1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160 Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success. 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:14,000 I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:21,520 insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise 4 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:27,440 but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements. 5 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:33,120 So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the 6 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,240 milestones that mark the path to success. 7 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:47,440 Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining me in Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership. 8 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:55,120 I'm Sheila Slick, your host. And today, I'd like to welcome Risa August from Feather and Sage 9 00:00:55,120 --> 00:01:02,960 Coaching, LLC. Risa is an author, a speaker, a Gestalt Practitioner, and a patient advocate. 10 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:11,280 She has taken a life altering diagnosis and turned it into a life unleashed. Based in Colorado, 11 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:17,520 Risa is working on her second book, talking to stages with her inspirational message 12 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:24,240 and guiding others through navigating their own limiting beliefs. She completed two Ironman 13 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:31,040 races and several bike tours, exceeding 300 miles. She has backpacked the Milford Track in New 14 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:39,280 Zealand, trekked the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, conquered the Salcante Pass in Peru, and has 15 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:46,960 bicycled from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Coast Highway. She's a survivor of brain surgery 16 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,760 and a warrior against rare disease. Welcome, Risa. 17 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,920 Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much for having me, Sheila. 18 00:01:55,920 --> 00:02:00,800 So, wow, you had me at the first race, I think, right? We have so much to talk about. 19 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:08,880 So let's talk about that catalyst, that life altering diagnosis that I believe is what got 20 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:15,360 you to where you are today. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, it's one of those things where you're just kind of 21 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:21,680 going along in life, doing your thing. I even think I had, I thought I had it all figured out, 22 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:33,280 too. And it was 2018. And I had started noticing changes in my body long before 2018. Probably 23 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:41,600 2011 is around, I started noticing subtle changes. But they were easy to explain away. But it got to 24 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:48,720 a point in 2018. In 2017, I did my second Ironman and I barely finished. And then I wasn't recovering 25 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:55,280 after that. And I thought I had adrenal fatigue. And I was looking into all these different things. 26 00:02:55,280 --> 00:03:02,320 I thought it was depression. It wasn't until the summer of 2018, I had severe, severe headaches. 27 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:11,600 And I went to see my primary care physician and I asked her to refer me for an MRI. She was like, 28 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:17,040 no, I don't think you need one. I think you're fine. Your blood works fine. And I said, no, 29 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:23,280 I'm pretty sure there's something off or something off. No, your headaches could be from over 30 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:30,320 training. Maybe you're not drinking enough water. And plus they're expensive. You don't need one. 31 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:37,200 And for a moment I was like, oh, okay. But I don't know if my gut, my intuition or some 32 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:46,320 spiritual beings, my angels said, no, no, get that MRI. And so I said, you know what, order me the 33 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:53,840 MRI. I'm not asking. And so I did. And a week later, I got an email saying, you have an enlarged 34 00:03:53,840 --> 00:04:00,800 pituitary, go see an endocrinologist. I had no idea what that was. But to shorten my story, 35 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:08,240 I have a macro adenoma, a very large, large tumor on my pituitary gland. And this sits at the base 36 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:16,240 of your brain. It probably had been growing for 15 years-ish. So all of a sudden I'm sitting in an 37 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:23,440 endocrinologist's office staring at my skull and two eyeballs and this big gray blobby mass between 38 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:29,920 my eyeballs. And this endocrinologist is like, oh, this has to come out. And I was like, oh, 39 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,360 it was very surreal. I was like, oh, I don't think you're talking about me. I'm like, no, 40 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,360 I'm an athlete. I'm a very busy person. I don't have time for that. I was running my own wedding 41 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:44,800 and event planning business. No, I think you have the wrong image up there. But that meant brain 42 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:51,920 surgery. So three months later I had brain surgery and they couldn't get the entire tumor. So I 43 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:58,400 followed up with radiation treatment, which has its own side effects and also a rare disease that 44 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:07,920 eventually destroys the body. And so, whoa, it was like a blink of an eye and my life was no longer 45 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:16,880 what it was. It was very different life. And so I had to figure out how I was going to navigate 46 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:26,560 this new life. I don't like change. I'm a very rigid, routine person. I had my whole life planned 47 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:35,680 out and all of a sudden it was an upheaval. So yeah, about nine months later I'm still recovering 48 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:41,200 and sitting on the couch and I'm like, I need something to live for. I need to know that I can 49 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:46,560 still live my life on my terms. So I had a lot of people telling me what I couldn't do, what I 50 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:54,160 shouldn't do, and I'm pretty stubborn. So I said, well, I'm going to do everything. Everyone tells 51 00:05:54,160 --> 00:06:01,600 me not to. One of those things was a bucket list item. I started really looking at my life and 52 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:07,920 reflecting on it. It's like, what do I want to do with this one precious, amazing life? And so I 53 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,800 started thinking about all the things I want to do. And one of those was riding my bike across the 54 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,680 country. So I started exploring that. I had no idea. I couldn't even get off the couch. I couldn't 55 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:23,040 even get out of my gray sweatpants, let alone get on a bike. But I went ahead and I booked a trip. I 56 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:32,400 booked an 1800 mile bike journey from Canada to Mexico down on the Pacific coast. And I had like 57 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:38,960 12 months to 14 months to get ready for it. I had no idea how it seemed impossible at the time. I 58 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:47,920 couldn't even walk to the mailbox. But that kind of was the spark that made me realize I get to 59 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:53,760 live my life on my terms, not based on what how other people tell me to live it. 60 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:59,200 Wow. Thank you for sharing that. So as we had discussed before, we began on the show and I had 61 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:05,440 told you about a personal moment that led me also to deal with change and ended up with a master's 62 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:11,360 degree. I learned that, you know, we're afraid of change because of the uncertainty, you know, it 63 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:18,480 brings. And sometimes, no matter how much we plan our lives, because I also, you know, had a lot of 64 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:23,920 plans and things were going great. And life sometimes, you know, comes at you. So what I find 65 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:32,880 very inspirational and why I invited you to be here today is because you have not only overcome 66 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:40,720 that, but like you mentioned, you're living a life without limits. So how do you navigate your 67 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:47,760 limiting beliefs and refocus your perspective to make sure you're living your biggest and best life? 68 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:55,840 Hmm. Yes. Well, I definitely was resisting for a long time. And I finally got to a point of 69 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:03,440 surrender through a lot of coaching and support for sure. But I also started really tapping into 70 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:11,120 who I was, who I wanted to be and how I wanted to live this life. And where was I focusing? 71 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:16,480 Where was I putting my thoughts for a long time? And I'm getting a little emotional here. For a 72 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:23,600 long time, I was focusing on what I could no longer do. Excuse me, a little emotional. And who I no 73 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:31,600 longer was. And I don't know if it was finishing that bike ride or what the actual, I don't remember 74 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:40,320 the actual moment, but I realized that, wait a minute, what if I started focusing on what I can do? 75 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:48,240 And that changed everything. And so I started viewing what I once thought were obstacles 76 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:57,360 as opportunities instead. So you do help others today, discover opportunities in their challenging 77 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:04,560 moments. And you mentioned one simple tool. So inquiring minds want to know what is that tool? 78 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:11,520 Yes. Well, it goes back to one of the very first words I think we learned as children, 79 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:19,120 and it's the word can. And I started thinking to myself, instead of focusing on what I couldn't do 80 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:27,280 in this moment, what can I do? What am I capable and able to do now in this moment? And sometimes 81 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:33,200 for me, I had days where I was like, I'm going to get emotional again. Well, I can get emotional 82 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:40,400 again. Well, I can get out of bed or I can brush my teeth. Sometimes it was that simple. And then 83 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:48,080 it led to, I can get regular clothes on today. Maybe I'll even put on gym clothes and go for 84 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:55,280 yoga pants and go for a walk or do some stretching. And I found that after each moment, after each 85 00:09:55,280 --> 00:10:00,560 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 86 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:06,640 get dressed? What can I do now? I can feed myself. All of a sudden turned into an 1800 mile journey 87 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:13,520 down the Pacific coast. And it started with one simple question, capable, able now can. 88 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:21,680 Wait, repeat that. Capable, able, now can. So what am I capable and able to do now in this moment? 89 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:29,680 I love that. Yeah. So you're a yes person. You have in your LinkedIn profile, yes to new experiences. 90 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:39,040 What is that next experience that you have said yes to? I love that question. Thank you. So I was 91 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:45,120 so focused on my old identity for a while. Like I was a triathlete and an Ironman athlete and a 92 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:52,880 cyclist. And I was, it was closing me off to all these other amazing experiences I could be having 93 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:58,560 in the world because I was always training and always so focused on that. And so, you know, 94 00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:06,960 when I finally came to that place of acceptance and surrender, oh my gosh, I've opened up to so 95 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:16,800 many things. I've taken so many different dance classes like salsa, hip hop, Bollywood, belly 96 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:25,760 dancing, bachata, some African dance classes. I found out I was really good at axe throwing. 97 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:33,840 I went indoor skydiving. I've also jumped out of an airplane, but indoor skydiving was so fun. 98 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:40,640 And I got pretty good at it. I've even taken a dominatrix class. I just was very curious. 99 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:47,760 I wanted to see what that was all about. Why not? I mean, I've gone to so many theaters and I've 100 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:57,040 tried improv comedy and I'm so awkward on stage and it was a blast. And it really kind of also 101 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:02,880 helped me get those limiting beliefs aside of like, you know, oh, I'm awkward on stage. No, 102 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:12,000 I'm actually, I can be pretty funny. So, yeah. So it just opened up the door for so many other 103 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:19,920 things. I've taken art classes, all kinds of things. And so my next big adventure is one of 104 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:26,880 my bucket list items is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. And it's a 500 mile pilgrimage journey 105 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:35,120 across Northern Spain. And I can no longer physically walk that far at one time. You know, 106 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:42,080 I think what I've read, people do like 10 mile plus days and I can barely walk, you know, 107 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:47,680 maybe a mile and a half without being in significant pain. A lot of people are cycling 108 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:55,760 the Camino now. So I'm like, oh my gosh, I can do it. I can do it. And so I'm actually traveling 109 00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:06,400 there by myself. It's my first solo trip post surgery. I took French in school. So I'm trying 110 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:15,200 to learn Spanish and it feels very scary and, but exciting. I just can't wait. I love connecting 111 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:21,120 with other people and learning about other cultures and also to prove myself that again, 112 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:30,000 life gets to be what I decide, not what other people think or tell me what I should do. So 113 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:36,400 another empowering decision, I guess. Yes. And when we get out of that comfort zone, 114 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:42,800 you know, you feel better, you grow and you say, I was able to do it. And I had an experience, 115 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:48,720 a similar experience a few years back, I've traveled all of South America, lived overseas 116 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:55,440 in Latin America. I've lived in Europe, the States, but I had an opportunity to go to India 117 00:13:55,440 --> 00:14:01,120 and it was me, myself and I, and there was one other entrepreneur. It was a global entrepreneurship 118 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:06,000 summit and it was just so exciting at the beginning. Like, yeah, so I'm going to India. 119 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:11,840 And I think like the panic attacks started creeping in about 48 hours before and I'm going, 120 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:17,360 wait, I've got like three kids, a husband, like what, what have I signed up for? You know, 121 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,840 I'm usually really confident. I don't think twice about things. I'm action taker, but here I am, 122 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:28,400 like, I don't know if I can do this. And the other woman had never even been to Europe. And then 123 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,080 I said, you know what, we're going to, we're going to meet for lunch so that we know who, 124 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:37,840 you know, who I'm traveling with. And I guided her through London, you know, in an eight hour 125 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:44,720 layover. And once we landed and I got out of that comfort zone, we completed that little tour. I 126 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:49,840 just started feeling like, wow, I'm so excited for that next leg, which was an extra, you know, 127 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:57,440 an extra 10 hour flight. I came back feeling so confident, like, wait, nothing went wrong. 128 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:03,360 Everything like exceeded my expectations. I only felt stronger, right? Like if I was able to do 129 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:08,960 that, you know, I don't have to fear anything. And it was a brand new culture, which was definitely 130 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:15,280 a culture shock because it's not like the Americas and I embrace it every day. And I look forward to 131 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:21,280 the day that I go back. So I really admire you stepping out of your comfort zone. I do speak 132 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:29,040 Spanish that will send out a pain. So, and I want to follow your journey. So with our audience, 133 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:35,760 anyone that wants to connect with you, how can we find you? Do you have a website? You have books? 134 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:40,960 Can you share a little bit about how you're helping others and how they can connect with you? 135 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:48,560 Sure. Thank you. Yeah. So you can find me at risaogus.com and it's risa with one S. So R-I-S-A, 136 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:56,640 August, just like the month.com. And you can also read more about my story down the Pacific coast 137 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:04,160 and my journey through diagnosis in the road unpaved border to border with a brain tumor 138 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:10,480 and a bike. It's on paperback ebook and it just came out on audio book and I'm actually the 139 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:18,080 narrator. So that was a whole nother fun experience for me. And on my website, you'll learn more about 140 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:28,800 my coaching that I offer as well as retreats around voice and story art and also just around 141 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:36,320 living unleashed and what that means. So yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. So who do you serve? 142 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:44,320 What is your niche, your target market? I'm working mostly with people who are, what I'm finding is 143 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:53,440 that a lot of people starting their own businesses or their own ventures or even simply in their own 144 00:16:53,440 --> 00:17:00,560 personal lives, they get caught up in how, what they feel like they should be or who they should 145 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:06,880 be or who people are telling them they should be or the roles that they somehow ended up in, 146 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:14,080 even if it was unconsciously. I guide people through really stepping into who they are, 147 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:25,360 who they want to be. And it's incredible how many times my clients will ask for permission or say, 148 00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:33,920 you mean I can do that? And so I really help empower them to making those decisions based on 149 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:39,760 how they want to live and who they want to be. I love it. So what is your unleashed and what does 150 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:49,760 that mean? Gosh, I don't know if we have time for all of it, but it truly is making really tapping 151 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:56,320 into my internal core, my compass, my essence, whatever you want to call it, really stepping 152 00:17:56,320 --> 00:18:06,480 into who I am at my center and how I want to live my life. I spent a very long time living based on 153 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:15,120 how I thought others wanted me to, who they wanted me to be or I took on the role of keeping everyone 154 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:21,280 else comfortable and making sure they're living the lives they want. And now I'm done with all 155 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:29,680 that. And I'm not saying I'm mastering it by any means. I still have moments of, oh, this feels a 156 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:36,800 little selfish or this. And then I pause and I take that moment and I'm like, yeah, but it feels so 157 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:44,720 good. And it's definitely something I want to do. So it's just really, really living as me. And 158 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:53,040 that's all of me on the whole, dressing the way I want to dress, eating the foods I want to eat, 159 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,720 you know, going to see the movies I want to see or watching the show. Like it's every part, 160 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:04,720 every aspect of my life, really making conscious decisions of what is the risk I want. 161 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:13,040 All right. Well, before we wrap this up, we've gone through a lot. You have been very inspiring. 162 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:19,680 What one key takeaway out of this entire conversation? What one piece of advice can you 163 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:29,760 share with my audience so that they take action today? I would say if you're in a moment of feeling 164 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:39,360 stuck or in a or in a challenging moment, ask yourself, just pause, take a deep breath. What 165 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:46,480 can I do? What am I capable and able to do now in this moment and see where it leads you? It just 166 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:54,160 takes one small step. Thank you so much. I look forward to following your journey in Spain. 167 00:19:54,160 --> 00:20:00,160 Read a book when you come back and I wish you the best. Thank you. Thank you. Such a pleasure. 168 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:16,640 Thank you so much for having me.