Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise
but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements.
So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the
milestones that mark the path to success.
Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining me in Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host. And today, I'd like to welcome Risa August from Feather and Sage
Coaching, LLC. Risa is an author, a speaker, a Gestalt Practitioner, and a patient advocate.
She has taken a life altering diagnosis and turned it into a life unleashed. Based in Colorado,
Risa is working on her second book, talking to stages with her inspirational message
and guiding others through navigating their own limiting beliefs. She completed two Ironman
races and several bike tours, exceeding 300 miles. She has backpacked the Milford Track in New
Zealand, trekked the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, conquered the Salcante Pass in Peru, and has
bicycled from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Coast Highway. She's a survivor of brain surgery
and a warrior against rare disease. Welcome, Risa.
Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much for having me, Sheila.
So, wow, you had me at the first race, I think, right? We have so much to talk about.
So let's talk about that catalyst, that life altering diagnosis that I believe is what got
you to where you are today. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, it's one of those things where you're just kind of
going along in life, doing your thing. I even think I had, I thought I had it all figured out,
too. And it was 2018. And I had started noticing changes in my body long before 2018. Probably
2011 is around, I started noticing subtle changes. But they were easy to explain away. But it got to
a point in 2018. In 2017, I did my second Ironman and I barely finished. And then I wasn't recovering
after that. And I thought I had adrenal fatigue. And I was looking into all these different things.
I thought it was depression. It wasn't until the summer of 2018, I had severe, severe headaches.
And I went to see my primary care physician and I asked her to refer me for an MRI. She was like,
no, I don't think you need one. I think you're fine. Your blood works fine. And I said, no,
I'm pretty sure there's something off or something off. No, your headaches could be from over
training. Maybe you're not drinking enough water. And plus they're expensive. You don't need one.
And for a moment I was like, oh, okay. But I don't know if my gut, my intuition or some
spiritual beings, my angels said, no, no, get that MRI. And so I said, you know what, order me the
MRI. I'm not asking. And so I did. And a week later, I got an email saying, you have an enlarged
pituitary, go see an endocrinologist. I had no idea what that was. But to shorten my story,
I have a macro adenoma, a very large, large tumor on my pituitary gland. And this sits at the base
of your brain. It probably had been growing for 15 years-ish. So all of a sudden I'm sitting in an
endocrinologist's office staring at my skull and two eyeballs and this big gray blobby mass between
my eyeballs. And this endocrinologist is like, oh, this has to come out. And I was like, oh,
it was very surreal. I was like, oh, I don't think you're talking about me. I'm like, no,
I'm an athlete. I'm a very busy person. I don't have time for that. I was running my own wedding
and event planning business. No, I think you have the wrong image up there. But that meant brain
surgery. So three months later I had brain surgery and they couldn't get the entire tumor. So I
followed up with radiation treatment, which has its own side effects and also a rare disease that
eventually destroys the body. And so, whoa, it was like a blink of an eye and my life was no longer
what it was. It was very different life. And so I had to figure out how I was going to navigate
this new life. I don't like change. I'm a very rigid, routine person. I had my whole life planned
out and all of a sudden it was an upheaval. So yeah, about nine months later I'm still recovering
and sitting on the couch and I'm like, I need something to live for. I need to know that I can
still live my life on my terms. So I had a lot of people telling me what I couldn't do, what I
shouldn't do, and I'm pretty stubborn. So I said, well, I'm going to do everything. Everyone tells
me not to. One of those things was a bucket list item. I started really looking at my life and
reflecting on it. It's like, what do I want to do with this one precious, amazing life? And so I
started thinking about all the things I want to do. And one of those was riding my bike across the
country. So I started exploring that. I had no idea. I couldn't even get off the couch. I couldn't
even get out of my gray sweatpants, let alone get on a bike. But I went ahead and I booked a trip. I
booked an 1800 mile bike journey from Canada to Mexico down on the Pacific coast. And I had like
12 months to 14 months to get ready for it. I had no idea how it seemed impossible at the time. I
couldn't even walk to the mailbox. But that kind of was the spark that made me realize I get to
live my life on my terms, not based on what how other people tell me to live it.
Wow. Thank you for sharing that. So as we had discussed before, we began on the show and I had
told you about a personal moment that led me also to deal with change and ended up with a master's
degree. I learned that, you know, we're afraid of change because of the uncertainty, you know, it
brings. And sometimes, no matter how much we plan our lives, because I also, you know, had a lot of
plans and things were going great. And life sometimes, you know, comes at you. So what I find
very inspirational and why I invited you to be here today is because you have not only overcome
that, but like you mentioned, you're living a life without limits. So how do you navigate your
limiting beliefs and refocus your perspective to make sure you're living your biggest and best life?
Hmm. Yes. Well, I definitely was resisting for a long time. And I finally got to a point of
surrender through a lot of coaching and support for sure. But I also started really tapping into
who I was, who I wanted to be and how I wanted to live this life. And where was I focusing?
Where was I putting my thoughts for a long time? And I'm getting a little emotional here. For a
long time, I was focusing on what I could no longer do. Excuse me, a little emotional. And who I no
longer was. And I don't know if it was finishing that bike ride or what the actual, I don't remember
the actual moment, but I realized that, wait a minute, what if I started focusing on what I can do?
And that changed everything. And so I started viewing what I once thought were obstacles
as opportunities instead. So you do help others today, discover opportunities in their challenging
moments. And you mentioned one simple tool. So inquiring minds want to know what is that tool?
Yes. Well, it goes back to one of the very first words I think we learned as children,
and it's the word can. And I started thinking to myself, instead of focusing on what I couldn't do
in this moment, what can I do? What am I capable and able to do now in this moment? And sometimes
for me, I had days where I was like, I'm going to get emotional again. Well, I can get emotional
again. Well, I can get out of bed or I can brush my teeth. Sometimes it was that simple. And then
it led to, I can get regular clothes on today. Maybe I'll even put on gym clothes and go for
yoga pants and go for a walk or do some stretching. And I found that after each moment, after each
step, what can I do? I can get out of bed. What can I do now? I can brush my teeth. What can I do
get dressed? What can I do now? I can feed myself. All of a sudden turned into an 1800 mile journey
down the Pacific coast. And it started with one simple question, capable, able now can.
Wait, repeat that. Capable, able, now can. So what am I capable and able to do now in this moment?
I love that. Yeah. So you're a yes person. You have in your LinkedIn profile, yes to new experiences.
What is that next experience that you have said yes to? I love that question. Thank you. So I was
so focused on my old identity for a while. Like I was a triathlete and an Ironman athlete and a
cyclist. And I was, it was closing me off to all these other amazing experiences I could be having
in the world because I was always training and always so focused on that. And so, you know,
when I finally came to that place of acceptance and surrender, oh my gosh, I've opened up to so
many things. I've taken so many different dance classes like salsa, hip hop, Bollywood, belly
dancing, bachata, some African dance classes. I found out I was really good at axe throwing.
I went indoor skydiving. I've also jumped out of an airplane, but indoor skydiving was so fun.
And I got pretty good at it. I've even taken a dominatrix class. I just was very curious.
I wanted to see what that was all about. Why not? I mean, I've gone to so many theaters and I've
tried improv comedy and I'm so awkward on stage and it was a blast. And it really kind of also
helped me get those limiting beliefs aside of like, you know, oh, I'm awkward on stage. No,
I'm actually, I can be pretty funny. So, yeah. So it just opened up the door for so many other
things. I've taken art classes, all kinds of things. And so my next big adventure is one of
my bucket list items is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. And it's a 500 mile pilgrimage journey
across Northern Spain. And I can no longer physically walk that far at one time. You know,
I think what I've read, people do like 10 mile plus days and I can barely walk, you know,
maybe a mile and a half without being in significant pain. A lot of people are cycling
the Camino now. So I'm like, oh my gosh, I can do it. I can do it. And so I'm actually traveling
there by myself. It's my first solo trip post surgery. I took French in school. So I'm trying
to learn Spanish and it feels very scary and, but exciting. I just can't wait. I love connecting
with other people and learning about other cultures and also to prove myself that again,
life gets to be what I decide, not what other people think or tell me what I should do. So
another empowering decision, I guess. Yes. And when we get out of that comfort zone,
you know, you feel better, you grow and you say, I was able to do it. And I had an experience,
a similar experience a few years back, I've traveled all of South America, lived overseas
in Latin America. I've lived in Europe, the States, but I had an opportunity to go to India
and it was me, myself and I, and there was one other entrepreneur. It was a global entrepreneurship
summit and it was just so exciting at the beginning. Like, yeah, so I'm going to India.
And I think like the panic attacks started creeping in about 48 hours before and I'm going,
wait, I've got like three kids, a husband, like what, what have I signed up for? You know,
I'm usually really confident. I don't think twice about things. I'm action taker, but here I am,
like, I don't know if I can do this. And the other woman had never even been to Europe. And then
I said, you know what, we're going to, we're going to meet for lunch so that we know who,
you know, who I'm traveling with. And I guided her through London, you know, in an eight hour
layover. And once we landed and I got out of that comfort zone, we completed that little tour. I
just started feeling like, wow, I'm so excited for that next leg, which was an extra, you know,
an extra 10 hour flight. I came back feeling so confident, like, wait, nothing went wrong.
Everything like exceeded my expectations. I only felt stronger, right? Like if I was able to do
that, you know, I don't have to fear anything. And it was a brand new culture, which was definitely
a culture shock because it's not like the Americas and I embrace it every day. And I look forward to
the day that I go back. So I really admire you stepping out of your comfort zone. I do speak
Spanish that will send out a pain. So, and I want to follow your journey. So with our audience,
anyone that wants to connect with you, how can we find you? Do you have a website? You have books?
Can you share a little bit about how you're helping others and how they can connect with you?
Sure. Thank you. Yeah. So you can find me at risaogus.com and it's risa with one S. So R-I-S-A,
August, just like the month.com. And you can also read more about my story down the Pacific coast
and my journey through diagnosis in the road unpaved border to border with a brain tumor
and a bike. It's on paperback ebook and it just came out on audio book and I'm actually the
narrator. So that was a whole nother fun experience for me. And on my website, you'll learn more about
my coaching that I offer as well as retreats around voice and story art and also just around
living unleashed and what that means. So yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. So who do you serve?
What is your niche, your target market? I'm working mostly with people who are, what I'm finding is
that a lot of people starting their own businesses or their own ventures or even simply in their own
personal lives, they get caught up in how, what they feel like they should be or who they should
be or who people are telling them they should be or the roles that they somehow ended up in,
even if it was unconsciously. I guide people through really stepping into who they are,
who they want to be. And it's incredible how many times my clients will ask for permission or say,
you mean I can do that? And so I really help empower them to making those decisions based on
how they want to live and who they want to be. I love it. So what is your unleashed and what does
that mean? Gosh, I don't know if we have time for all of it, but it truly is making really tapping
into my internal core, my compass, my essence, whatever you want to call it, really stepping
into who I am at my center and how I want to live my life. I spent a very long time living based on
how I thought others wanted me to, who they wanted me to be or I took on the role of keeping everyone
else comfortable and making sure they're living the lives they want. And now I'm done with all
that. And I'm not saying I'm mastering it by any means. I still have moments of, oh, this feels a
little selfish or this. And then I pause and I take that moment and I'm like, yeah, but it feels so
good. And it's definitely something I want to do. So it's just really, really living as me. And
that's all of me on the whole, dressing the way I want to dress, eating the foods I want to eat,
you know, going to see the movies I want to see or watching the show. Like it's every part,
every aspect of my life, really making conscious decisions of what is the risk I want.
All right. Well, before we wrap this up, we've gone through a lot. You have been very inspiring.
What one key takeaway out of this entire conversation? What one piece of advice can you
share with my audience so that they take action today? I would say if you're in a moment of feeling
stuck or in a or in a challenging moment, ask yourself, just pause, take a deep breath. What
can I do? What am I capable and able to do now in this moment and see where it leads you? It just
takes one small step. Thank you so much. I look forward to following your journey in Spain.
Read a book when you come back and I wish you the best. Thank you. Thank you. Such a pleasure.
Thank you so much for having me.