This week I am celebrating two very important milestones:

1. The accomplishment of reaching podcast episode 200 and how it all got started four years ago…

2. My film, From Cult to Queer, has been invited to a live screening this September at the Indiewood Film Festival Hollywood in LA!! Wait till you hear what theater it’s going to be playing at!

I biked nearly twenty miles in the blazing heat today to podcast at a quaint little park in Republic, MO. - just because I needed today to feel special and I needed to feel celebrated! Cycling makes me super happy, and I don’t often take time for it, so cycling into town was how I showed myself love today. 😀

Learning to celebrate our successes and achievements along the way can be a struggle if you are an overachiever like me. I can get so focused on what I have to do next that I forget to recognize all my hard work even when it pays off.

But that’s not a life worth living - always rushing towards the next hill.

Sometimes we need to just coast down the fucking hill, outstretched arms, and enjoy the success we earned.

You did it Boo. And you deserve to be acknowledged!

It’s time for us to stop focusing so much on what we still have to do and celebrate what we have already done!

I am so incredibly excited to share this conversation with you! I had the honor of reconnecting with a dear friend last week and getting to hear all that she has learned and is learning in her life, post growing up in the same cult that I grew up in.

Janelle is not only just a fucking blast to talk to, but she is also extremely intelligent. In this episode she shares her newfound passion for "turning earth back into earth" and all the simple yet profound changes she has implemented in her own yard.

From the ashes of a confusing childhood, Janelle's example reminds us that life, like nature, is a gift to be explored.

Her love for learning and unending openness made this conversation one of my favorites. I am so grateful for this important conversation!!!

Janelle discusses:

- what her childhood felt like growing up in a cult

- her struggle to make it on her own

- how nature helped her find her grounding

- the importance of working with nature in our yards

- why you should not trust ants ;)

- the beauty of death that isn't talked about often

- how to hack your life by cycle planning!

I turned 43 this week - and you know what? Every year just keeps getting better. Today, I talk about the incredible birthday I had with my family and how I have decided to view aging.

In a world that does it’s best to make us terrified of getting older, I am determined to rewrite those toxic messages. Anyone who is familiar with Dr. Ellen J. Langer knows that her work has proven over and over again how much our thoughts affect our physical health.

If you are ready to be done with viewing age as a negative thing, this episode is for you. The second half of your life does not have to be all downhill. You do not have to dread aging. It’s time to take your power back.

I also share a mindful meditation that has become my daily practice that I learned from Dr. Joe Dispenza in his book, “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself.” Join me as I guide you through a short session designed to help you access your subconscious so that you can surrender unwanted reactions and replace them with new, honoring responses.

I highly recommend any work by Dr. Joe Dispenza who specializes in meditation and Dr. Ellen J. Langer who specializes in mindfulness 🙂

In a world that is brimming over with extensive research, excellent advice, and endless knowledge at our fingertips, it can feel overwhelming learning to incorporate and “do” all the things.

Today, I will boil it down to three simple steps you can take that have the potential to truly change how you feel, how you think, and how you respond.

I also talk about:

• Playing the “What if” game from a different perspective

• The quantum law, “What you focus on expands”

• How to change the way you feel

• The meaning of being mindful

• The three steps to taking your power

Here is the song, “Not My Circus”, that I am loving right now:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0ptOINiyIh0GarbBcPX3cC?si=f6a6137fe1434655

Instant Stress Hack - a conversation with my girls! #196

This week is a special episode brought to you from the front seat of our truck! My two daughters, Tanaya and Avriella, join me today in a thought-provoking conversation about some cool things I am learning from Dr. Ellen Langer.

I just love talking with my girls. Not only is it an absolute blast, but I also always appreciate their perspectives and thoughts on different subjects. I’m pretty sure you will, too. ;)

We discuss:

• Dr. Ellen Langer views stress and how we can live and work without stress

• The difficulty of being your authentic self in school or at work

• The podcast, The Florence Given Show, and why Tanaya likes it

• How to make an embarrassing moment less embarrassing

• Music and what it does for us

Please check out the plant guru Katy Henson at her website, Wildscapesmo.com

And last but not least, we reference one of our favorite comedy YouTube channels, “Studio C” and “JK Studios”. Check them out on YouTube! They have some ridiculously fun stuff to watch!

Overflowing with gratitude today as I share my recent accomplishment for my film, From Cult to Queer!! Over a year ago, I hobbled into the office of my friend and film director, Taylor Brown, with crutches to begin telling my story. In the midst of recovering from a motorcycle wreck, I took the leap to start making a film about my life. I was terrified, shaky, and fearful that it would all be too traumatic and a huge waste of my time. I worried no one would find value in my message.

But amidst all the voices screaming at me to stay silent, to stay stuck in what I was familiar with, to not step outside of my comfort zone, I did it anyway.

Why? Because I was tired of the negative messaging that kept me feeling insecure, small, and unworthy. And ready or not, I was going to tell my fucking story and believe that somewhere, somehow, it would help somebody and make some sort of a difference in the world.

Listen today as I unveil the exciting news about my film, which recently received an award from the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival!

This is only the beginning, baby. We are just getting started. The me I am today is already so different from the me that started this journey last year. No more playing small. If others can be wildly successful and travel the globe to share their message, then why not me?

Why not you? Are you ready to dream big? The Universe wants to give you what you want. Are you ready to stop making excuses and get started?

Let’s fucking GO!!!!

Here are the two podcasts that my teenage daughters got me onto. If you need some daily inspiration, these chicks have it going!!

Inspired Delusions

The Florence Given Show

Are you an all-or-nothing person like me?

If so, this episode is for you. It’s for me. It’s for all of us who grew up being told that our worth comes from what we can accomplish.

I have lived my whole life giving one hundred and ten percent. Sometimes, it was great, but more often than not, it was detrimental to my health in a myriad of ways.

Who knew that a workout program designed specifically for women in perimenopause was going to be the thing that taught me a new way to approach life? Thanks to Betty Rocker and her quote, “All or Something”, I am learning to listen to my body.

You can too. In fact, you deserve it. You deserve the care and attention and permission to give what you have for that day and reserve the rest for yourself.

It’s time for us to stop giving all of ourselves away. It’s time for us to rewrite the story.

Life isn’t about doing. It’s about living. #LFG

Happy Pride Month, my lovely community!! I am so fucking grateful to be sharing today about my own queer journey and the things I am learning in this beautiful season!

I talk about:

• What I believe that Pride is all about

• My current struggle of feeling judgmental towards the other side now

• How I want to treat all of humanity

• The need for diversity in ALL humans

• My journey to discovering my queerness

• How Jenna forever changed my life

• The history of the first Pride flag design (fucking cool!)

• And last but not least, a very eye-opening documentary that everyone should watch about the first Pride parade on June 28th, 1970, in New York, commemorating the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. See the link below!!

This link takes you to the article about some Pride history. Scroll down to find the documentary to watch. It’s only twelve minutes long and worth every second of your time! Enjoy!

https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/