tuning into your body. And this is a way for people to really get to know and understand all the different aspects of their body that shows up and really befriend it. But then I teach, I teach my kind of 10-day workshop of Awake the Healer Within which is what I'm most excited about, because it's what you know, what is the foundation of healing? What does it actually mean to heal on the deepest level? And we talk about and work with a lot of archetypes, from feminine and masculine to the victim to the, you know, inner child, to really understanding your saboteur and how you sabotage your life, how you procrastinate and so, as well as the archetypes connected to your intuition and your capacity to move forward. So, and there's a lot of kind of tools around working with the body and healing and different conditions and energy and so on in that particular offering, which is a master class as well, but it goes for four hours. You need more time, and we go into all sorts of processes. I always, I don't just talk in these master classes. I actually give people a lot of wisdom and processes. And then I have one on your purpose and the sole purpose, and what it even means and looks like, and one on understanding ancestry and understanding your kind of your stages of development. So there's a lot.Lesley Logan 49:17  Inna, oh my gosh, if you try it right now you can, you can access it for free. So you should go do that. Why would you wait? And if you have to pay, I think it's probably worth it. So, I mean, I learned so much already. You have given us so much, and I agree with that. Like, take a step forward so that could be your Be It Action Item. But if you have any other bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it till they see it, we'd love to hear them.Inna Segal 49:43  I feel like step one is making a decision that you're you're somehow responsible for your own healing, not for what happened to you, not for all the trauma that occurred to you and other people's involvement. But what can you do about it and without it, nobody actually really heals in a real way. Other people can do all sorts of things for you, but it won't fully hold, because unless you take that step forward, you're not, you know, you're not really understanding what it's about. And so step one is being interested, being willing to understand, taking that responsibility and then searching for it, taking step a step forward, and then I'm going to say is helping yourself from the perspective of, how does this become part of my life? Right? So, how do I make it part of my life? In other words, what do I do when I wake up in the morning most of the time, right? Because we can't do something all the time. Things change. But most of the time, what is your first thought when you wake up in the morning? Are you focused on meditation, divine connection? Are you focused on what you could do during the day? Are you focused on the positive? Are you focused on stress and worry. You know, what, what happens to you? Then you know what happens to you when you're eating, for instance, are you conscious? And I think that's a huge one for most people, including myself, because we're just running and doing this and this and that in the you know, can you start to create time? And I had this conversation yesterday, actually, with my partner. I went to meet his family. He's from the UK, so we went to England last year, and I was watching his family, and I was like, oh my god, I can't breathe because they just ran. There was no stopping, there was no kind of breathing, there was no self-reflection. There was just doing, doing next thing, next, next, next. And he said to me yesterday, he said, I've just realized that, you know, I do my work. We work together. I think like you do with your husband. And he's like, I finished something, and I go, what's next, what's next, what's what's next. And I never give myself time to really connect and tune in. And he and I said to him, yeah, because this is that's all you've seen when you were growing up, I was exhausted watching your family, and I remember at one point I did a process, and I did in the wrong place, in the wrong room, where everybody could see me, where they started coming into the house. I didn't realize how long it would take. And they were like, what are you doing, wasting your time, as opposed to, actually, I'm doing something really important. Why are you not helping us? I was like, oh, because I'm being I need to, you know, I'm doing something for myself because it was, it's non-existent, and he went, it's almost like I feel guilty, or I feel, you know, that I'm wasting my time. That's why, when you keep saying, do processes, but I have so much more to do, but it's practical. And what you're saying to do is impractical. It's you know, internal stuff, but not, I don't see the practical application of it. And, you know, he's like, can I feel guilty, and he's like, I need to change this, right?Lesley Logan 53:18  Yeah.Inna Segal 53:20  And this is many, many people, especially men, where they kind of go up, I just need to fix stuff, I just need to do stuff, as opposed to, unless you're good inside, and you even give yourself an opportunity, like you said, Lesley, to ask questions, to go within, to discover who are you? What do you stand for? What do you do? What are you about? You know, all of this takes time to self-reflect and self-connect. How can you have boundaries? How can you have good relationships with someone if you never think about it right, because that shows up in your body. So how do you allow yourself to access feelings if you're being taught to push them down? Well, it takes time. It takes time for you to explore, but you have to make that choice to explore.Lesley Logan 54:18  I love this so much, and also, isn't it so funny when we see our partner or our friends, where they come from, and then you're like, oh, that's why you don't sit still. No one is sitting still. And my husband will listen to this when we'll do a recap, but like, hey, babe, do you did you see yourself in that description of her partner? Because, we're going on vacation. And he put he brought the computer to the pool. We brought the computer to the pool. And I was like, I'm gonna shame you. I'm gonna put you on the internet. My husband brought his computer to the pool, everyone. You know, but also, you know it's we're all on this journey. We're all learning the more we can actually take it, take your Be It Action Items, and embody them and use them. I think we can. We all get to grow together, and we can affect so many people's lives. Our bubble of influence will be affected in a positive way. So thank you, Inna for being you and for all that you brought to us and all that you educated us on. We're gonna have to talk again, I'm sure, because I barely, I think we barely touched the surface of all that you know, but y'all make sure you connect with Ina. Make sure you share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it, and let us know which Be It Action Item you use and how that helped you. We would love to hear it. We'd love to celebrate with you. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 55:36  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 56:19  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 56:24  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 56:28  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 56:35  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 56:38  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

Send us Fan MailArmy Veteran Adam Jones shares his journey from military service to personal transformation, highlighting the importance of identity, mental health, and living with purpose. He discusses the concept of weapons of mass deception, the power of grace, and how to find fulfillment beyond achievement.-Quick Episode Summary:Adam Jones discusses freedom, identity, achievement, and overcoming silent struggles.-

- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST: http://cornerofthegalaxy.com/subscribe/  - COG LA GALAXY DISCORD: https://discord.gg/drr9HFZY2P - COG ANTHEM MUSIC BY RAY PLAZA: https://linktr.ee/munditoplaza - COG ANTHEM MUSIC DOWNLOAD: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3asiasldwKyoCRm1Vzx2h7?si=_LmXI9otT9y9j0ChMGMt2w COG STUDIOS, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy closed out the first "half" of the season with a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo. It was an inauspicious ending to a 15-game sprint that saw the Galaxy both up and down, good and bad, offense and defense, and everything in between. On today's show, hosts Josh Guesman and Kevin Baxter (from the East Coast) talk about the Galaxy's draw with Houston, but more importantly, what the FIFA World Cup Break will look like and why the Galaxy should be among the movers in the transfer window. There are a lot of things that need to happen in a short period of time for the Galaxy to come out of this six-week break better than when they went in. Let's talk about it! -- Corner of the Galaxy is kicking off Season 18, just a few shows past number 1,280! And we can't wait to show you everything we've got in store for 2026! This is a reminder that we go live twice a week — on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 PM on YouTube — and that you can find us conveniently on your preferred podcast platform (Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Google Play, etc.). We're making it easy for you to stay connected! So tell a friend that you've been listening to the longest-running team-specific podcast in Major League Soccer and that 2025 is a great time to start listening!

You've worked the lessons. You've tried harder. Somewhere underneath, a quiet voice still says you're not doing A Course in Miracles right. Maybe the forgiveness you thought you'd finished keeps circling back. Maybe the guilt of falling short has become its own weight. Jennifer Hadley sits down with author and teacher Michael Mirdad for a conversation that gently questions what ACIM is actually asking of us, and whether you've been carrying a burden it never handed you. What if effort was never the point? To learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Course in Miracles⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Powerofloveministry.net⁠⁠⁠⁠. For the transcript of this episode and more please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LivingACourseinMiracles.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We can relax into forgiveness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your body has been trying to tell you something and you simply weren't taught its language? Lesley Logan sits down with best-selling author Inna Segal, creator of The Secret Language of Your Body, to explore how to listen to your body, decode ancestral patterns, and take responsibility for your own healing. Inna shares the turning-point moment that taught her to stop outsourcing her wellness, plus how to refine your feminine and masculine archetypes without chasing perfection. Tune in to discover why nobody knows you better than you. 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:The moment Inna chose to heal herself instead of outsourcing it.How to tell what ancestral trauma is versus your own pain.Why healthy boundaries shift over time and with different people.Exploring feminine and masculine archetypes through your family line.Why refining yourself beats chasing the trap of perfection.Episode References/Links:Book: The Secret Language of Your Body by Inna Segal – https://a.co/d/0fL3MSwgCourse: The Secret Language of Your Body - https://www.innasegal.com/slybu-purchase-audConnecting to Your Intuitive Body (8-week challenge) - https://www.innasegal.com/8-week-challengeAwake the Healer Within - https://ww.innasegal.com/new-masterclass-registrationInna Segal Website - https://www.innasegal.comInna Segal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/innasegalauthorInna Segal Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InnaSegalAuthorInna Segal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/innasegalauthorSubmit 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:Inna Segal 0:00  I'd always relied on somebody else to do all the healing work, and I never actually did any thing myself, because I didn't think I was qualified to do it. I think that I knew how to do it, except that it was my body, and it's your body, when you're that you're dealing with. So nobody knows as much about you as you know about yourself.Lesley Logan 0:23  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 1:05  Okay, Be It babe, we've talked we've we've had people talk about boundaries. We've had people talk about listening to your body. We've had people talk about getting to know yourself. And now I have your guest expert who is able to actually explain how to do all these things, explain how to actually listen to your body, explain how you can heal yourself. And really, we had a really great conversation about what it really looks like. And I mean, she was just describing being it till you see it in such a beautiful way, without saying it. And I just, I'm so excited that you're about to listen to this episode, because I just finished doing it, and I am pleased as punch. And I feel like I learned so much and or and even things that I think I knew were more solidified, and I have more confidence in that. And I just, I'm excited for you. So here's Inna Segal. Lesley Logan 1:52  All right, be it, babe, I'm ready to have this conversation. I got to talk with our guest today before the end of last year, and I was so excited about all the knowledge she has in the area that we're going to dive into. Also, she's a best selling author, and I think it's really important to bring that up. She is the author of The Secret Language of Your Body, and, you know, as a Pilates instructor and someone who's really big on mind-body connection, I couldn't agree more with someone having access and information on how we can get to know and talk with our bodies in such a better way, I think the world will be a better place if we all could do that. So Inna Segal, if you can tell everyone who you are and what you rock at.Inna Segal 2:28  Thank you, Lesley. So I teach people how to connect to their body and listen to their body, but I'm going to also add the soul and really work with it to transform their health, to transform their emotions, to essentially transform any area of their life which is stuck a block into something that is much more wise, flowing and deep. And so they get to know themselves in a deeper, more enriched kind of way. So it's not a surface-based experience, it's a deep dive experience.Lesley Logan 3:07  I know and that's the hard one. The surface is, I think, easy and necessary to, you know, wake up and go to bed and do some stuff in between, but getting to know ourselves on a soul level. I mean, that is, it feels like it shouldn't be tricky, but for whatever reason, it feels like it's the hardest thing for people to do.Inna Segal 3:29  I think it's the hardest thing just because we are not taught from an earlier age that we should listen to our inner self, and that's through our sensations, through our emotions, through what's really going on within ourselves, but we're actually taught to ignore everything and adjust ourselves to everybody else in the world, and so because of that, I feel that it became hard thing, instead of natural, and part of everybody's life is to go my body is essentially showing me if I'm in alignment with my life, with my purpose, with my relationships, with every part of my life, with my health, or it's not, you know, and if it's not, what is it that I need to change and adjust so that it can be?Lesley Logan 4:27  Yeah, yeah. I mean, oh my gosh, you said so much there that I couldn't agree more with. I think we're all taught from a very early age, you know, to not listen to our feelings even as babies, you know, babies are crying and people are like, it's okay, you're okay, and it's like, well, they're crying, you know? And I get, I get why. And by the way, we have a lot of moms listen, I get why. I probably too be like, you're fine, stop crying. But also like, you know, at what point are we teaching our, teaching them at such a young age to not listen to how they feel, or for us to not listen to how they feel, or how we feel so, so I find maybe our bodies are their own language, like we, we grow up learning English, but our bodies are speaking Spanish, and we were never taught to listen to that language. But maybe I'm simplifying a little bit. Inna, can you I would just want to know before we get too deep into this. Like, were you born knowing all this? Did your parents teach you this? Did you come from a mother who made sure you knew how to talk to your get to know your soul and your purpose or how did you get here?Inna Segal 5:28  Well, my mom was actually she's very open-minded as a person, but she was very much when I was growing up. She was very much into the medical world, and she thought the word of the doctor was kind of the Word of God, essentially. So I went to a lot of doctors when I was younger. I had digestive issues, I had psoriasis, I had really bad back pain, sciatica, inflammation in my back, a twisted back, and I had anxiety just from constantly being uncomfortable inside my body and being in pain. And essentially, I want to say my turning point came when I ended up seeing this chiropractor that I'd seen for a while, and he came out of his office looked at me and said, Your body's stuck. And I said, yeah, I know that part. What are you going to do to help me? And I've been seeing him for a while, so this was not my first session with him.Lesley Logan 6:28  That's good. He's not like, look like, you're stuck.Inna Segal 6:32  Yeah, you know, we'd known each other for some time, and he so he's basically, he basically said, you know, your your body wants to be stuck at this point go home, and I didn't take very well to that. On the way home, I was pretty angry, but because I actually come from a background of professional writing and journalism and editing, I was and I was studying that at the time, I was thinking exactly like you were saying before, from that linguistic perspective that I'm stuck my body's speaking to me. I don't know what it's saying, because it might as well be speaking. I felt like it was more Chinese or Japanese, because I literally I can't even recognize the letters, but what I was aware of is that I'd been going to see somebody for about it was two years solid, between three and five days a week, And I would have, you know, times, maybe a week to maximum month, where I felt better and I could forget about everything and just do whatever I needed to do in my life. But then I would have this crash, and all the pain would intensify and explode, and I would feel like it would get worse rather than better. And so what occurred to me on this drive home was that I'd always relied on somebody else to do all the healing work, and I never actually did any thing myself, because I didn't think I was qualified to do it. I think that I knew how to do it, except that it was my body, and it's your body to when you're that you're dealing with. So nobody knows as much about you as you know about yourself. And so when I went home, I made a decision, I'm going to heal myself. And I essentially just did the most basic things. I placed my hands on my back. I was breathing into my back because I realized that I was holding my breath. And you know, if you hold your breath, you are stuck. And I know you probably know about this more than most of us, Lesley, from teaching Pilates, and you know, and connecting to your body in that way. And so as I was doing that, and counting backwards from 30, it occurred to me to ask for something higher in terms of help. Because I thought, why not? Why? You know, at this point, I mean, there was conflict in me around, you know, whether I believed in it fully or not. And I say this because most people go, well, you have to believe. I didn't believe in anything. I'm one of the most skeptical people you're going to meet when it comes to things, you know, where I need proof for things.Lesley Logan 9:30  Right, right.Inna Segal 9:31  And so, you know, I have a very scientific, skeptical mind, and I ask, because I just essentially felt like, Why? Why wouldn't I? Why not ask for help? At this point, I had zero expectations, but this warmth just moved through my body, and as my eyes were closed, I saw this golden light, and then I said, for whatever reason, or I thought, I thought, I wonder what my back would look like if I could see it, and without any expectation, within a few moments, I felt like somebody switched the light on and I could see my back. And although I was a bit shocked, I thought to myself, okay, this is kind of my (inaudible) to Japanese. Show me. Show me why I have this. What is the real reason that I have this? And the best way to describe this is as in having a memory meets a vision meets wisdom, right? So it was kind of like there were several, I am very visual. I didn't know that I was until that moment, but I am and visually, I could connect back to memories of things that happened. But not everything was a memory. Some of it was more of an insight, vision, understanding, kind of wisdom, what happened. And so I saw I was born in Eastern Europe, I saw myself coming to Australia and going to school and being bullied, and from there, developing psoriasis all over my skin. I saw the conflicts that my parents had in terms of trying to adjust to a new culture going to high school and not necessarily being bullied for not being able to speak the language, but being bullied for not being one of us, so to say, not being because it was a private school, not being someone who came from a super wealthy family, not belonging to the same club, and all of that affecting me from the perspective of, I don't feel myself, I don't feel supported, I don't feel comfortable in my own skin. I don't want to be here and.Lesley Logan 11:57  I get all of that. I get all of that all and I think so many people are probably nodding along, we don't realize how it doesn't have to be so bad that we would be on news show or be a documentary about you, but those little things that make you feel unsafe and or you don't belong, it means that your body becomes this foreign thing you you no one know. Not only do you not know how to read Japanese to talk to your body, but it just you know, if you can't belong in your own body, it's really hard to feel like you belong anywhere. And if you don't feel like you belong anywhere, it's hard to know what belonging in your body is. You don't know what what that feels like.Inna Segal 12:41  Well, exactly, and the last part of this was an understanding of ancestry meets my own, I guess, challenge everything interestingly was coming up around this communication challenge, right? So not being able to speak and be myself, not being able to speak English, not being able to speak the language, and I don't mean, you know, when I, when I got older, the language that people are speaking about. Oh look, this is my label. This is what I bought here, and so on. Lesley Logan 13:18  Oh, yeah. Inna Segal 13:18  So there was an interesting aspect of that. And then there was this ancestral trauma that was connected to my digestive system that took a long, long time to work on. And it was to do with my grandmother losing a lot of people in her family. And then when I was 19, I got pregnant. It was very hard for me to adjust to that idea that I was going to become a mother at that age. Out of all my friends, I would have been, you know, the one they thought would either have kids the latest, or maybe not even have them. So the fact that I was the first, and everyone went, oh my god, wow, okay, was pretty intense. And then, when, then I just had this sense that something was off, probably about a month or three weeks before the baby was born and when, but I was told by the midwives that I was crazy, that nothing was happening. And this is, again, how medical professionals often kind of push aside anything intuitive that shows up, and essentially, the baby died pretty much 38 weeks.Lesley Logan 14:31  Oh, I'm so sorry.Inna Segal 14:34  Yeah. So it was so I was in trauma. I didn't want to leave. I was, you know, I just want people to understand I was at rock bottom, even wanting to be here, and I was 20. In my mind, whilst I don't, I can't say 100% I was told that the baby would have died two or three days before, which was actually my birthday, where I turned 20. So it was, you know, so I kind of connected it to my. Birthday and all of this stuff and that I didn't want to be here, and what's the point of everything in life, and this, this whole experience of connecting to my body, was pretty profound. So I really saw how my grandmother and her loss, she lost her mother, and she she was part of a family of eight, and everybody died, except her and her father, who survived for a few years after the war, and she never really grieved it or worked through it in any way or form, because people didn't at that time, and everybody had digestive issues in my family, and so I could see how the explosion occurred. Especially, I had issues before, but after I had the baby, it was just, you know, I, my digestive system just wasn't working well, and during that experience, I cried a lot. I understood a lot of things. I also realized that I was a sponger. I was one of those people that just took on everybody's pain in general, as well as it all. And after all of these insights, I fell asleep, and then the next day, when I wake up, about 70% of the pain was gone from my back, and I felt different. There was something different inside of me where I went, oh my god, my body's working with me. I can help I can work with it. It's because I made this step towards it that it's coming towards me, even though I'm still super skeptical that, you know, this is not just something that's not going to return. And so, you know, over the next few weeks, I just journaled a lot, I asked a lot of questions, I connected, and by the end of it, all the psoriasis was gone. So that was the first thing that went that was and again, lots of people, my family, have it and have had it their whole lives. So it wasn't, and I'd had it for by that stage, for 10 years. So it wasn't like, oh, you know, I had this.Lesley Logan 17:10  Mis-diagnosis of some kind. Inna Segal 17:11  Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then, you know, I noticed, yeah, my back pain disappeared. My anxiety went down. Digestive Issues took years and years to work on. Lesley Logan 17:26  They do. But also with that generational and ancestral trauma, it just takes a while, because the gut just takes a while to, like, rebuild and do all that stuff and figure out what you need. Sorry, I cut you off. But yes, I actually it feels better that it didn't happen overnight, because that would feel weird.Inna Segal 17:47  Well, yeah, exactly. And that's what people need to understand, is that, especially when it comes connects, like, well, what's the gut about? It's about digesting life as well as food, right? It's assimilating, every day we have experiences, this is our emotional center, one of them, and we always talk about our what's your gut saying? Right? So we already know we have it in our language. So we have our intuition, we have our emotions here. We have knowingness here. But it's also all about how we, our relationships. It's an area that processes what happened during the day, your relationships, your experiences how something happened in your life, and what you believe you're capable of doing. It's kind of where your sense of self lives, and many of us need to clarify what that even means and rebuild it, because a sense of self has been beaten down over the years through all sorts of things in our you know, family and even at work, relationships for sure, and so this is something that is daily, right? It's a daily experience where you go, you know, how did I, how did I go today? Did I push down and push away and just keep going, or did I face things?Lesley Logan 19:20  Yeah, I think that's a great, first of all, I love that you ask yourself questions. And I think that that's where a lot of people, well, I think a lot of people get stuck on what am I asking? But also do I ask myself how am I doing? Yes, that's a great place to start. But I do think a lot of people, you know, it's, it's okay if you're one day, like, I can't do it today. I just have to go through. Okay, one day. But where I think happens is that people keep going the next day into the next day. We procrat, we keep putting off the prioritization of ourself. And that's where it builds up on top of the ancestral stuff. So it's we have our own stuff, and then there's the stuff. So I guess I have, I don't want to forget to talk about boundaries, because I know you've clearly had to figure out how to do that since you are so, since you were a sponge before, and obviously we're probably not now, since you figured this out. But for the people who I've heard of, ancestral stuff, like it comes through, how do people know what's theirs and what's ancestral, and then how do you cut the ties of that? Because is it visually cutting the ties? Is it telling your family that's your stuff? How do you do that?Inna Segal 20:31  Well, it's, I don't know about visually cutting it. I'm not gonna be a fan of cutting things in general. I think I'm more into clearing or being very clear in things that I feel in terms of, again, boundaries, it often takes a long time for you to gain your confidence first, to become aware of what is a healthy boundary, right? So you have to even come to that place of, what does it mean and who with, right? Because it's completely different with different people. So I can be incredibly good with having healthy boundaries, let's say with my students or with my clients, but not necessarily with family. And I'm saying it as an example, right? It's easier with people who are not close with you. The hardest thing is with those who are because you don't want to hurt them and you don't want to be harsh. And so from my perspective, I've done all sorts of things with boundaries. I've spent, you know, countless hours at different times in my life writing them down again. I write to get clarity, and I actually encourage everyone to do that in terms of boundaries, because what does it mean to you? You know, is it self respect? Is it self love? Is it space that you need? What boundary are you actually looking at? Is it actually you know, I know so many people that are single and don't have healthy boundaries with people that they have dated or been in relationships before with, or they keep going and then they wonder why they can't find the part, you know, the partner that they want, and all sorts of things. So there's many, many different boundaries that you need to look at. I think the hardest are definitely when it comes to your parents, children and partner. You know, I really think it's also how you present it and then sticking to it. So for instance, with my children, it's also changed over time. So there were times when they were younger, where it was like, well, you have to knock on the door. That's my boundary. Can't just barge in. So if you barge in, you go back, you know, and you knock on the door, that's a boundary, right? And they had to write down their boundaries as well when they were younger, when they were kind of teenagers, and so on. And then it became, well, you know, with my son, for instance, he would go into this place of overwhelm, and then he would bombard me with negative messages in the middle of the night. And so even if I turned my phone off, which was part of my you know.Lesley Logan 23:15  Yeah, you wake up to a crappy day.Inna Segal 23:19  Exactly. And so I said I had to clarify this to him over and over and over again. You can't do this. If you do this, I'm going to, I'm actually not going to speak to you for a while. I mean, unless you're asking me for help, don't, don't send me this, unless you're willing to do what I'm what I'm going to say, so we had a lot of kind of like, here's a boundary. Here's a boundary. Here's a boundary. With my mom, she used to call me, and the first thing that she would say would be some kind of complaint, and I'd be like, as she called, I wouldn't pick up the phone half the time. And she would go, you know, you don't pick up the phone. And I was like, well, let's think about why I don't pick up the phone. You know, what do you usually say when you call me? You know, do you say something positive? Is it something encouraging, or do you kind of attack and say all these things to me? And so again, we had to have a break for several months from talking to each other, because I was like, you can't do that. And then we had a break another time, because she learned her lesson where, you know, and I would say, I will hang up if you start being negative and telling me all this stuff, I'm not your therapist. I'm your daughter. So, you know, we need to change our game and the roles that we're playing, because this, I cannot grow the way that you're you're doing this. And also, I don't want to be in, you know, like you are with my children. So I need a completely different overhaul of mothering, you know, so that I can be the mother that I think they need. There's so many different ways, and I think luckily for me, everybody in the family eventually, because they kind of got the message in terms of what the boundaries are. But it takes time, and it takes a lot of effort.Lesley Logan 25:24  Well, I appreciate you, one, giving all those examples, because I have asked other people this question, and I don't get nearly the detail. I get be patient, but also be clear. And it's right? I thank you for the you know, the same thing I could read on a blog. What I appreciate is like, you explain how your how the boundaries, healthy boundaries evolve over time, based on the person and based on your needs. And also that it is, it is hard. You have to keep enforcing that boundary until you know it's an actual boundary that they see and you can and it can be appreciated. And also that means that they could have boundaries too. And I think that's where a lot of people who struggle when people put boundaries up, is that they don't realize that they too can also have a boundary they too can go reflect on. So I think what a great example you are. So thank you for diving into that. So I do, I do want, before I forget. I do want to go into that ancestral stuff. Because, first of all, I can only imagine what your grandmother went through. But I do, I do know that, most of us, no matter where you live in the world, if you're over 40, you have grandparents or great grandparents who were in these were World Wars. So there was, there was a lot of loss. And you know, I know my father was in a war that was not appreciated and liked, and in hindsight, was a terrible thing, and so not treated the same as people who were in one of the world wars when they came back home. And so I think all these things depend. So how do you how did you discover what was ancestral with your grandmother versus, oh, this stuff, this over here is my stuff. How did you kind of figure that out?Inna Segal 27:04  Well, I started looking at everybody in the family, actually, and I started asking questions, which were, was I born with this? I mean, in other words, did I bring this with me into this life? Is it does it feel like completely mine, or does it feel like I've brought it? I'm picking it up, I'm carrying this, and if I am, then am I doing it unconsciously in the same exact way that my grandmother, or great grandmother, whoever else did, or my mom? Or am I doing this differently? So I was closely looking at it, and one of the biggest things that we do take on, and that I was watching myself, you know, absorb, let's just say, was constant worry, right? Constant worry, because that was something my grandmother did. My grandfather did it. They had digestive issues, they had surgeries, they had cancers. My mom had it, and I was like, what are they doing that I don't want to get the same health issue? Let's break that down. So to actually, because the biggest thing in my family is intestinal cancers, I was like, okay, let's look that up. Well, in my book that I write, let's look at that right, and let's go, what causes this? And if I don't want to get this, I need to act in a very, very different way, meaning internally, not just on the external which means I need to go rather than just sitting in that state of tension and worry, it's like, what can I do to transform that worry? You know, what can I what do I need to work on in terms of that? So, how do I change that when this shows up? What am I worrying about? And actually, my daughter asked me the other day. She goes, Mom, what do you do when, you know, when things happen to her, mainly to my son. And you know that's different, because she was asking me about this ancestral stuff, and I said to her, well, actually, I start to think I know so many processes, right? I teach them, I write about them. So I immediately get my journal out. I write down what's going on for me, and then I look at what are the processes that are available to me that can help me and him? And it could be as simple as I am focused on buying into whatever he's telling me, which is negative and he obviously wants me to feel as bad as I possibly can feel because that's his pattern that he's learned from, you know, his dad and other people in the family. So what if I don't buy that, and I actually keep seeing him being healthier and being stronger and being, you know, different and so at different times. I mean, not different who he is, but being aware of where he's at. And you know what I found is that it's not immediately that the change happens when you hold something different for, let's say, your your child, but eventually they have. It's like they have something different to adjust to than that ancestral line that you've worked on yourself, and that's how you change things for your family.Lesley Logan 30:50  Inna, that is freaking amazing. It's like, I'm obsessed with this, because it's instead of me turning on the emotion that they're trying to get me to have, I'm visualizing the person that I wish they could be in that moment. I can stay good, and their stuff stays their stuff, and it's not going to solve it in today's conversation or tomorrow's conversation or whatever. But I'm not taking it on either, because it's not mine. I love this so much. Oh my god. I mean, I could keep talking about this with you, but I do want to pick your brain about something that we talked about that made me so excited. You have a whole thing you talk about archetypes and with masculine and feminine. I just kind of wanted to get into that, because I think it's really easy for, you know, with Instagram, to say, like, oh, you got to be in your feminine. And it's like, well, yeah, and I run my own business, so, you know, sometimes I have to talk about taxes, sometimes just got to do it. So I kind of wanted to hear your take, because I'm I also am someone who's, like had gut issues, and I've had a lot of people who listen, who have that, and I'm like, how do I stay not taking it all in, but also, being in this world, this world is a lot going on.Inna Segal 32:02  Yeah, absolutely, when we're looking at archetypes, essentially, what we're looking at is emotion meets your belief systems and a perspective, a particular way of seeing life, meets your life story. So what's actually occurred to you specifically, and also it connects to your ancestry, what you've picked up and you're playing out that you're not necessarily aware of. So let's say we are looking at feminine and masculine as archetypes. So if I'm looking in the feminine archetype, and I feel hardly anyone talks about this, I need to, actually, to understand my own feminine I need to understand my feminine line. I need to understand, well, what was the feminine in terms of my grandmother, let's say, how did she express that? And is that in alignment with what I feel feminine is at this point, so was she warm, kind, loving, expressive, or was she cold, disconnected in herself? What was the example of feminine from, let's say, my grandmother or my auntie or my mom, ideally, all of these people, because that became my idea of what feminine is. Now around the age of 14 to let's say 16, we are as we're growing in that teenage age, which is also an archetype where we're looking at our family, female and females and males, and we're going, who would I like to be like? Who is showing me something that is more appealing to me than the other person? So for a lot of us, especially of my generation, like you said, people in their 40s. You, you, you kind of had that more of a choice than the generations before that, where you looked at your mom and you looked at your dad and you went, I think I want to be more masculine because it looks more fun and I can and I want to, you know, for me, it was like, I want to be like, Madonna, look, if she can do it, I can do it. Lesley Logan 34:32  I wasn't allowed to have her on my wall, but I am so I feel like I missed out on an amazing chapter of life, if I could have had her as my mentor.Inna Segal 34:41  So, you know, and she was quite masculine, and since she went, I'm going to do whatever men do. I'm going to conquer the world, blah, blah, blah. So to me, it was that, and subconsciously, again, no one does this consciously. Subconsciously, I went, well, my mom, so. what feminine means for her. in terms of what I've seen, is cooking, cleaning, doing what you don't want to do, being subordinate to your partner. I'm not doing that. So I was like, I'd rather be masculine than feminine in that sense, again, not consciously, because my dad has freedom. He does whatever he wants to do. My mom does whatever my dad wants her to do, whatever she feels, she's constantly adjusting herself. And so I kind of went like this, you know, bull into the real, into my earlier relationships, going, oh no, it's my way, like I because I cannot be like what I've seen my mom be, which obviously then create a lot of conflict, and made me go, okay, so when I'm looking when somebody says, be feminine, and I'm looking at this, and it's still work, a work in progress, right? And I'm going, so what does it look like today to show up being feminine in terms of this person and that and I thought about it in so many different ways, and one of the easiest ways I've thought about it is through color. So it was like, okay, let's say I'm wearing pink today, so I'm going, pink is a soft color, quite feminine in that sense of expansion. It's it's a love color, but it's gentle. It's not that red passion, you know, and intensity. It's softer than green. Even the green is connected to the heart and healing the heart. So, I, you know, I might go, okay, so what does it look like to be pink and connect to my son, for instance, through that, you know, more of the gentleness let me, let me get to know myself in that feminine through that color. How do I breathe? How do I feel? How do I walk? How does my voice sound? Can I adjust my voice based on this color? Right? Because people get affected. And so it started to look at that. And I also think that when you're looking at again feminine or masculine, it's about role models. It was like, what what do I already have, and what am I missing? And so one of the things, because I grew up in, you know, both when I was very young, in Eastern Europe and then in Australia, most of the time now, in both of these places, gracefulness is not one of the things that you see in terms of women. But in France, you see that all the time. And so at one point, I was like, what am I missing? Oh, I'm missing this sense of grace that I find really attractive in terms of seeing in other women. And so where do I find this? And I was like, I need to, I need to look at old movies. I need to look at French women, not all of them, but. Lesley Logan 38:06  Yeah, no, Inna, this is so be it till you see it. This is the blueprint for how to be it till you see it. And I agree, oh my god, the French women, they know how to just like they exude luxury and grace.Inna Segal 38:20  Exactly. And just watching it and going, oh, okay, let me, let me embrace this. Let me practice this. Right? Because people think, oh, I am who I am, and I'm, I don't agree with that. It's like, you are a refinement, you know? And this is why I don't agree with this whole idea in the New Age movement of I'm already perfect. It's like, what? Why? What are you doing here? If you're already perfect, what's the point of this? Perfection, as my partner says this (inaudible) perfection is the enemy of creation. It's like, you're not perfect. You would not be here. This is not a holiday. You're here to evolve and grow. And, refine. You know, let's not even use the word perfect. Let's use the word refine. And, you know, grow in that sense. And it's the same with the masculine. What I find, for instance, is that people who find it very hard to be successful in the outside world have a very weakened masculine without any doubt, it's almost like that spine of the masculine is weakened inside of them, usually from childhood, usually from, you know, all sorts of belief systems and early failures and lack of direction and lack of support often from their family in terms of, rather than pushing somebody into direction, actually discovering the direction that and supporting them in the direction that is right for them. And so what ends up happening is that these people start having these very, very strong belief systems. But it shows up in their spine like literally shows up energetically in their spine, because lower back, for instance, is all about finances. And you know, how good are you at looking after and supporting your family? And I grew up with people who constantly thought about finances, so it was not a surprise when I figured it out I had back pain, and love back pain. So it's almost like, as you become aware of it, you actually have choice to do something about it. So with the masculine you can, you know, you can go, oh, I need to work on strengthening that archetype, that part of myself, but also my spine, and my ability to handle rejection, my ability to handle objections, my ability to to guide if it is my own business, let's just say my ability to make decisions, concentration, logic, so all of those are beautiful masculine qualities. But I need to, let's say, whether you're in a masculine or feminine body, feminine is creative. It's light, it's a bit chaotic, but it's, you know, it's flowing at the same time, it's colorful, it, you know that there is that divinity and spirituality magic that it has there, whereas the masculine is more about making it happen, taking something that's creative and amazing and putting it into practice.Lesley Logan 41:35  Well, and you can, I would love to hear, I want to make your own opinion for you, but it just sounds like we need both. We have to we all need both. And it sounds like understanding where we got our our vision of what those two things are and how we are using them in our body is going to either help us or it's or it might be what's harming us. And so the more we can take our time to discover who is. Where did I discover my feminine and where am I, where would I like it to be? And where did the masculine happen? And where would, where would I prefer it to be? And then working towards that. And I love that we are not perfect. There's no perfect. Just keep on evolving and refining and getting better and so but the Instagram world is like, oh, I have three friends who are like, I'm just gonna, live in my divine feminine I'm like, oh, okay. I mean, I think that's gonna be hard.Inna Segal 42:32  Well, actually, interestingly, quite a few years ago, when I was separating from my ex husband, I ended up meeting this friend of mine, and she was doing this whole divine feminine thing at the time. And I remember I would call her and I would say, we caught up three times a week at the time, which was amazing. And I'd call her and I'd go, oh, what have you been doing, you know, this week, besides the times we've, you know, caught up, and she'd go, I'm connecting to my feminine I'm just literally lying next to the pool, journaling, you know, getting the sun, having a swim, and that's all I'm doing, because I'm slowing down internally and and she would speak in this beautiful, kind of very slow way. And I remember thinking, it's like she's the complete opposite to me. I don't even know what that looks like, or what that means to just, you know, go, and this was happening over many months, where she just, you know, it was covered. She wasn't working, and she was, you know, she'd pick up her son and do some things in the evening from school, but most of the day was about this and and really embodying it. And I was well, firstly, I think it's amazing that she's doing it, but most of us do not have that luxury of just or a (inaudible). Lesley Logan 43:53  Right, we do have to kind of go do something today.Inna Segal 44:01  Exactly. And, you know, in the same way that it was beautiful, it was also really challenging for her, because then she was kind of like, well, I want to start a business, but there was all sorts of blocks that were coming up for her to start a n business, because she really got into that state of, well, feminine means there's no time limit. You just do what you want. You just kind of, right? And eventually it's she had to step into her masculine and start to balance it out, because you cannot just be in one, you know, constantly.Lesley Logan 44:41  Yeah, one or the other. Yeah, it goes the same with like, oh my gosh, I we don't have time to get into it. But on the ground, these people are, these dudes, this is what it means to be masculine. I'm like, is it though? Maybe you should find your feminine. Maybe you should. But I appreciate that you sharing that story and also, yeah, we it's kind of taking the time to understand both archetypes for ourselves and what that refinement looks like, and then working on what the transition is between the two and when, when you're applying both. You know, I feel like I could talk to you forever, because, it's so beautiful what you do, and you're so knowledgeable, and there's a lot of kindness and how you approach these things, it's also so patient. So, you know, I appreciate that, because, you know, our listeners are like, okay, but tell me. And I think they need to hear it does take time, so we are going to take a brief break and find out where people can find you, follow you, work with you, and your Be It Action Items. Lesley Logan 45:31  All right, Inna, where do you hang out? Where can they buy your book? Where they take courses? Where should they go to learn more about you?Inna Segal 45:39  So the best place to go to is my website, which is innasegal.com I-N-N-A-S-E-G-A-L dot com, and what I really invite people to do is to take a step forward. And in the last few years, what I wanted to do is to take away people's excuses. So I used to do these master classes, slash mini workshops. I used to charge quite a bit of money for it. And then I said to my partner, you know what? I just feel like I want to spread the seeds, so to speak, and I want to give people an opportunity for, you know, some time. And this can change at any point that we've decided to change it, but for some time, an opportunity to access these, you know, mini workshops for free, because I want to take away excuses, because most people have excuses, non stop excuses, of why they don't do something. And the only excuse I cannot take away is you actually making a time for yourself and going and doing it, right? Actually doing the course, the mini workshop, the masterclass, and giving yourself the opportunity to tune in and there's, there's several master classes, so there's option. It's not, I never believe in one fits all kind of mentality. Some, some people very new to my work, my book, The Secret Language of Your Body, and they just want to go, how do I work with the book in the best way possible, right? How do I work with my body in the best way possible? So we have options for that, where people can, you know, can can do a course based on my book, The Secret Language of Your Body, or they might, you know, we also did something called the eight-week challenge where, you know, connecting to your intuitive body, where I go through all the systems of the body through the eight weeks, as well as archetypes and tuning into your body. And this is a way for people to really get to know and understand all the different aspects of their body that shows up and really befriend it. But then I teach, I teach my kind of 10-day workshop of Awake the Healer Within which is what I'm most excited about, because it's what you know, what is the foundation of healing? What does it actually mean to heal on the deepest level? And we talk about and work with a lot of archetypes, from feminine and masculine to the victim to the, you know, inner child, to really understanding your saboteur and how you sabotage your life, how you procrastinate and so, as well as the archetypes connected to your intuition and your capacity to move forward. So, and there's a lot of kind of tools around working with the body and healing and different conditions and energy and so on in that particular offering, which is a master class as well, but it goes for four hours. You need more time, and we go into all sorts of processes. I always, I don't just talk in these master classes. I actually give people a lot of wisdom and processes. And then I have one on your purpose and the sole purpose, and what it even means and looks like, and one on understanding ancestry and understanding your kind of your stages of development. So there's a lot.Lesley Logan 49:17  Inna, oh my gosh, if you try it right now you can, you can access it for free. So you should go do that. Why would you wait? And if you have to pay, I think it's probably worth it. So, I mean, I learned so much already. You have given us so much, and I agree with that. Like, take a step forward so that could be your Be It Action Item. But if you have any other bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted steps people can take to be it till they see it, we'd love to hear them.Inna Segal 49:43  I feel like step one is making a decision that you're you're somehow responsible for your own healing, not for what happened to you, not for all the trauma that occurred to you and other people's involvement. But what can you do about it and without it, nobody actually really heals in a real way. Other people can do all sorts of things for you, but it won't fully hold, because unless you take that step forward, you're not, you know, you're not really understanding what it's about. And so step one is being interested, being willing to understand, taking that responsibility and then searching for it, taking step a step forward, and then I'm going to say is helping yourself from the perspective of, how does this become part of my life? Right? So, how do I make it part of my life? In other words, what do I do when I wake up in the morning most of the time, right? Because we can't do something all the time. Things change. But most of the time, what is your first thought when you wake up in the morning? Are you focused on meditation, divine connection? Are you focused on what you could do during the day? Are you focused on the positive? Are you focused on stress and worry. You know, what, what happens to you? Then you know what happens to you when you're eating, for instance, are you conscious? And I think that's a huge one for most people, including myself, because we're just running and doing this and this and that in the you know, can you start to create time? And I had this conversation yesterday, actually, with my partner. I went to meet his family. He's from the UK, so we went to England last year, and I was watching his family, and I was like, oh my god, I can't breathe because they just ran. There was no stopping, there was no kind of breathing, there was no self-reflection. There was just doing, doing next thing, next, next, next. And he said to me yesterday, he said, I've just realized that, you know, I do my work. We work together. I think like you do with your husband. And he's like, I finished something, and I go, what's next, what's next, what's what's next. And I never give myself time to really connect and tune in. And he and I said to him, yeah, because this is that's all you've seen when you were growing up, I was exhausted watching your family, and I remember at one point I did a process, and I did in the wrong place, in the wrong room, where everybody could see me, where they started coming into the house. I didn't realize how long it would take. And they were like, what are you doing, wasting your time, as opposed to, actually, I'm doing something really important. Why are you not helping us? I was like, oh, because I'm being I need to, you know, I'm doing something for myself because it was, it's non-existent, and he went, it's almost like I feel guilty, or I feel, you know, that I'm wasting my time. That's why, when you keep saying, do processes, but I have so much more to do, but it's practical. And what you're saying to do is impractical. It's you know, internal stuff, but not, I don't see the practical application of it. And, you know, he's like, can I feel guilty, and he's like, I need to change this, right?Lesley Logan 53:18  Yeah.Inna Segal 53:20  And this is many, many people, especially men, where they kind of go up, I just need to fix stuff, I just need to do stuff, as opposed to, unless you're good inside, and you even give yourself an opportunity, like you said, Lesley, to ask questions, to go within, to discover who are you? What do you stand for? What do you do? What are you about? You know, all of this takes time to self-reflect and self-connect. How can you have boundaries? How can you have good relationships with someone if you never think about it right, because that shows up in your body. So how do you allow yourself to access feelings if you're being taught to push them down? Well, it takes time. It takes time for you to explore, but you have to make that choice to explore.Lesley Logan 54:18  I love this so much, and also, isn't it so funny when we see our partner or our friends, where they come from, and then you're like, oh, that's why you don't sit still. No one is sitting still. And my husband will listen to this when we'll do a recap, but like, hey, babe, do you did you see yourself in that description of her partner? Because, we're going on vacation. And he put he brought the computer to the pool. We brought the computer to the pool. And I was like, I'm gonna shame you. I'm gonna put you on the internet. My husband brought his computer to the pool, everyone. You know, but also, you know it's we're all on this journey. We're all learning the more we can actually take it, take your Be It Action Items, and embody them and use them. I think we can. We all get to grow together, and we can affect so many people's lives. Our bubble of influence will be affected in a positive way. So thank you, Inna for being you and for all that you brought to us and all that you educated us on. We're gonna have to talk again, I'm sure, because I barely, I think we barely touched the surface of all that you know, but y'all make sure you connect with Ina. Make sure you share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it, and let us know which Be It Action Item you use and how that helped you. We would love to hear it. We'd love to celebrate with you. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 55:36  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 56:19  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 56:24  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 56:28  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 56:35  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 56:38  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

Talk to KimIn this inspiring interview, Amy Theisen Walz shares her personal journey through mental health struggles, the transformative power of therapy dogs, and the impactful work of the You're Not Alone; organization in supporting mental health awareness in schools.Please be aware that we do discuss suicide in this episode which may be a trigger for some. If you are in crisis, please call or text 988-the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Mental Health Awareness01:01 Amy's Journey Through Emotional Abuse02:54 The Struggles of Postpartum Depression04:55 The Facade of Perfection and Eating Disorders06:11 Hitting Rock Bottom and Seeking Help10:14 The Impact of Family Dynamics on Mental Health16:05 The Crisis with Amy's Son19:43 Finding Hope Through a Dog23:43 The Healing Power of Pets28:41 The Journey of Building You're Not Alone31:08 Therapy Dog Training and School Integration33:35 Creating Connections Through Unconditional Love37:35 Expanding the Reach of Therapy Dogs43:44 The Impact of Therapy Dogs on Mental Health49:49 The Magic of Dogs in Healing51:39 Spreading the Message of HopeLinksYou're Not Alone Organization - https://www.ynausa.orgTherapy Dog Certification Resources - https://www.therapydogs.comMental Health Crisis Support (988) - https://988lifeline.orgSupport the showKim Benoy is a retired RN, Certified Aromatherapist, wife and mom who is passionate about inspiring and encouraging women over 40. She wants you to see your own beauty, value and worth through sharing stories of other women just like you.****************************************************If you are looking for deeper connection, encouragement, and support, you should join my free online community. It's a safe, uplifting space to be inspired, share honestly, and grow alongside women who truly get this season of life.Midlife with Courage™ Community*****************************************************Want to be a guest on Midlife with Courage™-Flourishing After Forty with Kim Benoy? Send Kim Benoy a message on PodMatch, here: Podmatch Link NEWSLETTER WEBSITEFACEBOOK

Pastor David Coons - 2 Corinthians 1 & 4

Send us Fan MailThis week on the Barbecue Radio Network, Freddie Bell sits down with Jason Ganahl — the heart and soul behind GQ Barbecue. Hear how a Missouri kid turned Denver into a barbecue destination, from KCBS competitions to stadium stands across Colorado. As Jason says, ‘I just love everything about the event… the energy, the camaraderie, the smiles.' Don't miss the stories, the secrets, and the passion behind GQ Barbecue — and his new book, A Mile Above the Rest. Tune in and get hungry.www.bbqradionetwork.com

Enjoy this free PREVIEW of Brother André Marie of the Reconquest Show. To hear  the fascinating FULL discussion, become a MEMBER today to enjoy this and other full featured content. #image_title   “Reconquest” is a militant, engaging, and informative Catholic radio program featuring interviews with interesting guests as well as commentary by your host. It is a radio-journalistic extension of the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.

How to let go of perfection means releasing the exhausting pursuit of flawlessness that never ends and never satisfies. This guide explores understanding that perfection is an impossible destination, embracing good enough, and discovering that imperfection is not failure but the natural way of things. The quiet moment is where perfectionism loosens its grip—you see that you are already enough without being perfect.

In this message, Pastor Neal Nolan is speaking a message during our midweek  service entitled "Pressing to Possess Perfection". This sermon was recorded on May 20th, 2026 at our main campus in Florence, SC Support the show

There are some conversations that instantly feel like sitting down with an old friend over coffee… and this episode is exactly that.In today's conversation, Rachel Earp sits down with writer, speaker, and intentional living coach Nichole Suvar to talk about her beautiful new book:You Don't Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling OverwhelmedRachel and Nichole first connected at a creative retreat called Camp for Creatives in Tennessee, only to discover they were both Indiana girls who had once lived within miles of each other before their paths crossed years later in a completely different season of life.Together, they unpack the quiet pressure so many women carry to keep everything afloat, appear strong, and constantly hold it all together—while internally feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally depleted.In this deeply encouraging conversation, Nichole shares:The personal story behind why she wrote this bookWhat “the peace of Eden” really meansWhy women often struggle with overwhelm and emotional pressureHow faith, rest, and intentional living can help us reconnect with peaceThe difference between striving and surrenderWhy God never asked women to carry the weight of perfectionIf you've been feeling stretched thin, emotionally tired, or overwhelmed by life lately, this episode will feel like permission to exhale.✨ You Don't Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling OverwhelmedYou can grab Nichole's book here:Order on AmazonIf conversations like this resonate with you, Rachel created Flourish—a deeper transformational space for women who want to grow in confidence, calling, faith, emotional resilience, peace, and alignment.✨ Join the Flourish Waitlist here:Join the Flourish WaitlistThe podcast may be the front porch… but Flourish is where we walk the path together

Ed O'Gorman says Nvidia's (NVDA) stock movement after earnings should be expected. He suggests the company needs massive guidance raises and excellent news flow for a substantial rally to take shape. Tyler Ellegard says the Mag 7 giant is "priced for perfection" but "continues to deliver perfection." He adds that Nvidia is evolving itself into a full stack AI company. Ed O'Gorman says Nvidia's (NVDA) stock movement after earnings should be expected. He suggests the company needs massive guidance raises and excellent news flow for a substantial rally to take shape. Tyler Ellegard says the Mag 7 giant is "priced for perfection" but "continues to deliver perfection." He adds that Nvidia is evolving itself into a full stack AI company.

Your daily race, run in the perfection of Jesus, matters! Check out my blog, my other podcasts, my books, and so much more at http://linktr.ee/craigtowens  ►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Are you constantly chasing peace in your blended family… but secretly defining peace as “everything going perfectly”?In this episode, Alicia dives into one of the biggest mindset traps high-achieving stepmoms fall into: believing that peace and perfection are the same thing. From overthinking conversations to trying to control transition days, co-parenting dynamics, schedules, emotions, and everyone else's reactions, many stepmoms end up emotionally exhausted trying to create a version of family life that simply doesn't exist.If you've ever thought:“I'll relax when things settle down.”“If everyone would just cooperate, THEN I'd feel calm.”“Why can't I stop overthinking everything?”…this episode is for you.Alicia breaks down:Why so many stepmoms equate peace with perfectionHow childhood conditioning and high-achiever tendencies fuel perfectionismWhy blended families trigger hypervigilance and emotional burnoutThe difference between emotional control and emotional flexibilityHow to stop spiraling when conflict, stress, or awkward moments happenPractical mindset shifts to help you feel calmer and more grounded as a stepmomThis episode is a reminder that peace in a blended family does NOT come from everyone behaving perfectly. It comes from learning how to stay grounded when life gets messy.Because real peace?It's not perfection.It's resilience.Support the showWant a specific topic covered? Let me know here.After you listen to this, tag me on Instagram @aliciakrasko and let me know what you think!Get all the FREE RESOURCES here.Want to learn more about The Stepmom Side community? Here's where you get all the info. Looking forward to connecting with you on the inside.All things Alicia visit www.aliciakrasko.comGet on the list,  get behind the scene info on Stepmom life, and tips delivered to your inbox.

This week's low effort episode is brought to you by a listener voicemail, reality shows Christina knows nothing about, vaping, a band update from Lauren, Stardew Valley, and Beethoven. Enjoy!We'd love to hear from you! Here's how to join the conversation:* Leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/picklesandvodka (first timers get a free sticker!*)* Subscribe to our Substack and never miss an episode: picklesandvodka.substack.com* Watch our faces on YouTube: youtube.com/@picklesandvodkapodcast* Follow our Instagram for poll alerts: @picklesandvodkapodcast* Join our Facebook group: facebook.com/picklesandvodkapodcast* Send us an email: picklesandvodkapodcast@gmail.com* Christina's personal Instagram: @xtinajumper* Christina's Substack (crisis corner): xtinajumper.substack.com* Lauren's personal Instagram: @lauren___afhCredits:* Edited by Christina Jumper* Theme song is Insane OK by The Whines from Free Music Archive*while supplies last Get full access to Pickles and Vodka at picklesandvodka.substack.com/subscribe

How many times have you told yourself, “I'm just going to start over on Monday,” only to repeat the same cycle week after week? Maybe you start the week feeling motivated, focused, and determined to finally “get it right,” but by the end of the week, things fall apart, and suddenly you feel like you failed again. If that sounds familiar, I want you to hear this: the problem is not that you lack discipline, and it's not that you're incapable of change. The real problem is that you've been chasing perfection instead of learning how to build consistency. Because when your mindset is all-or-nothing, one off-plan meal, one stressful day, or one missed workout can make you feel like you ruined everything. So instead of adjusting and moving forward, you tell yourself you'll start over next week… and that cycle keeps you stuck. But healthy eating and lasting weight loss were never meant to be built on perfection. They're built on consistency. Small choices repeated over time. Learning how to keep going even when things aren't perfect. So in today's episode, I want to help you shift your thinking. We're going to talk about why consistency beats perfection every single time when it comes to healthy eating, and how to finally break free from the exhausting cycle of starting over. Because freedom doesn't come from being perfect. It comes from learning how to keep showing up. I hope you'll stick with me through this episode and begin to see real change, not just in your habits, but in the way you think about yourself and your journey. And if you'd love more support and encouragement, come join us in our Facebook community, Lose Weight, Live Free. And if you're looking for deeper accountability and one-on-one coaching support, I'd love to connect with you. You can email me at taraj@dietditching.com.

Host Dr. Russell welcomes returning guest Dane Johnson to discuss resilience through gut health, Crohn's and colitis as autoimmune inflammatory bowel diseases, and why cases are rapidly increasing, which Johnson attributes to combined factors like toxins, pathogens, stress, EMF, poor sleep, and ultra-processed foods, including glyphosate exposure. Johnson shares his history of severe illness, failed medications, near-death complications, and subsequent self-empowerment that led to helping others find individualised “your answer, not the answer” by combining conventional, holistic, mental, and spiritual approaches. They emphasise restoring microbiome balance rather than eradication, caution against low-quality supplements and biohacking hype, and stress choosing trustworthy, integrity-driven providers and products with third-party testing. Johnson highlights probiotics (especially Natren single-strain powders), mentions RDLA and indigo naturalis, and offers free consultations via Crohn's Colitis Lifestyle.00:00 Welcome 00:51 Dane's Health Journey02:03 Autoimmune Epidemic Rising03:38 Food Toxins and Glyphosate05:34 Beyond Avoidance to Healing06:59 What Balance Really Means08:20 Diet Limits and Biohacking10:13 Supplements Done Right13:16 Trust Integrity and Value16:10 Doctors Research and Advocacy17:43 How to Choose What Works19:04 TikTok Fixes Debunked19:40 Probiotic Quality Matters20:20 Authenticity Over Hype20:48 Natren Single Strain Approach23:15 RDLA For Colon Inflammation24:55 Indigo Naturalis And Evidence25:49 Stress Mindset And Balance27:27 Rebuilding Resilience Long Term29:35 When Sick Requires Zeal30:36 Connection Over Cravings32:03 How To Work With Dane34:27 Natural Path Closing ThoughtsYou can contact us at info@qedod.comResources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com#resilience, #burnout, #intuition

Join me, Jenny D. for a special edition of Spill with Me Jenny D. Meet Matt Rohm owner of LeWay Enterprises in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Matt gave me a tour of his shop and showed me all that goes into screen printing. The people behind the scenes will amaze you! LeWay Enterprises is a family owned Pittsburgh business serving our community for over 26Years. From Custom screen printing, embroidery, team apparel and promotional products, their in-house creative design team has been helping businesses, teams, and organizations throughout Western Pennsylvania and beyond to bring brands to life. Thank you Matt for sponsoring Jenny D's Special Edition Episode with The Steelers Scouting Coordinator Casey Weidl on Wednesday May 20th. Also, a shout out to LeWay for being Jenny D's on-line store for over 4 years now! https://spill.itemorder.com/shop/sale/ To find out more about LeWay click the link below or call 412-942-0740 https://www.leway.com/ #supportlocal #supportsmallbusiness #screenprinting #embroidery #familyowned

Dave Filoni is officially at his absolute best with the new Star Wars animated masterpiece, Maul: Shadow Lord! In this video, we break down why Maul continues to be one of the most compelling and layered characters in the entire franchise, and why this grit-infused series completely blew us away. From the stunningly dark heist aesthetics to the masterful character development, Lucasfilm Animation has delivered something truly special for the fans. Check out our full review to see why we think this is a must watch addition to the galaxy, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Have you ever hired someone to free up your time and found yourself working more hours than before? Have you hit a point where your reputation for quality is actually the thing keeping you stuck in every project? Today's featured guest and his wife have been building their agency for over 22 years. For most of that time, the business ran on referrals, no defined niche, and two founders doing most of the work. Six years ago, they got serious about building a real team. In this episode, he talks honestly about what that transition looked like, why his technical strengths became a liability as the agency grew, how a lack of sales infrastructure was quietly making their delivery problems worse, and what the shift to actually picking clients has done for their operations. Olivier Bridgeman is the co-founder of Bridge Media, a marketing and web agency serving businesses in residential construction, renovation, and maintenance—recognized as the builders of credibility. Although it has been operating for over two decades, Olivier and his wife made the decision to build a real team and install the infrastructure that would let the business grow beyond them just six years ago. The agency now has 11 people, and Olivier is in the process of evolving out of the operator role and into something closer to CEO, working through the mindset and structural challenges that come with that shift. In this episode, we'll discuss: The expected cost of adding more people When your biggest strength turns you into a bottleneck Fixing sales to fix the delivery problem Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Herringbone Digital: If you're thinking about exiting now, planning a few years ahead, or just want to understand your options, you should know about Herringbone Digital. They're not a typical financial buyer. They're operators who actually understand what it takes to build and scale an agency because they've done it themselves. Their approach is simple: invest in great founders, protect what's already working, and help agencies scale faster. Go to https://www.herringbonedigital.com/swenk and start the conversation. Why Adding People Made the Work Harder Before It Got Easier After years of being the sole force behind the business, the motivation to build a team was simple: bring on people, hand off work, and get time back. The reality was that the first hires created more work, not less. Olivier and his wife had to deliver their own work, review and redo the team's work before it went to clients, manage schedules, clarify responsibilities, and absorb the cost of onboarding, all at the same time. This is the Manager stage in full effect, and it is the stage where most founders assume something is broken when it is actually just the expected cost of the transition. What Olivier describes is exactly what makes this stage so difficult: you used to know what you were doing every afternoon. Now you have to manage your own calendar and everyone else's. The invisible work of managing people, training them, setting expectations, and maintaining quality does not show up on any timesheet. It just accumulates. The goal is to move through this stage quickly, not to stay in it and hire more people on top of it. When Your Biggest Strength Becomes the Bottleneck Olivier's programming ability, which was his edge at the start, became a trap as the team grew. When you are the best technical person in the room and there is a problem in front of you, the reflex is to fix it. It is faster. It is cleaner. And it quietly signals to the team that you do not trust them to solve it themselves. The pattern is common across founders who built their agencies around a specific skill. The capability that created the business eventually becomes the reason the founder cannot leave it. Every time Olivier jumped in to fix something, he was reinforcing the team's dependency on him rather than building their ability to handle it independently. The structural answer is not to stop caring about quality. It is to raise the standard through coaching and systems rather than through personal intervention. The goal is a team that can hit 80 percent of what you would have done, on their own, then coach them to 82, then 85. Perfection is not the benchmark. Capability without you is. What Fixing Sales Did to Their Delivery Problem For most of Bridge Media's existence, new business came through referrals and local relationships. That felt safe. Working some local events and being known within their market was enough for a while. In practice, it meant every client was different, every project required a different set of skills, and the team was constantly starting from scratch. The founders had to stay deeply involved because the work never became repeatable enough for anyone else to own it. Two years ago, Olivier and his wife made a deliberate shift toward building an actual sales function. The downstream effect was not just more leads. It was better client fit, more predictable project types, and a team that could finally develop real expertise in a consistent area of work. When you build a pipeline, you get the ability to be selective. When you are selective, you take on clients your team can actually serve without the founders embedded in every deliverable. Referral dependency does not just create revenue risk. It creates a structural trap that keeps founders in the operator seat far longer than necessary. The Mindset Shift That Has to Happen Before the Role Can Change Olivier knows he needs to step back, and it is still hard. Not because the systems are not there, but because the identity is hard to separate from the work. When you have spent years building a culture of teamwork and being present for the team, stepping into a more removed role can feel like abandonment, both to the team and to yourself. The reframe that matters here is not about working less. It is about what the business actually needs from you at each stage. You may think that your biggest contribution to the agency is your time, but at the CEO level your job is: Setting the vision Communicating it consistently Coaching the leadership layer Protecting the culture through behavior rather than through presence Steering direction That work is roughly 20 hours a week when done correctly. The challenge is that most founders do not believe that until they have experienced it, and the discomfort of having fewer hours filled pushes them back into the operator role they just worked hard to leave. Recognizing the rubber band effect for what it is, significance-seeking disguised as contribution, is what makes it possible to stop pulling yourself back in. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

Welcome to today's episode! In this powerful episode, Taylor discusses the beauty of releasing the need to be perfect, pulling in elements of his faith, life coaching and core belief in our daily blank canvas.BOOK A 1:1 DISCOVERY CALL: https://stan.store/taylorryannardone/p/unlock-your-potential-with-taylor-nardoneJoin Taylor's Email List: https://elegant-bread-591.myflodesk.com/bks2quqdkhSPEAKING INQUIRIES: https://www.taylorryannardone.com/contact"The best is yet to come."All music is licensed by Epidemic Sound.

Do these go together? Turns out that from God's perspective, they absolutely do! James writes to the dispersed and to us. Check it out.

With Guy Ritchie continuing his action-movie domination and Henry Cavill fans still demanding more spy franchises after The Man From U.N.C.L.E., we're reacting to The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare — the WWII action-comedy based on Winston Churchill's real secret mission starring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Eiza González, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare Full Length Watch Alongs & Early Access:   / thereelrejects   Limited Time Offer – You Need Fiber. Yes you! Boost your fiber with Huel today using my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code REJECTS at https://www.huel.com/REJECTS. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! Gift Someone (Or Yourself) An RR Tee! https://shorturl.at/hekk2 Greg Alba & Andrew Gordon react to The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, including the insane Nazi-killing action sequences, the covert mission behind Operation Postmaster, Henry Cavill's James Bond-esque performance, Alan Ritchson going full berserker mode, and one of Guy Ritchie's most stylish ensemble movies yet. Greg Alba & Andrew Gordon break down the film with their full reaction, recap, commentary, analysis, spoiler discussion, and review!! Follow Andrew Gordon on Socials:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieSource Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agor711/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Agor711 Follow Greg Alba:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ Twitter:  https://x.com/thegregalba Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're judging God. "Wives, obey your husbands." Mental health in the black community. Some people want to wake up.

Vinyl records, coffee table books, low-maintenance pot plants: from Dublin to Dubrovnik, all good hipsters have the same stuff. The Italian writer Vincenzo Latronico captures this boring international aesthetic beautifully in his hit novel ‘Perfection', while skewering millennial life in general. Do you like hearing about Lisbon food, the internet vs real life, and everything that's wrong with the word ‘expat'? Then you'll love our inaugural book club conversation, even if you haven't read the book. We're also talking this week about a fugitive Polish politician's transatlantic dash, and the questionable Frenchness of a celebrated giraffe. Listen to the end if you want to know why we are launching a side-business importing sun loungers.Our book club is brought to you in collaboration with the European Review of Books, featuring the magazine's co-founder Wiegertje Postma along with Portuguese bookworm Teresa Bandeira de Carvalho. The latest issue of the European Review of Books is out today!You can subscribe to Teresa's excellent Substack here, and read her viral post on the word ‘expat' here.This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are the Zenodot website, where you can check if a book has been translated into your language, and the European Press Prize shortlist.NEED MORE BOOK CHAT? Subscribers of The Europeans have access to an extended version of our book club conversation – twice as long and packed with thoughtful observations about everything from whether or not this story has a happy ending, to... how to run a book club. If you're not yet a supporter of the podcast but you'd like to hear the longer version of the conversation, you can sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast.The Europeans is made possible by listener contributions – we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs on Patreon in many different currencies, or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.Produced by Katy Lee and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering by Wojciech OleksiakMusic by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe's own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Send us Fan MailWhat if the reason you feel stuck… isn't laziness, lack of discipline, or “not enough time”?What if it's perfectionism wearing a really convincing disguise?In this episode, Alex and Carol unpack the exhausting pressure of trying to get everything “right” before you move. The perfect plan. The perfect timing. The perfect version of you.And meanwhile?Your life sits in the waiting room.They explore why perfectionism feels so safe to the nervous system, how overthinking creates paralysis, and why excellence has a completely different energy than perfection ever will.Because excellence moves.Perfection freezes.This conversation gets real about fear of judgment, comparison, self-worth, and the emotional weight of always trying to hold it all together. But it also opens the door to something lighter.Messy action.Small wins.Trusting yourself again.You'll hear powerful reflections on identity, confidence, learning, leadership, and why your brain actually needs evidence of progress, not impossible standards, to build momentum. Where are you waiting to feel “ready”?And what might happen if you stopped trying to be perfect… and started allowing yourself to grow?Perfection keeps you stuck.Excellence creates movement.

This lecture explores the theme of fear in The Path to Perfection, examining how fear can both hinder and guide personal growth. It will discuss the different forms fear takes—such as fear of failure, judgment, and the unknown—and how these emotions can distance individuals from spiritual and personal fulfillment. The session will also highlight practical ways to confront and transform fear into a tool for self-awareness, resilience, and inner strength on the journey toward perfection. Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman presents a reflective and insightful talk centered on Shaykh Masihullah Khan's The Path to Perfection, focusing on the chapter “Love of the World.” Through a moving reading of the text and thoughtful commentary, he brings its timeless spiritual lessons into conversation with the realities of modern life. The talk offers clear, practical guidance on navigating today's challenges while cultivating sincerity, balance, and a deeper connection to what truly matters. In this series Dr. Mufti Abdur-Rahman covers the book titled, 'Essentials of Islamic Spirituality' previously known as 'The Path to Perfection'. Link to book: https://www.whitethreadpress.com/publication/essentials-of-islamic-spirituality/

Struggling to get clients for your interior design business? You're not alone—and it's probably not a talent issue. In this episode, Kimberley Seldon sits down with Elizabeth Rees to break down what actually works when it comes to marketing for interior designers. Because the designers landing projects aren't necessarily more skilled—they're simply more visible, more consistent, and more willing to take action before they feel ready. If you've been relying on referrals, posting on social media without results, or waiting for the “right time” to put yourself out there, this conversation will change how you approach growth. This is a practical, no-fluff look at how to build traction, generate leads, and create momentum in your interior design business—without waiting for perfection. What you'll learn in this episode: - Why referrals alone won't sustain long-term growth in your interior design business - How to get interior design clients—even if you have no network - The real purpose of networking and how to use it to generate opportunities - Why visibility matters more than perfection in your marketing strategy - How to measure ROI beyond immediate revenue and short-term wins - The difference between being busy and being strategically visible - How to repurpose content to increase reach without extra work - Why in-person networking is still one of the fastest ways to grow - How rejection helps you build momentum and resilience - What “scrappy marketing” looks like when scaling your design business

A rare Monday show so we can be on the road WednesdayWatch Us Live on twitch.tv/cptjackgonzoSocials https://www.facebook.com/scoundrelsinnhttps://www.instagram.com/scoundrelsinnmedia/scoundrelsinn.com Support us on PayPal!

Modern leadership models tend to revolve around attaining power, loyalty, and even perfection. In today's episode, author and Christianity Today CEO Nicole Massie Martin invites us to flip these values upside down. Drawing on Jesus' ministry to provide a countercultural model for effective leadership, Nicole talks with Brian about the inevitability of pain in the leader's journey, resisting the pressure to achieve perfection, and the nuances of navigating competition and partnership across the gender divide.Nicole Massie Martin is a leader, author, speaker, teacher, and CEO of Christianity Today. Check out her book, Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender: https://www.nicolemassiemartin.com/Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.htmlIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In Part 5 of The Path to Perfection, Pastor Kong Hee shares on the fifth step in the way of perfection: forgiveness—the healing of the heart. He explains what forgiveness is and is not, and, drawing from Timothy Keller, highlights three dimensions of forgiveness, showing how growth in one dimension inevitably affects the others. Forgiveness draws us into deeper union with God.

Why do so many women feel guilty for slowing down… but never question the exhaustion that comes from constantly pouring into everyone else? In this special Mother's Day conversation, we're talking honestly about motherhood, grace, emotional overload, faith, wellness, and learning how to love our families without completely losing ourselves in the process.

By Scott McKeon - Hebrews 6:1-2 outlines six foundational doctrines of Christianity that closely parallel the meaning of God's annual Holy Days. In this message we examine how the Holy Days reveal God's plan of salvation step by step, and how the weekly Sabbath continually calls us to “go on to perfection” through

Fabletics: Shop now at https://Fabletics.com/boydad to get 70- 80% off everything when you sign up as a new VIP -- Follow us on our socials: https://linktr.ee/sonofaboydad -- Merch: https://store.barstoolsports.com/collections/son-of-a-boy-dad -- SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE #SonOfABoyDad #BarstoolSportsYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/sonofaboydad

Motherhood is often painted as pure joy, endless patience, and unconditional love. But what about the moments of frustration? The resentment? The overwhelm? The quiet thought of, “I love my child… but this is really hard.” In this episode, I sit down with psychotherapist Dr. Margo Lowy to talk about maternal ambivalence – the completely normal experience of holding love and difficult emotions at the same time. We unpack the difference between ambivalence and indifference, why so many mothers feel guilt for being human, and how naming these emotions actually strengthens connection rather than weakens it. If you've ever questioned yourself because motherhood didn't feel magical 100 percent of the time, this conversation will feel like exhaling. We discuss: • What maternal ambivalence really means and why it's misunderstood • Why loving your child and feeling frustrated can coexist • The myth of the “perfect, selfless mother” • How social media fuels unrealistic expectations • Why naming difficult emotions reduces shame • The power of community and choosing supportive voices • How humor and lightness protect us in hard seasons • Why responding instead of reacting changes everything • The importance of modeling emotional honesty for our children To connect with Dr. Margo Lowy follow her on Instagram @drmargolowy, check out all her resources at https://drmargolowy.com/ and buy her books: https://drmargolowy.com/book/  00:00 – Intro: Why Difficult Feelings in Motherhood Matter 01:21 – Introducing Dr. Margo Lowy and Maternal Ambivalence 02:57 – What Maternal Ambivalence Actually Means 06:00 – Ambivalence vs Indifference: A Critical Difference 07:49 – The Myth of the Perfect, Selfless Mother 09:08 – Why Suppressing Difficult Emotions Backfires 11:01 – Letting Go of Perfection in Parenting 13:09 – The Moment You Realize Your Child Is Separate From You 17:08 – Do Fathers Experience Parenting Ambivalence Too? 19:03 – Why Parenting Plans Rarely Go as Expected 22:49 – The Power of Community and Support in Motherhood 29:11 – Social Media and the Pressure to Be the “Perfect Mom” 33:30 – How Accepting Imperfection Strengthens Parenting 43:16 – Naming Ambivalence and Finding Compassion for Yourself 49:22 – Final Takeaway: Why Naming Your Feelings Changes Everything Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don't forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toddlerhood doesn't have to feel like survival mode. In this episode, I sit down with Devon Kuntzman to break down what's really going on in your toddler's brain and why so many common parenting approaches backfire. We get into tantrums vs. meltdowns, emotional regulation, and how to hold boundaries without constant power struggles. Devon shares practical tools to handle defiance, reduce stress, and build a calmer, more connected home. → Leave Us A Voice Message!  Topics Discussed: → Why do toddlers have tantrums → How to handle toddler defiance calmly → What is toddler emotional regulation → Tantrums vs meltdowns what's different → How diet affects toddler behavior Sponsored By:  → Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder & Essentials | Get $10 off your order with PODCAST10 at https://bewellbykelly.com. → Hiya | Get 50% off your first order at https://hiyahealth.com/KELLY Timestamps:  → 00:00:00 - Introduction → 00:01:43 - Devon's “Why” → 00:04:45 - Toddler Brain 101  → 00:08:36 - Teaching Emotional Regulation  → 00:15:03 - Knowing The Plan  → 00:18:59 - Tantrums vs Meltdowns  → 00:22:01 - Disrupting Our Stress Response  → 00:25:40 - Maintaining Boundaries  → 00:28:21 - Handling Defiance  → 00:31:55 - Consistency vs Perfection  → 00:34:35 - The Recalibration Period  → 00:38:56 - The Core Principles  → 00:45:01 - Bedtime For Different Ages  → 00:51:12 - Whining  → 00:57:42 - Sleep + Nutrition  → 01:01:30 - High Sugar Breakfasts  → 01:04:19 - You Can Do Hard Things  Further Listening:  → The Secret to Raising Resilient, Emotionally Healthy Children | Dr. Billy Garvey  Check Out Devon:  → IG: @transformingtoddlerhood → Website: https://www.transformingtoddlerhood.com/  → Book: Transforming Toddlerhood Check Out Kelly: → Instagram → Youtube → Facebook

If you want to listen to the full episode (XYBM 155) from this clip, search for the title: "Ep. 155: The Self-Love Black Men Were Never Taught with Marquis" — it was released on April 27, 2026.In XYBM 155, we sit down with Marquis Hill (Real MJ Hill), a 20-year-old motivational speaker, author, and youth mental health advocate. He explains the disruptive behavior of youth as a deep need for validation and a cry to simply be heard, often rooted in his own early struggles with comparison, the pain of losing a close mentor to suicide, and the profound identity shift he experienced after a sudden heart diagnosis ended his basketball dreams.       This is a must-watch for parents, millennials, and anyone who wants to truly connect with young people and create spaces where they feel safe enough to open up.Tune in on all podcast streaming platforms, including YouTube.Leave a 5-star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you found value in this episode or a previous episode!BOOK US FOR SPEAKING + BRAND DEALS:————————————Explore our diverse collaboration opportunities as the leading and fastest-growing Black men's mental health platform on social media. Let's create something dope for your brand/company.Take the first step by filling out the form on our website: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/speaking-brand-dealsSAFE HAVEN:————————————Safe Haven is a holistic healing platform built for Black men by Black men. In Safe Haven, you will be connected with a Black mental health professional, so you can finally heal from the things you find it difficult to talk about AND you will receive support from like-minded Black men that are all on their healing journey, so you don't have to heal alone.Join Safe Haven Now: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-haven SUPPORT THE PLATFORM: ————————————Safe Haven: https://www.expressyourselfblackman.com/safe-havenMonthly Donation: https://buy.stripe.com/eVa5o0fhw1q3guYaEE Merchandise: https://shop.expressyourselfblackman.com FOLLOW US:————————————TikTok: @expressyourselfblackman (https://www.tiktok.com/@expressyourselfblackman) Instagram:Host: @expressyourselfblackman(https://www.instagram.com/expressyourselfblackman)Guest: @realmjhill (https://www.instagram.com/realmjhill)YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ExpressYourselfBlackManFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/expressyourselfblackman

In PT.1 of this solo episode, Crystal breaks down what it really looks like to build a personal brand while you’re still becoming. From navigating pressure to be perfect to staying consistent, avoiding burnout, and building a brand beyond social media, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t have to have everything figured out to get started. Your brand isn’t something you wait to become; it’s something you build as you are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Description:This week, Jen and Amy sit down with actress, model, entrepreneur, and Lipstick on the Rim host Molly Sims for a conversation that starts light and breezy—backstage at a Hello Sunshine Shine Away event—and quickly moves into something deeper: what it's like to live in a body that's been watched, evaluated, and monetized for decades… and how your relationship to that body inevitably changes over time. Molly has spent most of her life being seen. But what she shares here is what it's taken to actually see herself. Today, the discussion centers around the quiet (and sometimes jarring) shift into midlife. Molly opens up about figuring it out in real time, what surprised her most about this chapter, and the unexpected places where things have gotten easier. There's also an honest look at what it means to keep showing up in an industry with very loud opinions about women's bodies—and how Molly now navigates beauty, skincare, procedures, and wellness without losing herself in the process. Where's the line between empowerment and pressure? And who gets to decide? But this conversation doesn't stay theoretical. It lands in real life—in marriage, in motherhood, in the everyday negotiations of confidence and insecurity, and in the intentional ways Molly is trying to give her daughter a different starting point than the one she was handed. Along the way, the discussion turns to influence, identity, and the kinds of conversations Molly is creating now that she wasn't having earlier in her career. And in one of the most tender moments of the episode, she reflects on what she would say to her younger self—not to fix her, but just to sit beside her with a little more perspective. This one feels like sitting across from someone who's done a lot of living—and is finally comfortable telling the truth about it. Thought-provoking Quotes: “To be in on something from the inception has given me a lot of fire to keep going.” – Molly Sims “My resilient wall of armor is very strong. I've been told I'm too fat, I'm too tall, I'm too dark, I'm too blonde. Sometimes shit needs to go wrong to give you that, okay, let's cry ourselves out of this hole and pull ourselves out.” – Molly Sims “To be in your forties and not have the energy of being in your twenties is a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot.” – Molly Sims “In my fifties, I'm more confident, I'm calmer, and I can handle a lot. But, I get tired.” – Molly Sims Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Raygun What The Hell Is Going On Here Tee - https://www.raygunsite.com/collections/home-page-special/products/what-the-hell Hello Sunshine Shine Away Event - https://hello-sunshine.com/shineaway-2/  YSE BEAUTY - https://www.ysebeauty.com/  |  Get a 15% discount at YSE Beauty using the code FORTHELOVE15. Exclusions apply.  Lipstick on the Rim podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lipstick-on-the-rim/id1560226129 Baby CO2 Laser Treatment Xtreme Glow Dewey Peptide Plumping Serum - https://www.ysebeauty.com/products/xtreme-glow-serum Organic Immune Bloom Jellies - https://greencompassglobal.com/products/immune-bloom Weleda Skin Food - https://amzn.to/41ARQn8 Microneedling with PRP Guest's Links: Website - https://www.mollysims.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mollybsims Twitter - https://x.com/MollyBSims Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MollySimsOfficial/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/mollysims TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybsims Substack - https://mollysims.substack.com/ Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lipstick-on-the-rim/id1560226129 Connect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices