A Note From Me

This episode is the start of something I’ve been sitting with for a long time.

I wanted to open this series with a question that changed everything for me: What if nothing about you is random?
What if the things you call flaws or failures are actually signals from a living ecosystem inside you, an ecosystem that was built for a past version of you and is now asking to evolve?

In this episode, I walk you through why so many of us feel stuck, overwhelmed, burned out, or out of alignment. It’s not because we’re broken. It’s because we’re still operating from outdated survival systems that once protected us but no longer fit who we’re becoming.

I talk about what happens when we stop treating ourselves like malfunctioning machines and start understanding ourselves as living systems with layers that rise and fall together, our biology, psychology, emotions, relationships, and identity.

I also introduce the six elements every healthy ecosystem needs, and how those same elements show up inside us: roots, canopy, circulation, diversity, regeneration, and spirit.
And then we zoom in to the five layers of the personal ecosystem: the body, the mind, the emotional landscape, the relational web, and the identity/purpose layer, so you have a map for the inner work we’re going to explore in the coming episodes.

This episode lays the foundation for the whole series.It’s meant to help you see yourself with more compassion, more clarity, and more curiosity…...and to remind you that you were never meant to run on efficiency or willpower alone.

You weren’t built to function like a machine.You were meant to grow like a living thing.

I’m really proud of this one, and I’m excited for where we’re headed next.

Integration Journal Prompts

1. Biological:“What is my body trying to communicate that I’ve been ignoring?”

2. Psychological:“What belief am I acting from today? Is it actually mine?”

3. Emotional:“What emotion showed up the strongest this week, and what did it need?”

4. Relational:“What relationship pattern feels like it belongs to an older version of me?”

5. Purpose & Identity:“Who am I becoming, and what do I need to release to make room for them?”

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Episode Summary

In this episode, Alex explores the difference between living a tailor-made life versus a mass-produced one. She shares how free will is the gift that allows us to choose authenticity over templates handed down by fear, tradition, or convenience.

Drawing from her own story of burnout in full-time ministry, Alex examines how misplaced measures of “success” often lead to unhealthy habits, sacrifice, and burnout—and how redefining success begins with accountability, ownership, and health.

Through metaphors like maps, plants, and tangible tools like personal development tools, she challenges us to zoom in and zoom out on our lives—to see both the details of our patterns and the bigger picture of our purpose.

This episode is an invitation to stop living mass-produced stories and instead become Leaders of Your Own Storyline.

Show Notes

• Tailor-made vs. mass-produced living – Why humans weren’t designed for cookie-cutter templates.• The gift of free will – Co-creating a life that honors your essence.• Burnout and broken metrics of success – What Alex learned from a decade in full-time ministry.• Healthy vs. unhealthy – Rethinking good/evil through the lens of growth and health.• Personal development as a rebuild kit – Turning leadership tools inward.• Zooming in & zooming out – Balancing details and big picture for true alignment.• Your personal care card – Why one-size-fits-all doesn’t work for plants or people.• Owning your story – Confession, accountability, and the power of ownership.

Resources

Enneagram - https://enneagramuniverse.com/

MBTI - https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Kolbe A Index - https://www.kolbe.com/kolbe-a-index/ (There is a fee for this one)

Natal Chart - I personally use the FREE version of the AstroFuture App because I like the circular viewpoint and like that I can toggle between just my natal chart and my natal chart with the current placements and transits. Astro-Seek is another option. Regardless of what app or website you use, you’ll need your exact TIME, DATE, & PLACE of birth to pull your FULL Natal Chart.

Once you have your full natal chart, I have created an Astrology Integration EBook as a 101 and Beyond to help give you an index as you begin decoding your chart. I will be adding bonus episodes where I show you how I started understanding my own chart, and the questions that I asked to help bring clarity to my own internal map. If you want access to all the bonus material and episodes, consider subscribing to my Patreon.

I'm rooting for YOU!

- Alex

For those who had plenty of examples of what not to do…
I didn’t grow up with a blueprint—I grew up with warning signs.
But maybe that was the gift.
This one’s for the ones learning how to lead themselves,
to parent themselves,
to build something beautiful out of the broken.
You’re not behind.
You’re just renovating your soul.

– Alex