WEBVTT 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.820 I think it's Colin O 'Brady talked about, he 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:11.039 wrote a book called the 12 hour walk. And so 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:14.380 I read the book. It was suggested to me by another 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:18.100 nurse coach actually, and decided to do that 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.339 challenge. And so it's essentially spending 12 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:26.820 hours outside in nature disconnected. So no phone, 00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:31.320 no companion, no dog to walk next to me. just 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.859 me and my thoughts for 12 hours outside. I can 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.460 walk as much or little as I want. I can sit down 00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:41.039 as much or little as I want. But just spending 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:46.859 that time solo and how transformational that 00:00:46.859 --> 00:00:50.679 can be because we don't hardly ever take even 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:54.820 two minutes by ourselves, let alone 12 hours. 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:58.920 In this episode of Life's Next Lesson Plan, I 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.729 sit down with Tracy Weber. a registered nurse 00:01:01.729 --> 00:01:05.349 and coach who made a bold career pivot into holistic 00:01:05.349 --> 00:01:08.489 health. But her journey wasn't just about changing 00:01:08.489 --> 00:01:12.409 jobs. It was about healing, growth, and rediscovering 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:15.390 herself. Going through a divorce, Tracy found 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:18.329 solace on the hiking trails using nature as a 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:21.469 path to clarity and renewal. We'll talk about 00:01:21.469 --> 00:01:24.170 her transition from traditional nursing to holistic 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:26.969 wellness, the lessons she's learned along the 00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:30.060 way, and how hiking became a powerful tool for 00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:33.420 both physical and emotional healing. If you've 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:36.000 ever felt stuck in your career or personal life 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:38.079 or are just interested in hearing more about 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:41.280 the power of nature, this conversation is for 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:47.299 you. Thank you for joining me for another episode 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.140 of Life's Next Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel and I 00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:53.159 started this podcast during my 29th and last 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.659 year as a high school teacher. The goal of my 00:01:55.659 --> 00:01:58.140 work with Life's Next Lesson Plan, as well as 00:01:58.140 --> 00:02:01.120 my Live and Learn Patreon, is to create a connection 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:03.900 where we are all teachers. We all have lessons 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:06.879 and stories to share that can help others. I'm 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:09.280 so fortunate to be able to extend the four walls 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:12.780 of my previous classroom to an unlimited audience. 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:16.050 where we can all learn from each other. And my 00:02:16.050 --> 00:02:18.550 guests are some of the most inspirational people 00:02:18.550 --> 00:02:21.610 with the best stories and lessons I know, which 00:02:21.610 --> 00:02:24.810 is why I want to share them with you. Their words 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:27.469 are something everyone should hear. It is my 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:29.229 hope that you are able to take away something 00:02:29.229 --> 00:02:32.270 from each episode to apply to your own life, 00:02:32.530 --> 00:02:35.370 whether that be a career search, path to a more 00:02:35.370 --> 00:02:39.030 fulfilling life, or new ideas on current topics. 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:44.139 Today I'm so excited to bring to you Tracy Weber 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.259 I was just saying to her before we started recording 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:50.419 that there are many facets that you'll hear in 00:02:50.419 --> 00:02:52.620 her background and her journey today that we 00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:57.400 could go down multiple paths so I'm excited to 00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:00.599 hear her story and to share it with you I've 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:03.939 never met Tracy in person. In fact, I found her 00:03:03.939 --> 00:03:08.020 online in a hiking Facebook group I was looking 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:11.419 for guests to talk about different topics and 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:13.740 definitely she is going to talk a little bit 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:16.300 about hiking today but I think like I said a 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:19.259 lot of her background and her journey is going 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:21.979 to resonate with my listeners and you'll hear 00:03:21.979 --> 00:03:25.020 why because she's made a lot of decisions that 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:29.080 I think we have had to make in our time and hopefully 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:31.659 that will resonate with you. So I'm going to 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:35.520 let Tracy talk a little bit more about her background 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:39.060 and then we will get into her story of her journey. 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:44.060 Thanks, Rachel. So happy to be here. Thank you 00:03:44.060 --> 00:03:47.979 so much for the invite. Yeah, so my background 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:51.000 actually started. Actually, I don't even know 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:52.580 if I mentioned this to you, but my background 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:55.159 was in biology. That was what my undergrad was 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:59.099 in. But I really quickly found out that there's 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:02.599 not much that can be done in that field. At least 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:05.840 you can't progress very far. So fast forward, 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:10.319 I began to begin getting interested in healthcare. 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:15.500 So I got my CNA license and also went back to 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:17.459 school for nursing, which I swore I would never 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:20.800 go back to school after my first undergrad. But 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:23.279 I quickly found that that was the path for me. 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:28.180 I practiced for a few years and very quickly 00:04:28.180 --> 00:04:31.160 found myself getting burned out in that field 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:35.399 of nursing and didn't really know what to do. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.259 I was spinning my wheels for a while. I didn't 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:40.100 want to throw away all the years of schooling 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:42.480 that I had put in, but also didn't want to go 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:46.660 back to school for a super long time for more 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:51.040 studies. So I went to a career fair and instantly 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:54.120 fell in love with massage therapy. I just, for 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.199 some reason, I just felt a calling to go that 00:04:56.199 --> 00:05:00.199 path. And really, since I started that, I never 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:04.670 looked back. I did massage therapy for a number 00:05:04.670 --> 00:05:07.569 of years, about three years overlapping with 00:05:07.569 --> 00:05:10.209 my nursing career and found that I could fly 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:14.589 on my own doing the massage and just went that 00:05:14.589 --> 00:05:17.970 route. And as the years went by, I added different 00:05:17.970 --> 00:05:21.449 teachings to my repertoire. I took different 00:05:21.449 --> 00:05:24.290 classes and found that I was really enjoying 00:05:24.290 --> 00:05:28.649 what I was doing. Did some training in yoga and 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.959 since became certified. I also did training in 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:36.740 Qigong and got certified in that. Did a few specific 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:39.420 trainings in massage including lymphatic drainage, 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:44.120 craniosicral therapy. All this to say I was really 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:48.879 kind of immersed in the holistic field and in 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:52.060 the process got my own chronic health conditions. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:54.560 My family got some chronic health conditions. 00:05:55.850 --> 00:05:59.069 And so all of this experience really helped me 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:03.329 in the process also, which is a little bit different 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:07.490 path, but basically helped myself to heal as 00:06:07.490 --> 00:06:10.910 I was also helping clients that I served to feel 00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:15.110 better. Along the way, I found that I was really 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:18.050 doing a lot of patient education, if you will, 00:06:18.370 --> 00:06:22.149 which came naturally to me as a nurse. big part 00:06:22.149 --> 00:06:25.370 of what we do is educating our patients and clients 00:06:25.370 --> 00:06:29.189 and so after a number of years I realized that's 00:06:29.189 --> 00:06:32.790 what I was doing all along in fandom with the 00:06:32.790 --> 00:06:35.990 massage therapy and so I went back to school 00:06:35.990 --> 00:06:41.029 again and did my coaching certification that 00:06:41.029 --> 00:06:44.550 was specific for nurses to become coaches so 00:06:44.550 --> 00:06:47.069 there's a little bit different of an edge to 00:06:47.069 --> 00:06:50.199 be a nurse coach. Um, which doesn't mean I coach 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.399 nurses, but it means I'm a nurse that does coaching. 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:58.560 And so that's kind of a summary of what I've 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.779 done kind of through the years and kind of come 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:03.860 full circle. Now I offer a little bit of all 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:06.300 of that. Plus I do some traditional nursing as 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:11.680 far as IV therapy. I do a really specific treatment 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.160 called electro analgesia, which is for pain relief, 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:19.610 wound healing, um, mental health issues and just 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:23.370 a whole slew of Benefits that can deliver. Oh, 00:07:23.410 --> 00:07:25.350 wow. I've never heard about that. Can you just 00:07:25.350 --> 00:07:29.069 explain that briefly for us? The electro energies. 00:07:29.269 --> 00:07:32.350 Yes. Yeah, so I call it EA for short. It's much 00:07:32.350 --> 00:07:37.069 easier to say But basically it's the highest 00:07:37.069 --> 00:07:42.949 FDA cleared pulsed electricity essentially Some 00:07:42.949 --> 00:07:45.790 people liken it to a TENS unit, but it's very, 00:07:45.790 --> 00:07:49.269 very different and it really helps to target 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:52.769 inflammation. It helps to improve nerve healing 00:07:52.769 --> 00:07:56.850 and, you know, just a whole bunch of benefits 00:07:56.850 --> 00:07:59.410 that machine can provide. Oh, wow. I have never 00:07:59.410 --> 00:08:02.310 heard of that. So two things that jumped out 00:08:02.310 --> 00:08:04.449 when you were just describing your background, 00:08:04.949 --> 00:08:08.189 because I can identify with you saying you felt 00:08:08.189 --> 00:08:12.670 sort of like pull. to massage therapy? Like, 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:14.949 how would you describe, like, the feeling that 00:08:14.949 --> 00:08:17.930 you got or just, you know, that either a moment 00:08:17.930 --> 00:08:20.269 or maybe reflecting just during your journey? 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.990 Can you just unpack that a little bit more? Because 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:26.649 I think a lot of the listeners are kind of either 00:08:26.649 --> 00:08:29.189 searching for that feeling or that is definitely 00:08:29.189 --> 00:08:33.769 something that I felt too. Almost describe it 00:08:33.769 --> 00:08:37.190 as a full body, yes. You know, when I went to 00:08:37.190 --> 00:08:40.179 that career for that day, a long, long time ago. 00:08:40.779 --> 00:08:43.220 Um, I just, I went to the booth and I talked 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:45.700 to the people that were running it and I think 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:48.240 I even got a chair massage that day, which I 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.200 hadn't previously had a bunch of massage experience, 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:54.500 you know, receiving massage myself. Um, but it 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:58.419 was just like, it was an instant knowing almost 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:01.360 like a gut reaction. Like, I don't know why, 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.080 I don't know how, I don't know when, but this 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.860 is something I need to do. Yeah. I can completely 00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:11.440 relate to that. And then I almost felt like a 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:15.559 bit of relief briefly. Like, okay, this is like 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:18.299 the answer. And there's so many unanswered questions 00:09:18.299 --> 00:09:20.500 that come after that of just like, what is the 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:22.559 path and how long, like you're right. Like, okay, 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:24.899 then there's a little bit of anxiety that kicks 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:26.879 in after that, but it is, it's kind of like, 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:30.139 I need to do this. I feel really good about it. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.360 And then like. Let the planning begin, right? 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:36.519 Exactly. And having that trust in the process. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:41.200 Yeah, exactly. This will all work out and I can 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:45.200 do it. And then even trusting my own decision 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.440 making, you know, trusting myself that regardless 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:51.980 of the why. that this was the next step for me. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:54.240 Absolutely, because you know a lot of people 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.740 are going to ask questions about why you're doing 00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:59.279 this and, you know, why are you abandoning what 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:01.919 you've done and you have to feel good about your 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:05.740 decision. And then the second thing that jumped 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:09.590 out to me, just because I'm a little bit unfamiliar 00:10:09.590 --> 00:10:12.090 with the healthcare part of it but I didn't realize 00:10:12.090 --> 00:10:15.429 when you said there's different opportunities 00:10:15.429 --> 00:10:18.169 that if you have the healthcare background to 00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:20.649 go into the coaching can you kind of explain 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:23.370 that if we have listeners who have worked in 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:25.669 healthcare just kind of what you mean by that 00:10:25.669 --> 00:10:28.289 and how that works like what what that path might 00:10:28.289 --> 00:10:30.409 look like when you talk about coaching you're 00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:33.190 talking about like wellness coaching is am I 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:37.289 right in that? I do a combination of wellness 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:39.950 and life coaching. Okay. And I think for me, 00:10:40.730 --> 00:10:43.210 it's very difficult to separate those two things 00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:46.450 because to me, wellness incorporates all facets 00:10:46.450 --> 00:10:48.669 of life. So it's not just your physical health, 00:10:48.909 --> 00:10:52.470 your mental health. It's also your environmental 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:55.889 health. It's your professional, you know, life. 00:10:56.269 --> 00:10:59.250 It's your relationships. It's all of those things 00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:03.570 kind of combined into one. And so yeah, there's 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:06.730 different types of coaching. There's, you know, 00:11:06.889 --> 00:11:09.350 people that focus on weight loss. There's people 00:11:09.350 --> 00:11:12.389 that focus on chronic health conditions. There's, 00:11:12.389 --> 00:11:14.850 you know, people that have had no medical background 00:11:14.850 --> 00:11:17.330 and people that have all the medical background. 00:11:17.389 --> 00:11:20.309 So there's, there's not a lot of regulation in 00:11:20.309 --> 00:11:23.169 that industry. And so for me, it was important 00:11:23.169 --> 00:11:27.750 to go to a program that had a professional background. 00:11:27.870 --> 00:11:32.590 And the fact that the program really only allowed 00:11:32.590 --> 00:11:37.090 RNs to do the program, spoke to me. It was again, 00:11:37.169 --> 00:11:39.629 one of those just intuitive hits that I was like, 00:11:39.629 --> 00:11:44.049 yes, this is my next step. And it was just kind 00:11:44.049 --> 00:11:47.590 of that inner knowing that because they had that 00:11:47.590 --> 00:11:50.929 same background as I did in nursing, there's 00:11:50.929 --> 00:11:54.330 kind of that similar thread in that way that 00:11:54.330 --> 00:11:57.110 we can all connect on a different level. Not 00:11:57.110 --> 00:12:00.049 to say that any other program is better or worse. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.299 It's just this was the right one for me because 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:07.820 of what I've done previously. OK, so what does 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:10.159 that look like? Is it a two year program? Do 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:12.759 you do it online? Like in your experience, how 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:14.779 did that work for you? It's not going back for 00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:17.759 another four year degree, correct? Oh, my goodness. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:21.960 Exactly. Now I kind of laugh because I feel like 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:25.440 I'm a forever learner, always taking classes 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:28.179 and excited to learn the next thing. But no, 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:33.460 it was. I took mine during COVID. I didn't obviously 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:37.220 know that going into it. But I was in the program 00:12:37.220 --> 00:12:40.539 for about four months before COVID hit. So it 00:12:40.539 --> 00:12:45.220 was aimed to be an October through May program, 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.580 if I remember the dates right. And it ended up 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:49.639 being October through October, just because of 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:53.100 all the COVID nonsense. But it was all done online. 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:58.600 And then we, of course, like any other nursing 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:01.179 program and probably most coaching programs that 00:13:01.179 --> 00:13:04.440 are reputable. We had to do practices, you know, 00:13:04.539 --> 00:13:08.460 first we'd practice with classmates and then 00:13:08.460 --> 00:13:11.279 we would find people within our communities or 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:15.779 our circles that wanted free coaching. Oh, that's 00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:20.610 awesome. So then, like you said, you keep getting 00:13:20.610 --> 00:13:23.070 additional certifications because you're passionate 00:13:23.070 --> 00:13:24.870 about it, right? You're like, wait, I could offer 00:13:24.870 --> 00:13:29.049 my clients this. And you yourself had benefited 00:13:29.049 --> 00:13:31.090 from some of the therapies that you were learning 00:13:31.090 --> 00:13:33.750 about as well. So it doesn't really feel like 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:37.789 work or education, right? It's just fun. Exactly. 00:13:38.129 --> 00:13:39.909 And, you know, the way I look at it is it's more 00:13:39.909 --> 00:13:43.230 tools in my toolbox than I could offer. So, you 00:13:43.230 --> 00:13:46.309 know, we are all so individual that what works 00:13:46.309 --> 00:13:48.909 for you is not going to work for the next person. 00:13:48.929 --> 00:13:53.049 So to me, like having a variety of tools that 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:57.009 I can choose from to help people is super important. 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:00.169 It's just it's critical to what I do. So when 00:14:00.169 --> 00:14:03.429 you made this not a career switch, but sort of 00:14:03.429 --> 00:14:06.730 just a pivot, did it? Does it look like now like 00:14:06.730 --> 00:14:09.129 a brick and mortar business and online? Are you 00:14:09.129 --> 00:14:11.669 all online? How does that look with your coaching 00:14:11.669 --> 00:14:16.649 business? Very much a hybrid model. I do have 00:14:16.649 --> 00:14:19.330 an in -office practice where I can see patients 00:14:19.330 --> 00:14:22.850 and clients for various services, anything from 00:14:22.850 --> 00:14:27.269 massage to IV therapy to coaching. But I also 00:14:27.269 --> 00:14:30.090 do offer some of those services online. Obviously 00:14:30.090 --> 00:14:33.309 you can't do massage online, but I do a lot of 00:14:33.309 --> 00:14:37.539 the coaching online. Um, and, and that provides 00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:42.159 just another level of a way to connect for people. 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:44.799 So it takes some of the excuses out. Like I don't 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:47.259 have time. I don't, I don't have the ability 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:50.639 to get to your office. Um, you know, you're thousands 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:52.720 of miles away because I've worked with people 00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:55.919 all across the globe. Um, so it takes some of 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:58.809 those excuses out when we can just meet face 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:01.970 to face over a computer screen. It's a little 00:15:01.970 --> 00:15:04.210 bit different you know energetically when you're 00:15:04.210 --> 00:15:08.610 not face to face in person but in some cases 00:15:08.610 --> 00:15:11.669 I find that it allows people to almost dig a 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:13.710 little bit deeper and be a little bit more vulnerable 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:16.710 when they're quote unquote hiding behind the 00:15:16.710 --> 00:15:21.980 screen. Exactly. So I'm always fascinated and 00:15:21.980 --> 00:15:24.899 I think other people too listening might be interested 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.519 in knowing how does that look going from I'm 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:31.460 a nurse today and then I have a career pivot 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:34.419 you know you said that part of your business 00:15:34.419 --> 00:15:36.679 is brick and mortar and part of it is online 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.000 how did that look right you know did you buy 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:42.600 a place how how did that look can you describe 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:46.679 that for us? Yeah so actually it goes back a 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:49.309 little bit further to when I was in school. for 00:15:49.309 --> 00:15:52.629 massage therapy and I needed to do an internship 00:15:52.629 --> 00:15:56.409 and so there was a very well respected massage 00:15:56.409 --> 00:15:59.070 therapist within my community that I asked if 00:15:59.070 --> 00:16:01.649 I could shadow her and do my internship there. 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:06.710 She graciously accepted and after I can't remember 00:16:06.710 --> 00:16:09.799 the timeline but about a month or maybe five, 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:12.740 six weeks, something like that. Um, I was acquainted 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:15.740 with her and her other colleagues and they were 00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:18.179 acquainted with me and it was really a seamless 00:16:18.179 --> 00:16:21.759 fit and they invited me to join their practice 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:26.720 after I graduated. So there was a time for about, 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.279 it was about two, two and a half years that I 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.039 practiced part -time in nursing and part -time 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:35.320 in massage therapy, renting my space. Um, and 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:39.580 then after about two and a half ish years, I 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:43.139 made that decision, you know, I was steady enough 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:46.500 with my practice and I had someone tell me, you 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.039 know, when are you going to spread your wings 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:50.879 and fly? And I thought, okay, yeah, now's the 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:54.000 time, you know, what am I waiting for? Why am 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.340 I waiting? And so after that timeline, I just 00:16:57.340 --> 00:17:01.000 decided to jump and have been all in ever since. 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.200 That's awesome when you can kind of phase out 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.619 of one and you know dabble in and make sure you 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:10.779 like it and get used to the next and then it 00:17:10.779 --> 00:17:13.400 sort of organically grows and there you go. I 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.799 think everybody's journey is different so I appreciate 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:19.299 you sharing that insight because I think myself 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:20.940 personally I'm guessing other people want to 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:22.900 know like how does that look do you just transition 00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:25.500 one day or like you said it's a two and a half 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:28.660 year process and then you know that you're being 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:31.079 pulled in the new direction so I appreciate you 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:35.269 sharing that with us. We're going to move on 00:17:35.269 --> 00:17:38.150 to, of course, because this is life's next lesson 00:17:38.150 --> 00:17:41.349 plan, we always talk about our education roots 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:44.650 a little bit. So I typically ask my guests to 00:17:44.650 --> 00:17:48.089 prepare a funny or memorable story from their 00:17:48.089 --> 00:17:51.569 education journey. And the real reason I brought 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:54.349 you here, I think is related to this story, a 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:56.450 story a little bit more about your hiking and 00:17:56.450 --> 00:17:59.609 backpacking experience. So can you share that 00:17:59.609 --> 00:18:03.549 memory with us? Yeah, it doesn't really have 00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:05.829 to do too much with education other than it happened 00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:10.549 during my undergrad degree. But I was working 00:18:10.549 --> 00:18:13.789 in a lab at the time and two friends from the 00:18:13.789 --> 00:18:16.390 lab invited me to go backpacking with them. I 00:18:16.390 --> 00:18:19.509 thought, okay, this is great. I'm getting to 00:18:19.509 --> 00:18:21.789 love the outdoors, which I hadn't grown up a 00:18:21.789 --> 00:18:24.690 full lot knowing how to backpack or hike. But 00:18:24.690 --> 00:18:27.730 during college, I definitely started to develop 00:18:27.730 --> 00:18:31.940 a love for that. Great. We planned this big trip. 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:34.019 I think it was up to Steamboat Springs or close 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:37.460 to that area in Colorado. Just some of the really 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:42.099 most pristine hiking available. And so we decided 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:43.880 there's three of us, so we're going to divvy 00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:47.779 up who brings what. And so one of the people 00:18:47.779 --> 00:18:52.480 said, OK, well, you bring a dinner. And, you 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:54.599 know, also, of course, you need to bring your 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:57.799 sleeping bag and your pad to sleep on and so 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:00.240 forth. And, you know, I'll bring a tent and I'll 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.259 bring a breakfast, whatever, you know, so we 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:06.380 split it all out. So in the course of this conversation, 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:09.799 they were like, okay, well, also, we're going 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:11.440 to be hiking. So we're going to be burning a 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:14.619 lot of calories. And one of the people that's 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:17.740 going with us also on a normal day has quite 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:21.789 a good party appetite. If you're going to bring 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:24.130 pasta, make sure you bring it cooked because 00:19:24.130 --> 00:19:28.089 it's hard to boil noodles at altitude. So I was 00:19:28.089 --> 00:19:31.730 like, great. And, you know, I also knew they 00:19:31.730 --> 00:19:34.329 loved things like banana bread. So I was like, 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:37.490 cool, I'll just bring, you know, pasta with a 00:19:37.490 --> 00:19:39.869 sauce and a nice salad and some banana bread. 00:19:40.289 --> 00:19:45.089 So cooked all this up, packed my Coleman sleeping 00:19:45.089 --> 00:19:50.490 bag. I packed my exercise mat because that's 00:19:50.490 --> 00:19:53.890 all I had and all I knew that would be some cushioning 00:19:53.890 --> 00:19:57.109 for under my sleeping bag. Packed it all in my 00:19:57.109 --> 00:20:01.549 backpack. We got barely up the trail and I was 00:20:01.549 --> 00:20:05.730 literally feeling like I was going to die. And 00:20:05.730 --> 00:20:08.309 they're all looking at me like, wow, she is such 00:20:08.309 --> 00:20:11.980 a wimp. Like what's her problem? And, you know, 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:14.319 we'd stop periodically for breaks because obviously 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.619 we're at altitude and hiking and whatnot. We're 00:20:16.619 --> 00:20:18.960 not in any hurry. We're just enjoying the time 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:22.700 away. And pretty soon they're like, what is in 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:25.619 your pack? You know, first they lifted it up. 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:30.359 They're like, holy crap, that is heavy. I explained 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:34.680 to them what all I had. And needless to say, 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.519 it was a good lesson for me because I had this 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.140 One pound of cooked pasta, which translates into 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:41.900 what? Like probably three or four pounds once 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.579 it's cooked with the water. You know, banana 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:49.259 bread, soft with a pasta and ice salad. And then 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.799 this big old heavy sleeping bag that really is 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:57.079 not appropriate for backpacking. It's not a cold 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:05.539 weather bag and a heavy old exercise bag. They're 00:21:05.539 --> 00:21:08.559 like, newbie, there's this newbie over here. 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:14.000 At that point, they were gracious enough to help 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.759 split the load even further knowing that they 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:22.559 were partly to blame for this situation. Yeah, 00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:25.079 telling you to bring all this heavy cooked pasta 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:28.519 along. Exactly. But let me tell you, we ate well. 00:21:29.479 --> 00:21:33.960 That's important good That is a good story that 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:37.819 would so be me. Yes Yeah, all right. So this 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:41.799 obviously lets us know that you have a love for 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:46.160 the outdoors and nature and hiking so can you 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:48.839 talk a little bit about Sort of the role that 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:51.680 that plays in your life and how that benefits 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:57.539 you It's really been a gradual thing for me. 00:21:57.579 --> 00:21:59.940 You know, when my kids were young, I didn't take 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:03.539 a whole lot of time to go out and do things for 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:09.259 myself, like many parents do not do. And gradually, 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:12.720 I knew that I needed to do something for me. 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.200 And so it started with just, you know, walking 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:16.900 the dogs or the kids around the neighborhood 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:22.440 or going for some interval training. You know 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:24.839 as the kids got a little bit older, I'd go take 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:29.039 them on a trail somewhere You know for shorter 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:33.900 kids size hikes and Every year pretty much for 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:37.400 vacation. We would choose Usually a hiking vacation 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:39.700 if not a hiking vacation. It would tend to be 00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:41.880 something that was outdoorsy where we could ride 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:47.799 bikes or you know go camping or kayaking, you 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:52.309 know different outdoor activities And so continued 00:22:52.309 --> 00:22:55.549 that process through the years. Fast forward, 00:22:55.589 --> 00:22:59.569 I ended up getting a divorce, needed to find 00:22:59.569 --> 00:23:03.690 some coping strategies and started to really 00:23:03.690 --> 00:23:07.789 step up my game as far as exercise. And, you 00:23:07.789 --> 00:23:11.269 know, I got out on the trail. I would say initially 00:23:11.269 --> 00:23:13.869 once every other week, you know, when I didn't 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:15.890 have my kids, I'd go for the trail somewhere. 00:23:16.609 --> 00:23:19.890 And gradually it just became more evident. kind 00:23:19.890 --> 00:23:21.890 of like that intuitive hit like this is where 00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:26.950 I need to be and so I found myself most weekends 00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:30.869 at least going out on a trail somewhere and then 00:23:30.869 --> 00:23:33.930 gradually that became when the weather was cooperative 00:23:33.930 --> 00:23:36.490 I would get out on the trail mid -week you know 00:23:36.490 --> 00:23:39.650 if I had an early early work day so to speak 00:23:39.650 --> 00:23:43.089 um I'd try to carve out some time to get outside 00:23:43.089 --> 00:23:45.750 whether it was on a trail or walking the dogs 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:49.019 And I've just never looked back. Now it's an 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:51.940 integral part of who I am and what I do and what 00:23:51.940 --> 00:23:56.019 I enjoy. Yeah, I remember during the pandemic 00:23:56.019 --> 00:23:58.789 and The nice thing during that time is that we 00:23:58.789 --> 00:24:02.029 did have more time to go into nature. But I don't 00:24:02.029 --> 00:24:04.829 know how I would have survived without the beautiful 00:24:04.829 --> 00:24:08.089 trails that I lived nearby at the time and the 00:24:08.089 --> 00:24:10.730 water. And I was going through a divorce myself 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:13.650 during the pandemic. I had moved out two months 00:24:13.650 --> 00:24:17.529 before the world shut down. And at that time, 00:24:17.529 --> 00:24:21.630 my daughter was a middle school girl. And so 00:24:21.630 --> 00:24:24.630 we spent some time on the trail near our house. 00:24:24.650 --> 00:24:26.930 And she just said about a week ago I really miss 00:24:26.930 --> 00:24:30.569 that trail that we used to live by and sometimes 00:24:30.569 --> 00:24:33.710 when she's running she'll go drive over there 00:24:33.710 --> 00:24:37.190 just to be on that trail and you start you know 00:24:37.190 --> 00:24:39.609 everybody underestimates I think until they have 00:24:39.609 --> 00:24:43.009 that experience of it's like a kindred spirit 00:24:43.009 --> 00:24:45.650 it's like nature holding your hand through a 00:24:45.650 --> 00:24:49.109 tough time is kind of how I explain it so is 00:24:49.109 --> 00:24:51.190 that something that you talk about in your practice 00:24:51.190 --> 00:24:55.480 as well with your clients? If it comes up, yeah, 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:59.759 I'm very transparent with my clients, you know, 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:04.559 because I think if I'm not vulnerable, I don't 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:07.779 invite them to be vulnerable. And so it does 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:10.579 become, whether it's trad talk or something else, 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:13.299 it does become very important that I share some 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:15.019 of the things that I've been through and some 00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:18.460 of the trials I've had to endure and how I came 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:20.640 out on the other side, because I think that instills 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:23.759 a sense of hope for them. Knowing that someone 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:27.019 else has been through some stuff and has made 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:30.220 it through and they can do that too. So yeah, 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:34.400 very very important and I think you had a like 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:39.200 a 12 -hour challenge or something that you Undertook 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:43.019 can you explain a little bit of that to us? Yeah, 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:45.920 I think it's Colin O 'Brady talked about he wrote 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.380 a book called the 12 -hour walk. And so I read 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:52.680 the book It was suggested to me by another nurse 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:56.420 coach actually and decided to do that challenge. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:00.839 And so it's essentially spending 12 hours outside 00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:06.099 in nature disconnected. So no phone, no companion, 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:10.460 no dog to walk next to me. Just me and my thoughts 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:13.799 for 12 hours outside. I can walk as much or little 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:16.319 as I want. I can sit down as much or little as 00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:22.779 I want. um but just spending that time solo and 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:26.980 how transformational that can be because we don't 00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:30.799 hardly ever take even two minutes by ourselves 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:35.319 let alone 12 hours and so you know just really 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:39.720 getting to know yourself and what drives you 00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:42.539 what frustrates you, what makes you sad, what 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:45.140 makes you happy, you know, all, all the thoughts 00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:47.579 that can run through your head in a 12 hour time 00:26:47.579 --> 00:26:51.279 span is really remarkable. Absolutely. I think 00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:54.099 that's one of the best and worst things of going 00:26:54.099 --> 00:26:57.119 through a divorce during the pandemic is that 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.559 the worst part of it was that you were isolated 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:03.880 because I couldn't just go even sit, you know, 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:06.579 in a friend's living room and cry or something 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:11.700 or meet them out for coffee was, you know, January 00:27:11.700 --> 00:27:14.740 2020, I was in a brand new apartment and then 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:18.279 two months later, here we go. You can't, I think, 00:27:19.259 --> 00:27:22.539 what do I want to say, distract yourself? You 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:26.500 are forced in isolation to really reflect like 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.720 exactly what you're saying. And I spent a lot 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:33.920 of time walking and thinking and reflecting and 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:36.539 Definitely getting to know myself and and kind 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:39.480 of thinking about what I wanted for the next 00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:42.059 Chapter after we came out of the pandemic and 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:44.599 I was alone and you know what that was gonna 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:47.880 look like So the worst part was that it forced 00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:51.839 me into that but the best part was is that I 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:53.960 don't know that I would have done some of that 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:57.940 work Had that not been the case because you have 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:00.559 no choice, but to really sit with your thoughts 00:28:02.750 --> 00:28:07.470 And I had a previous guest on who after retiring 00:28:07.470 --> 00:28:10.990 from teaching, which, you know, she had had a 00:28:10.990 --> 00:28:14.049 long career and she turned to mindfulness and 00:28:14.049 --> 00:28:18.490 meditation and went on a bunch of silent retreats 00:28:18.490 --> 00:28:22.549 and found that really useful and helpful to bridge 00:28:22.549 --> 00:28:24.670 sort of some of the emotions that she was feeling 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:26.910 at that time. So this is interesting. I'm going 00:28:26.910 --> 00:28:31.349 to have to dig into that. The 12 hour walk, that 00:28:31.349 --> 00:28:38.019 sounds terrifying. But obviously like I said 00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:41.480 I can relate on some level just based on what 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:44.640 I went through and I trust your expert opinion. 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.039 We're going to take a short break here for some 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:51.700 ads and some ask the teacher anything questions. 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:54.319 Remember you can submit these on social media 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:57.619 or right on our website at Life's Next Lesson 00:28:57.619 --> 00:29:04.190 Plan dot com. 100 % of men and women have hormones, 00:29:04.670 --> 00:29:06.910 and with the increased presence of processed 00:29:06.910 --> 00:29:10.029 foods and environmental toxins, it's more important 00:29:10.029 --> 00:29:12.650 than ever to make mindful choices in the products 00:29:12.650 --> 00:29:16.130 we use every day. That's why I trust Q and Grace, 00:29:16.569 --> 00:29:19.069 high -performing, clean products designed to 00:29:19.069 --> 00:29:22.029 support hormone health while reducing exposure 00:29:22.029 --> 00:29:25.720 to harmful chemicals. Because this topic has 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:28.920 been my primary focus since ending birth control 00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:32.359 in 2024 and an attempt to regulate my changing 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:35.299 midlife hormones. After making healthy swaps 00:29:35.299 --> 00:29:38.900 in my diet, personal care products, and exercise 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:42.039 routine, I've been able to lower my dose of anxiety 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:45.759 medication I once relied very heavily on and 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:48.640 have restored balance to my nervous system and 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:51.079 cleared up the brain fog I was experiencing in 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:54.269 perimenopause. Hugh and Grace has played a key 00:29:54.269 --> 00:29:58.029 role in this transformation, offering safe, effective, 00:29:58.210 --> 00:30:01.150 non -toxic solutions that support my wellness 00:30:01.150 --> 00:30:05.769 journey. If you listened to episode 16 with certified 00:30:05.769 --> 00:30:08.630 Mayo Clinic Health and Wellness coach Tracy Danielson 00:30:08.630 --> 00:30:11.269 Mitchell, you heard our talk about the importance 00:30:11.269 --> 00:30:14.190 of hormone health. Coming in March, I'll be doing 00:30:14.190 --> 00:30:17.420 a deep dive into heart and hormone health. on 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:20.099 my Live and Learn Patreon, where I'll list all 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:23.619 the tests, supplements, and product swaps that 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:26.519 have helped me balance my hormones in my 50s. 00:30:26.660 --> 00:30:29.299 Plus, Tracy will be back to answer all your heart 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:31.839 and hormone health questions at the end of the 00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:34.500 month. If you're on this journey with me and 00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:37.500 are interested in exploring Hue and Grace's trusted, 00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:41.359 non -toxic products, visit my link at hueandgrace 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:46.160 .com slash lesson plan. To receive 10 % off and 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:49.200 free shipping. You can also reach out to me at 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:52.359 any time with questions at nextlessonplan .gmail 00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:55.900 .com. Live and learn with me as we focus on living 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:59.339 fully and feeling our best. Visit hueandgrace 00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:02.720 .com slash lesson plan to see how easy it is 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:05.700 to start making some healthy swaps on the way 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:10.559 to non -toxic living. To those of you who have 00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:13.289 followed me for a while, You know that I value 00:31:13.289 --> 00:31:16.109 mental and physical wellness. Personally, I've 00:31:16.109 --> 00:31:17.990 worked with a few different coaches over the 00:31:17.990 --> 00:31:21.190 years and even been one myself. If you are looking 00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:23.809 for education and support in your own wellness 00:31:23.809 --> 00:31:26.329 journey, I would love to invite you to the wellness 00:31:26.329 --> 00:31:29.230 community I am currently in that keeps me accountable 00:31:29.230 --> 00:31:32.410 daily with my nutrition and movement. If you 00:31:32.410 --> 00:31:34.849 are a Facebook user, you can search for our free 00:31:34.849 --> 00:31:39.450 group called Team MG. This group is led by my 00:31:39.450 --> 00:31:42.210 coach, Megan Grimord. who is a certified trainer 00:31:42.210 --> 00:31:45.430 and nutrition coach. She offers lots of education 00:31:45.430 --> 00:31:48.569 and support for your wellness journey. If you 00:31:48.569 --> 00:31:50.690 want to get to know Coach Megan Moore, you can 00:31:50.690 --> 00:31:53.970 follow her on Instagram at all lowercase, Megan, 00:31:53.970 --> 00:31:59.109 M -E -G -A -N, underscore, grimoire, G -R -I 00:31:59.109 --> 00:32:02.890 -M -O -R -D, or even listen to her on episode 00:32:02.890 --> 00:32:06.880 10 of the podcast. She has also created a discount 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:09.539 code for my listeners. Just go to her website, 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:16.980 www .team -mg .com and enter code LESSONPLAN10 00:32:16.980 --> 00:32:20.720 to get $10 off any of her premium coaching packages 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:24.180 for the first month. Coach Megan is a busy mom 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:26.920 like me who works full time, so I appreciate 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:30.099 her practicality mixed with some tough love to 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:36.529 keep me going. There's that bell sound effect 00:32:36.529 --> 00:32:38.809 that I don't know why I think that's so funny. 00:32:38.930 --> 00:32:40.750 It's just there's not any good sound effects 00:32:40.750 --> 00:32:43.970 for transitions that I have found yet. So we 00:32:43.970 --> 00:32:47.009 are transitioning into the Ask the Teacher Anything 00:32:47.009 --> 00:32:50.890 portion of the podcast. And the first question 00:32:50.890 --> 00:32:54.710 today is what has been my most popular guest 00:32:54.710 --> 00:33:00.390 episode and solo episode so far? So I think we 00:33:00.390 --> 00:33:04.329 are at like episode 28 or something, right? just 00:33:04.329 --> 00:33:09.009 to give the overview and right now my most popular 00:33:09.009 --> 00:33:12.890 guest episode is I need a drum roll sound effect 00:33:12.890 --> 00:33:19.289 episode 6 with a guest Tom Duran everybody loves 00:33:19.289 --> 00:33:23.430 Tom Duran and oh my goodness I can't stop sharing 00:33:23.430 --> 00:33:28.440 his Cadillac Ranch Instagram reels because they're 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:31.240 so cool. Watching that house from the beginning 00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:35.619 till now when it's livable is just amazing and 00:33:35.619 --> 00:33:39.200 so inspirational. And the story behind it is 00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:42.240 so heartwarming. And watching all of the guests 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:46.079 as they have come help them with the Cadillac 00:33:46.079 --> 00:33:48.740 Ranch, it's amazing. So if you haven't heard 00:33:48.740 --> 00:33:54.200 episode six yet with Tom Dran, it is a fan favorite, 00:33:54.500 --> 00:34:01.059 apparently. Favorite solo episode so far, I think 00:34:01.059 --> 00:34:06.559 it's episode seven on the Anxious Generation 00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:10.880 book by Jonathan Haidt and Rethinking Parenting, 00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:14.769 Screen Time, and School Pressure. And I actually 00:34:14.769 --> 00:34:18.989 did that episode on life's next lesson plan as 00:34:18.989 --> 00:34:23.489 a solo, but I did kind of a follow up on Patreon 00:34:23.489 --> 00:34:27.050 on my live and learn Patreon called the eight 00:34:27.050 --> 00:34:30.909 second attention span and how reading can rescue 00:34:30.909 --> 00:34:35.250 our minds in the age of distraction. And in that 00:34:35.250 --> 00:34:39.420 episode, I take it one step further because The 00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:42.019 Anxious Generation book talks about, you know, 00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:44.980 with screen time, what it's doing to rewire kids' 00:34:45.179 --> 00:34:49.500 brains, and the rise in anxiety and depression, 00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:52.159 and then just the fact that they're spending 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:55.800 less time reading and their attention spans are 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:59.599 going down. I dig a little bit more into that 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:01.780 and actually some of the benefits of reading. 00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:06.119 I actually share... an article that I go over 00:35:06.119 --> 00:35:10.099 with students in class and I shared on Patreon 00:35:10.099 --> 00:35:14.679 actual words from my sophomores this year that 00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:19.380 they shared honestly about how they see their 00:35:19.380 --> 00:35:23.000 reading interest declining and their attention 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:27.099 spans declining. And so that one as Patreon tends 00:35:27.099 --> 00:35:30.780 to be is a little bit more personal and specific. 00:35:31.639 --> 00:35:37.590 So Yeah, that's been my most popular by far solo 00:35:37.590 --> 00:35:43.090 episode on the anxious generation. Second question 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:45.849 is, what's the most memorable lesson you've learned 00:35:45.849 --> 00:35:51.070 from a guest so far? That is unfair, as I've 00:35:51.070 --> 00:35:54.550 learned something from every single guest, but 00:35:54.699 --> 00:35:58.579 I've been thinking a lot about and I actually 00:35:58.579 --> 00:36:01.559 mentioned it in a recent episode as well. I've 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:04.000 been thinking a lot about something that Michael 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:08.059 Hernandez said in episode 20 and it wasn't his 00:36:08.059 --> 00:36:10.760 lesson or it wasn't his intended lesson per se. 00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:13.599 It was just something that came up in our conversation 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:18.920 and this is what Kind of spurred me to stop asking 00:36:18.920 --> 00:36:22.260 guests what their next goal is because when I 00:36:22.260 --> 00:36:24.320 asked him he had such a good answer that made 00:36:24.320 --> 00:36:26.940 me realize I shouldn't ask that question anymore 00:36:26.940 --> 00:36:31.440 and he just he's so so so accomplished and what's 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:33.840 fascinating about that is that he shared that 00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:37.619 he doesn't set goals and Instead not that he's 00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:41.360 not goal oriented, but instead he follows his 00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:46.010 curiosity. Oh Is there a better answer than that? 00:36:46.389 --> 00:36:50.010 Like I did an entire episode, episode nine, it 00:36:50.010 --> 00:36:52.449 was about the power of curiosity in your life, 00:36:52.510 --> 00:36:56.349 the power of curiosity in education, how education 00:36:56.349 --> 00:36:59.110 should always be built around questions, you 00:36:59.110 --> 00:37:01.690 know, what questions students want to answer, 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:05.449 what problems they want to solve. Oh, that's 00:37:05.449 --> 00:37:08.050 like, I did an entire episode about that. And 00:37:08.050 --> 00:37:13.179 yeah, we should. Be following our values which 00:37:13.179 --> 00:37:16.059 I talk a lot about and we should be following 00:37:16.059 --> 00:37:19.320 our curiosity And when I was talking to Brittany 00:37:19.320 --> 00:37:22.900 Eamon in a recent episode We talked about the 00:37:22.900 --> 00:37:25.780 fact that sometimes because she's very goal -oriented 00:37:25.780 --> 00:37:29.380 But she realized she always followed her curiosity 00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:33.300 and she looked at it almost like she was quitting 00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:36.699 on her goals, but that maybe having goals in 00:37:36.699 --> 00:37:39.599 some respect can sort of pigeonhole you because 00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:42.699 if you are so focused on the goal and staying 00:37:42.699 --> 00:37:45.239 on that track, you're not leaving yourself open 00:37:45.239 --> 00:37:48.079 to the possibilities that could happen that take 00:37:48.079 --> 00:37:51.139 you off track that are actually better than what 00:37:51.139 --> 00:37:53.000 you could have planned while you were tunnel 00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:56.579 vision working on that goal. So my mind has just 00:37:56.579 --> 00:37:59.599 kind of been blown about this whole idea since 00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:03.380 episode 20 of like someone who's very type A 00:38:03.380 --> 00:38:06.880 goal oriented has to see her life 10 years from 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:10.599 now is just like going where the wind blows me 00:38:10.599 --> 00:38:14.079 and going towards something that aligns with 00:38:14.079 --> 00:38:17.300 my values, which I'm working on, obviously, in 00:38:17.300 --> 00:38:20.559 this journey and just what I want to learn about 00:38:20.559 --> 00:38:24.420 next. What's the next up and coming thing? If 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:26.920 life has taught us nothing else, which I talk 00:38:26.920 --> 00:38:30.119 about with Michael is that you don't know what 00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:33.400 is going to happen tomorrow. And so you can set 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:35.539 all of these goals and all of these plans and 00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:39.500 they can get turned upside down. So that to me 00:38:39.500 --> 00:38:42.639 I think has been one of the most mind blowing 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:45.739 things that I've been reflecting a lot on. I'd 00:38:45.739 --> 00:38:47.960 be curious in hearing your thoughts about that 00:38:47.960 --> 00:38:51.599 too and keep the questions coming. I really look 00:38:51.599 --> 00:38:55.909 forward to this segment each episode. I definitely 00:38:55.909 --> 00:38:59.010 feel like I could do an entire episode on this 00:38:59.010 --> 00:39:02.150 12 -hour walk, but after I check that out, maybe 00:39:02.150 --> 00:39:04.409 I'll have to circle back to you and come back 00:39:04.409 --> 00:39:07.210 to that because that's really interesting. If 00:39:07.210 --> 00:39:09.369 you decide to do it and you want someone to hold 00:39:09.369 --> 00:39:12.469 you accountable, just let me know. Yeah, absolutely. 00:39:13.170 --> 00:39:15.650 That might be good in this career transition 00:39:15.650 --> 00:39:19.309 that I'm going through in the future. I'll have 00:39:19.309 --> 00:39:21.769 time maybe to try that out, but it does sound 00:39:21.769 --> 00:39:24.429 a little terrifying, so I want to just read up 00:39:24.429 --> 00:39:27.090 on it. Is he very encouraging in the book about 00:39:27.090 --> 00:39:31.130 the process? Yes. Okay. That would be helpful. 00:39:31.730 --> 00:39:34.030 And for me it was helpful to know that I had 00:39:34.030 --> 00:39:37.110 Jolene who recommended the book. Like she was 00:39:37.110 --> 00:39:39.469 sort of in my back pocket cheering me on. Like 00:39:39.469 --> 00:39:42.090 I knew she was there even though I wasn't like 00:39:42.090 --> 00:39:46.010 texting her or calling her. You know I touched 00:39:46.010 --> 00:39:48.190 base with her before I left and then when I got 00:39:48.190 --> 00:39:53.250 back and that was just a nice Thing to have did 00:39:53.250 --> 00:39:56.369 you leave like actually camp? Did you leave your 00:39:56.369 --> 00:39:59.849 hometown? How did you do that? I was in Iowa 00:39:59.849 --> 00:40:03.050 at the time and there was a trail that I was 00:40:03.050 --> 00:40:05.909 very familiar with and so I just showed up there 00:40:05.909 --> 00:40:09.369 at like I think 430 or 5 because I needed to 00:40:09.369 --> 00:40:12.489 be done by a certain time So it was dark when 00:40:12.489 --> 00:40:16.590 I started and I just came prepared with a headlamp, 00:40:16.590 --> 00:40:21.429 but the Sun was rising and It was just a beautiful 00:40:22.019 --> 00:40:24.840 experience, you know, like I had that level of 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:27.300 comfort. Like I knew the trails. I knew it was 00:40:27.300 --> 00:40:30.960 a safe place to go. Um, you know, I knew there 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:32.920 was a nature center there where I could go to 00:40:32.920 --> 00:40:35.440 the bathroom and get a drink if I ran out of 00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:38.119 whatever, you know, so there were just a few 00:40:38.119 --> 00:40:43.260 things like that. Interesting. Did you pack pounds 00:40:43.260 --> 00:40:46.420 of pasta and a salad for yourself to eat? Absolutely 00:40:46.420 --> 00:40:49.280 not. But my car was there so I could just leave 00:40:49.280 --> 00:40:51.639 my lunch in there. So really all I had on my 00:40:51.639 --> 00:40:55.199 back was like a journal and a pen and I did bring 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:59.039 my phone. Just you never know. I had it on airplane 00:40:59.039 --> 00:41:02.119 mode, but if anything would happen, I had a way 00:41:02.119 --> 00:41:06.840 to reach someone in emergency. Or I took a few 00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:10.179 pictures. I allowed myself to do that just because 00:41:10.360 --> 00:41:12.679 part of my experience was enjoying the beauty. 00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:16.019 Sure. Well, yeah, I would want proof and like 00:41:16.019 --> 00:41:18.119 memories to look back on from it. So, yeah, I 00:41:18.119 --> 00:41:20.699 think that's sounded terrifying at first like 00:41:20.699 --> 00:41:23.219 you're out there for 12 hours with no way to 00:41:23.219 --> 00:41:24.860 reach anybody. But I think that would make me 00:41:24.860 --> 00:41:26.900 feel better to at least know that it's there 00:41:26.900 --> 00:41:30.219 just in case. Yeah, I just had airplane mode 00:41:30.219 --> 00:41:32.800 and, you know, I knew there were benches and 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:35.559 rocks where I was going so I could sit down and 00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:40.239 rest or meditate or whatever. Does he outline 00:41:40.239 --> 00:41:43.599 this as something you should do alone or have 00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:47.679 people done this with a buddy? The idea is to 00:41:47.679 --> 00:41:51.599 do it alone. I would say if you wanted to do 00:41:51.599 --> 00:41:54.219 it with a buddy for safety or something, just 00:41:54.219 --> 00:41:58.320 be on a quarter mile apart or something. You 00:41:58.320 --> 00:42:00.460 know that they're there, but you're not tempted 00:42:00.460 --> 00:42:03.000 or able to talk to them. Sure. It's meant to 00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:05.820 be a reflective, mindful, I understand that. 00:42:07.630 --> 00:42:10.610 I might be circling back to you. This is intriguing 00:42:10.610 --> 00:42:14.670 to me. Yes. OK. So speaking of being encouraging 00:42:14.670 --> 00:42:18.489 and giving people ideas for inspiration, can 00:42:18.489 --> 00:42:21.510 you talk to us a little bit? We're big on mentorship 00:42:21.510 --> 00:42:24.769 here at Life's Next Lesson Plan. So any mentors 00:42:24.769 --> 00:42:29.650 that stick out for you along your journey? Definitely 00:42:29.650 --> 00:42:33.369 so. The biggest mentor, I would say, was the 00:42:33.369 --> 00:42:35.289 very first massage therapist that I mentioned 00:42:35.289 --> 00:42:39.440 earlier. where I got my start. She was actually 00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:42.360 a nun and she was in a small private practice 00:42:42.360 --> 00:42:46.400 with three other individuals. We were all independent 00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:50.000 contractors and not only was she kind enough 00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:52.719 to let me shadow her while I was finishing school, 00:42:52.820 --> 00:42:55.059 but then also inviting me to join their group 00:42:55.059 --> 00:42:59.380 as a practitioner once I graduated and got my 00:42:59.380 --> 00:43:03.119 license, but she was just... She was such a kind, 00:43:03.579 --> 00:43:07.619 selfless person, always compassionate, always 00:43:07.619 --> 00:43:12.900 just had very thoughtful answers and responses 00:43:12.900 --> 00:43:15.860 if you were to have a conversation with her. 00:43:16.780 --> 00:43:20.559 And she was assertive. And I think myself and 00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:23.420 many people struggle with being assertive. And 00:43:23.420 --> 00:43:28.329 I think it's also very important to be There's 00:43:28.329 --> 00:43:31.610 an art to being assertive without being mean 00:43:31.610 --> 00:43:35.750 or You know other choice words that people would 00:43:35.750 --> 00:43:39.170 choose to describe it as But I do think it's 00:43:39.170 --> 00:43:42.210 an important skill and she just she modeled that 00:43:42.210 --> 00:43:46.869 in such a beautiful way I don't know if I remember 00:43:46.869 --> 00:43:50.690 mentioned it, but she was in done and so in spite 00:43:50.690 --> 00:43:54.170 of that it didn't matter what religion what anything 00:43:54.170 --> 00:43:58.349 you were She was just always very accepting and 00:43:58.349 --> 00:44:02.449 very open to share her journey and her experience 00:44:02.449 --> 00:44:06.130 and her insight, you know, and I very much valued 00:44:06.130 --> 00:44:09.710 that. Yeah, I always, you know, wonder after 00:44:09.710 --> 00:44:11.769 interviewing all of these people and talking 00:44:11.769 --> 00:44:15.070 to them about either an experience or a person 00:44:15.070 --> 00:44:19.570 in their lives that sort of either change their 00:44:19.570 --> 00:44:22.889 path or really influence their path in some way 00:44:22.889 --> 00:44:25.329 just like how life would be different without 00:44:25.329 --> 00:44:28.010 that experience or that person always makes me 00:44:28.010 --> 00:44:31.409 think about that. So I'm sure you feel lucky 00:44:31.409 --> 00:44:35.750 to have met her. Very much so, yeah. I mean that 00:44:35.750 --> 00:44:39.170 was she was really a foundation for my practice 00:44:39.170 --> 00:44:42.110 is how I look at it and not only could I learn 00:44:42.110 --> 00:44:45.670 from her when I shadowed her, but I could also 00:44:45.949 --> 00:44:49.170 just watch her on the day to day and see how 00:44:49.170 --> 00:44:52.289 she interacted with other people or with me or 00:44:52.289 --> 00:44:55.630 you know whatever and just handle things with 00:44:55.630 --> 00:45:00.639 such grace and such integrity. Awesome. I think 00:45:00.639 --> 00:45:04.699 we are ready to hear about the lesson that you 00:45:04.699 --> 00:45:06.980 brought for us today, which I think sort of ties 00:45:06.980 --> 00:45:10.280 everything we've talked about together. So it's 00:45:10.280 --> 00:45:13.400 perfect that led us here. So kind of hiking your 00:45:13.400 --> 00:45:17.219 way to wellness and how if we are interested 00:45:17.219 --> 00:45:20.760 in working this into our lives, which I am in 00:45:20.760 --> 00:45:23.280 my next chapter, I've only dabbled in it a little 00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:27.420 bit. Knowing some of the benefits and and wanting 00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:30.880 to for sure be outside more was one of my values 00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:34.659 in this transition that I'm making so So excited 00:45:34.659 --> 00:45:36.940 personally to hear about this and I'm sure we 00:45:36.940 --> 00:45:39.039 have some listeners as well who will be interested 00:45:39.039 --> 00:45:44.000 in your lesson today Yeah, I think my biggest 00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:46.920 Lesson or takeaway is you know, no competition. 00:45:46.920 --> 00:45:49.440 There's no speed. There's no intensity. There's 00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:53.469 no set distance that's required Um, you know, 00:45:53.550 --> 00:45:57.610 it's just, it's for me, it's a time for me period 00:45:57.610 --> 00:46:00.889 and the story, you know, it's just, there's so 00:46:00.889 --> 00:46:04.590 many opportunities in nature to find wellbeing. 00:46:04.909 --> 00:46:07.909 So you can develop a different sense of peace. 00:46:08.090 --> 00:46:10.969 You can meditate, you can find your grounding 00:46:10.969 --> 00:46:14.630 or your center. Um, you know, connecting to the 00:46:14.630 --> 00:46:17.389 senses can really be beneficial for mental wellbeing. 00:46:18.289 --> 00:46:21.449 Um, finding a sense of calmness. You know, sometimes 00:46:21.449 --> 00:46:23.869 I'll just go and I'll just take some deep breaths. 00:46:23.929 --> 00:46:26.949 I'll enjoy the sun. I'll enjoy feeling the earth 00:46:26.949 --> 00:46:29.730 beneath my feet, you know, feeling how my body 00:46:29.730 --> 00:46:32.889 moves. Some days, you know, at 50 plus, it moves 00:46:32.889 --> 00:46:36.329 better than others, you know, and being accepting 00:46:36.329 --> 00:46:40.309 of all of that, you know, and just being in that 00:46:40.309 --> 00:46:44.389 space, it helps me with clarity. You know, when 00:46:44.389 --> 00:46:47.090 I'm, I'm struggling with something, I might go 00:46:47.090 --> 00:46:51.719 in nature to just sort of find my answers without 00:46:51.719 --> 00:46:57.380 pushing for the answers almost you know in as 00:46:57.380 --> 00:46:59.800 a side benefit it improves my strength it helps 00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:02.880 my circulation it helps my mood so you know it's 00:47:02.880 --> 00:47:06.239 almost for me it's like exercising without exercising 00:47:06.239 --> 00:47:09.840 it's not something I have to do it's always something 00:47:09.840 --> 00:47:14.920 that I want to do and to me it's almost it's 00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:18.219 just that invitation to be more mindful Yeah, 00:47:18.300 --> 00:47:20.239 and something that you look forward to because 00:47:20.239 --> 00:47:22.579 you know, at the end of it, you're always going 00:47:22.579 --> 00:47:25.920 to feel better. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Where 00:47:25.920 --> 00:47:31.239 are some of your favorite places to go? That's 00:47:31.239 --> 00:47:33.400 actually a loaded question. I'm still working 00:47:33.400 --> 00:47:36.880 on that. I am new to the area that I'm living 00:47:36.880 --> 00:47:40.719 in, so that had a huge opportunity to explore. 00:47:40.820 --> 00:47:42.659 So I'm just kind of getting my feet wet in the 00:47:42.659 --> 00:47:47.280 area. But I... Are there some past places that 00:47:47.280 --> 00:47:50.480 you used to really enjoy going? Yeah, when I 00:47:50.480 --> 00:47:56.119 was in Iowa, I went to Mines of Spain or Swiss 00:47:56.119 --> 00:47:58.460 Valley Nature Center. Those were kind of my two 00:47:58.460 --> 00:48:03.460 go -tos. You know, here, like I said, in the 00:48:03.460 --> 00:48:05.360 Wisconsin area, I'm just getting my feet wet, 00:48:05.500 --> 00:48:07.820 but I love Governor Dodge. I've done some backpacking 00:48:07.820 --> 00:48:12.820 there. um when I hike like on a vacation I love 00:48:12.820 --> 00:48:16.260 love love going to the mountains um for me there's 00:48:16.260 --> 00:48:19.420 nothing grounding like being in a big big old 00:48:19.420 --> 00:48:22.639 mountain you know just finding my center and 00:48:22.639 --> 00:48:25.000 my feet beneath me there is like none other. 00:48:25.800 --> 00:48:28.400 Absolutely. We camped last summer in Governor 00:48:28.400 --> 00:48:31.059 Dodge and we just bought a camper that we're 00:48:31.059 --> 00:48:33.500 picking up at the end of April. So I think we 00:48:33.500 --> 00:48:36.940 have four trips, one back to Governor Dodge. 00:48:37.699 --> 00:48:40.840 Who's there? Yeah, I'm excited to get get back 00:48:40.840 --> 00:48:43.039 there. And that's part of this camping journey 00:48:43.039 --> 00:48:46.940 will involve hiking. Do you use poles? I'm finding 00:48:46.940 --> 00:48:51.219 that my balance in my 50s. I hate to admit it, 00:48:51.219 --> 00:48:53.239 but I think I might need to buy some. Do you 00:48:53.239 --> 00:48:58.110 use some? I do use them on bigger hikes. I don't 00:48:58.110 --> 00:49:00.809 tend to use them on the shorter hikes but certainly 00:49:00.809 --> 00:49:03.010 if I'm going on vacation in the mountains I do 00:49:03.010 --> 00:49:06.989 bring them along. What I found honestly more 00:49:06.989 --> 00:49:09.789 beneficial is to practice. I've seen time and 00:49:09.789 --> 00:49:12.550 time again that as we age we do lose balance 00:49:12.550 --> 00:49:15.150 and I noticed it in myself especially with some 00:49:15.150 --> 00:49:20.449 injuries and so I feel like doing things to promote 00:49:20.449 --> 00:49:24.599 balance. also promotes healthy aging. Yeah, absolutely. 00:49:24.699 --> 00:49:26.900 I've read a lot about longevity and like the 00:49:26.900 --> 00:49:30.840 better your balance is. I noticed it. I don't 00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:34.179 know if you've been to Devil's Lake at all for 00:49:34.179 --> 00:49:36.900 any hiking, but I noticed it there because they 00:49:36.900 --> 00:49:40.920 have such steep inclines going up and down. And 00:49:40.920 --> 00:49:43.619 I was like, oh, and I think too, like my vision 00:49:43.619 --> 00:49:48.469 is not as good as it used to be. Yeah and like 00:49:48.469 --> 00:49:50.250 when you're trying to really concentrate for 00:49:50.250 --> 00:49:53.090 me it's on things close up and I don't know I 00:49:53.090 --> 00:49:55.789 just the last time I was there I made a comment 00:49:55.789 --> 00:49:59.010 to some girlfriends I was like any of you feeling 00:49:59.010 --> 00:50:01.969 like you don't have as good of balance and they're 00:50:01.969 --> 00:50:03.949 like well we're not out there like traversing 00:50:03.949 --> 00:50:06.710 rocks so we don't really notice that one person 00:50:06.710 --> 00:50:09.230 said yes but the rest were kind of like well 00:50:09.230 --> 00:50:11.670 I'm not climbing up and down big boulders so 00:50:11.670 --> 00:50:15.550 I don't I don't have that feeling but I haven't 00:50:15.550 --> 00:50:19.909 been out to Colorado in my 50s, yet I've only 00:50:19.909 --> 00:50:22.570 been to Colorado in the summer, which I think 00:50:22.570 --> 00:50:25.030 is amazing. I've been there multiple times in 00:50:25.030 --> 00:50:29.690 the summer and I absolutely love it. But it would 00:50:29.690 --> 00:50:32.769 be interesting to compare that hiking to just 00:50:32.769 --> 00:50:35.829 some of the hiking that I've done locally as 00:50:35.829 --> 00:50:37.929 well. Do you have favorite spots in Colorado 00:50:37.929 --> 00:50:39.989 that you've been? I know you mentioned Steamboat 00:50:39.989 --> 00:50:43.989 Springs. Gosh, you know, there's so many trails 00:50:43.989 --> 00:50:47.869 out there. near impossible. I mean, you'd be 00:50:47.869 --> 00:50:50.510 hard pressed to repeat them unless you just wanted 00:50:50.510 --> 00:50:54.250 to or live by one. But most recently I went out 00:50:54.250 --> 00:50:57.010 to the Golden area and hiked in Golden State 00:50:57.010 --> 00:51:01.110 Park, which had some lovely trails, but no, no 00:51:01.110 --> 00:51:07.570 favorites. Okay. Isn't Golden near Red Rocks? 00:51:08.719 --> 00:51:12.139 Okay, because I went to, I can't remember which 00:51:12.139 --> 00:51:14.199 birthday it was, but it was a bucket list item 00:51:14.199 --> 00:51:18.460 to see a concert at Red Rocks. And so I remember 00:51:18.460 --> 00:51:23.219 being in Golden. I remember the archway, you 00:51:23.219 --> 00:51:25.460 know, from it. And I was like, I bet that is 00:51:25.460 --> 00:51:29.179 near Red Rocks, which is another place to test 00:51:29.179 --> 00:51:34.030 your balance for sure. And everybody's doing 00:51:34.030 --> 00:51:36.710 yoga on the stairs of the amphitheater and running 00:51:36.710 --> 00:51:38.869 up and down the stairs. That is a place to get 00:51:38.869 --> 00:51:43.190 fit. You see the bikers going up the hill. Definitely 00:51:43.190 --> 00:51:51.230 for sure. Even the people walking up to the concert 00:51:51.230 --> 00:51:53.769 that night. That was really interesting because 00:51:53.769 --> 00:51:57.389 of the altitude and also it it is a climb to 00:51:57.389 --> 00:51:59.730 get to the amphitheater. Like it is a workout. 00:52:00.110 --> 00:52:02.730 I think I had to shed a layer. I did not plan 00:52:02.730 --> 00:52:05.690 for like the workout part of going to the concert, 00:52:05.750 --> 00:52:11.130 but people, some people were struggling. So yeah, 00:52:11.309 --> 00:52:14.150 it's such a gorgeous area and garden of the gods. 00:52:14.170 --> 00:52:17.570 I think I've been to out there as well. Oh, just 00:52:17.570 --> 00:52:20.010 so many beautiful places in Colorado. Like you 00:52:20.010 --> 00:52:23.730 said, you can't possibly narrow it down. Okay. 00:52:23.889 --> 00:52:28.900 So we, We definitely know all of the benefits 00:52:28.900 --> 00:52:31.099 like you've talked about and balance is a huge 00:52:31.099 --> 00:52:33.340 one that I'm working on even in my weight training, 00:52:33.380 --> 00:52:36.500 just kind of like doing more exercises on one 00:52:36.500 --> 00:52:40.480 leg, you know, paying more attention to that 00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:45.260 as part of cutting off aging at the pass if you 00:52:45.260 --> 00:52:47.460 have any control over that. But yeah, that's 00:52:47.460 --> 00:52:51.039 just something that I've really noticed. I'm 00:52:51.039 --> 00:52:55.239 ready to talk to the listeners who are Wanting 00:52:55.239 --> 00:52:58.519 to get out there maybe try dabbling a little 00:52:58.519 --> 00:53:01.420 bit in this what I'm gonna call nature therapy 00:53:01.420 --> 00:53:05.380 and Try hiking a little bit. I'm still definitely 00:53:05.380 --> 00:53:09.449 a newbie Um, and you know, that's why I seek 00:53:09.449 --> 00:53:12.369 out people who know more than I do, because that's 00:53:12.369 --> 00:53:14.949 what I talk about on this podcast is if you do 00:53:14.949 --> 00:53:17.590 want to try something and incorporate it more 00:53:17.590 --> 00:53:19.750 into your life, you need to learn from those 00:53:19.750 --> 00:53:23.349 who are experienced in it. And so Tracy is going 00:53:23.349 --> 00:53:26.670 to help us with that today. She has some optional 00:53:26.670 --> 00:53:30.329 homework or action steps for us. If we're ready 00:53:30.329 --> 00:53:33.710 to incorporate this into our lives. So help us, 00:53:33.710 --> 00:53:36.940 those of us who want to be better at. this Tracy. 00:53:37.639 --> 00:53:41.940 All right. So my thought is jot down one or more 00:53:41.940 --> 00:53:44.239 areas of your life that you want to improve on 00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:47.380 and then note how you would like to see it improve 00:53:47.380 --> 00:53:50.400 on a piece of paper in a journal whatever works 00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:53.400 for you and try to really embody all the ways 00:53:53.400 --> 00:53:55.760 that you would feel the thoughts that you think 00:53:55.760 --> 00:53:57.860 the ways you'd spend your days when your health 00:53:57.860 --> 00:54:00.619 was improved in this way how you would carry 00:54:00.619 --> 00:54:03.619 yourself things like that just really feel into 00:54:03.619 --> 00:54:07.409 that experience. After that, weight your current 00:54:07.409 --> 00:54:10.570 stress level from 1 to 10. Know how you're currently 00:54:10.570 --> 00:54:13.929 feeling physically, mentally, emotionally. Jot 00:54:13.929 --> 00:54:17.090 those things down as well. After you've done 00:54:17.090 --> 00:54:19.489 that, find a place to go outside for five minutes 00:54:19.489 --> 00:54:22.289 or more, preferably with some dirt on the trail, 00:54:22.409 --> 00:54:25.250 some trees, some grasses, something in nature. 00:54:26.030 --> 00:54:28.869 Commit to that day and time. Put your shoes on, 00:54:29.030 --> 00:54:32.269 make your way to the trail. Head out in whatever 00:54:32.269 --> 00:54:34.929 pace, whatever direction feels comfortable for 00:54:34.929 --> 00:54:38.599 you. As you're walking just take note of the 00:54:38.599 --> 00:54:40.940 following so take note of how you feel physically 00:54:40.940 --> 00:54:43.639 and mentally at different points on the hike. 00:54:44.320 --> 00:54:47.199 Noticing what moments of peace or clarity you've 00:54:47.199 --> 00:54:51.119 experienced during the time on the trail. Notice 00:54:51.119 --> 00:54:53.780 how it feels to be surrounded by nature and how 00:54:53.780 --> 00:54:55.820 that affects your mindset and your emotions. 00:54:57.360 --> 00:54:59.179 Once you're done go ahead and rate the stress 00:54:59.179 --> 00:55:02.320 level again 1 to 10 noting again how you feel 00:55:02.320 --> 00:55:05.500 physically mentally and emotionally. Take notes 00:55:05.500 --> 00:55:08.559 on all of it. Take some time to read through 00:55:08.559 --> 00:55:10.599 your journal entries from before, during and 00:55:10.599 --> 00:55:13.559 after your hike and then reflect on how the experience 00:55:13.559 --> 00:55:16.599 helped you to reduce your stress, improved your 00:55:16.599 --> 00:55:18.519 mood, how it strengthened your physical health 00:55:18.519 --> 00:55:20.559 or anything else that you might have noticed 00:55:20.559 --> 00:55:26.179 along the way. That's awesome. So I've been seeing 00:55:26.179 --> 00:55:30.059 I don't know if it's an app or but there's like 00:55:30.059 --> 00:55:32.920 something now in the whole have a smartwatch 00:55:32.920 --> 00:55:34.840 that tells you when to stand up and everything 00:55:34.840 --> 00:55:38.079 but I've been noticing on social media that these 00:55:38.079 --> 00:55:41.380 campaigns to go out and touch grass Like you've 00:55:41.380 --> 00:55:43.679 been inside long enough You need to go out and 00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:45.980 put your feet in the grass and I'm like, yes, 00:55:45.980 --> 00:55:49.440 I did this morning challenge years ago. Well 00:55:49.500 --> 00:55:52.059 probably during the, right after the pandemic, 00:55:52.219 --> 00:55:55.860 maybe 2021 or something, with a local health 00:55:55.860 --> 00:55:58.360 company. And it was like the morning challenge, 00:55:58.440 --> 00:56:00.400 the best ways to start your day were to get that 00:56:00.400 --> 00:56:03.800 morning sunlight, right? And to go out and do 00:56:03.800 --> 00:56:07.139 some grounding and to get some movement and to 00:56:07.139 --> 00:56:09.880 do some journaling. I never felt better than 00:56:09.880 --> 00:56:13.139 when I was doing that. And I think it's so hard 00:56:13.139 --> 00:56:16.260 for people because it's hard to tell an immediate 00:56:16.539 --> 00:56:19.639 benefit right like if you go for a run you have 00:56:19.639 --> 00:56:22.639 those immediate endorphins and you feel you know 00:56:22.639 --> 00:56:25.800 energized and you feel accomplished it's hard 00:56:25.800 --> 00:56:28.079 when you're standing in the sunlight putting 00:56:28.079 --> 00:56:30.519 your feet in the grass journaling you know it's 00:56:30.519 --> 00:56:33.519 hard to immediately I think see the benefits 00:56:33.519 --> 00:56:36.760 but the compounding of of doing that day after 00:56:36.760 --> 00:56:40.690 day for this challenge it was so beneficial and 00:56:40.690 --> 00:56:43.829 unfortunately as you know from living in Iowa 00:56:43.829 --> 00:56:47.050 and Wisconsin that is very hard to do year round. 00:56:47.730 --> 00:56:51.469 So I look forward to those times that I can get 00:56:51.469 --> 00:56:54.090 my feet in the grass but I think that's so interesting 00:56:54.090 --> 00:56:56.989 now you know they're finding the research and 00:56:56.989 --> 00:56:59.889 it takes a little bit of time for it to catch 00:56:59.889 --> 00:57:03.250 up but they are finding you know just exactly 00:57:03.250 --> 00:57:05.909 what you're talking about today is we have to 00:57:05.909 --> 00:57:10.099 find time to get out and away from our screens 00:57:10.099 --> 00:57:14.139 to get outside to do these things to benefit 00:57:14.139 --> 00:57:17.099 our health. So I appreciate your message with 00:57:17.099 --> 00:57:23.309 that so much. And also You know, I think as you 00:57:23.309 --> 00:57:25.130 were just talking right there, I'm like, I can 00:57:25.130 --> 00:57:27.030 see why people seek you out. You have a very 00:57:27.030 --> 00:57:30.670 calming presence, right? You're very self -assured. 00:57:30.730 --> 00:57:33.670 So if people want to connect with you a little 00:57:33.670 --> 00:57:37.929 bit more, I will, like I said, put your website 00:57:37.929 --> 00:57:41.789 and any other places in the show notes. But besides 00:57:41.789 --> 00:57:44.210 your website, is there any place people can connect 00:57:44.210 --> 00:57:47.829 with you or is that the best place? They can 00:57:47.829 --> 00:57:50.550 definitely connect with me on social media. I 00:57:50.550 --> 00:57:53.889 think almost every place is tranquil nurse coach. 00:57:54.929 --> 00:57:58.670 Yeah, I can see you're very tranquil, definitely. 00:57:59.829 --> 00:58:03.510 Yes, I will share that in the show notes. Like 00:58:03.510 --> 00:58:05.869 I said, if you're interested in learning more 00:58:05.869 --> 00:58:08.429 about what Tracy does and connecting with her 00:58:08.429 --> 00:58:11.869 about her journey at all, any last thoughts you 00:58:11.869 --> 00:58:14.809 want to leave us with as we get ready to maybe 00:58:14.809 --> 00:58:18.900 incorporate this into our lives? Yeah, I would 00:58:18.900 --> 00:58:21.800 say Rachel, you know, just start, you know, you 00:58:21.800 --> 00:58:24.860 indicated a fear of doing the 12 hour walk, but 00:58:24.860 --> 00:58:28.579 just start. It doesn't matter how in shape you 00:58:28.579 --> 00:58:30.800 are. It doesn't matter what clothes you wear. 00:58:31.579 --> 00:58:34.920 If you have to start small, just start somewhere, 00:58:34.920 --> 00:58:37.059 you know, even if it's just putting your shoes 00:58:37.059 --> 00:58:40.800 by the door. Maybe that's your first step, you 00:58:40.800 --> 00:58:42.860 know, your shoes by the door for a week and then 00:58:42.860 --> 00:58:44.360 after a week, you're like, okay, I'm going to 00:58:44.360 --> 00:58:47.349 put the shoes on, you know. all those little 00:58:47.349 --> 00:58:51.750 baby steps will eventually lead you. Absolutely. 00:58:52.130 --> 00:58:54.769 You mentioned some of the keywords that I use 00:58:54.769 --> 00:58:58.070 a lot in this journey and we talk about baby 00:58:58.070 --> 00:59:01.780 steps a lot. starting before it's perfect, right? 00:59:01.780 --> 00:59:05.519 Just starting messy. And one small step will 00:59:05.519 --> 00:59:08.019 lead you to the next, you know, and eventually 00:59:08.019 --> 00:59:09.980 you'll be there and you'll look back and say, 00:59:10.019 --> 00:59:12.739 oh, that wasn't so bad. So I really appreciate 00:59:12.739 --> 00:59:16.719 that wisdom. And I'm so happy to have this chance 00:59:16.719 --> 00:59:18.840 to connect with you, even though we're not meeting 00:59:18.840 --> 00:59:21.039 in person, I get to see your face, you know, 00:59:21.039 --> 00:59:24.039 when you meet people on social media, you know, 00:59:24.059 --> 00:59:26.579 you never quite know, but I've really enjoyed 00:59:26.579 --> 00:59:30.199 our time together today. Yeah, thank you so much 00:59:30.199 --> 00:59:38.659 Rachel for having me. So appreciate it. Tracy's 00:59:38.659 --> 00:59:40.940 journey is a reminder that sometimes the hardest 00:59:40.940 --> 00:59:43.699 transitions lead to the most fulfilling paths. 00:59:44.199 --> 00:59:47.059 Whether it's shifting careers, navigating personal 00:59:47.059 --> 00:59:49.880 hardships, or simply lacing up your boots and 00:59:49.880 --> 00:59:52.579 hitting the trail. Growth happens when we step 00:59:52.579 --> 00:59:56.019 outside our comfort zones. If her story resonated 00:59:56.019 --> 00:59:59.119 with you, take a moment to reflect. What small 00:59:59.119 --> 01:00:01.920 step can you take toward your own healing or 01:00:01.920 --> 01:00:05.480 reinvention? In the meantime, don't forget to 01:00:05.480 --> 01:00:09.739 subscribe, leave me a rate, and I love those 01:00:09.739 --> 01:00:13.239 reviews, keep them coming, and share this episode 01:00:13.239 --> 01:00:16.039 with someone you think might need to hear it. 01:00:17.000 --> 01:00:20.159 I think in April, I'm going to be making a decision 01:00:20.159 --> 01:00:25.300 to go back to one episode a week. Just as I transition 01:00:25.300 --> 01:00:27.659 into my new job What you'll be hearing about 01:00:27.659 --> 01:00:32.360 soon and I'd like to focus on my patreon as well 01:00:32.360 --> 01:00:34.880 Feel like I haven't had as much time to devote 01:00:34.880 --> 01:00:38.340 there So I encourage you if you're looking for 01:00:38.340 --> 01:00:41.420 more content than just one episode a week or 01:00:41.420 --> 01:00:44.300 you're looking for more personal content Please 01:00:44.300 --> 01:00:46.659 check out my live and learn patreon. It's very 01:00:46.659 --> 01:00:50.500 easy. You just go to patreon .com slash live 01:00:50.500 --> 01:00:54.280 and learn You can become a member for just five 01:00:54.280 --> 01:00:57.519 dollars a month or you can purchase single episodes 01:00:57.519 --> 01:01:01.940 that interest you Always I have content on Instagram 01:01:01.940 --> 01:01:04.940 and Facebook as well as my life's next lesson 01:01:04.940 --> 01:01:08.539 plan YouTube Where I've been filming a video 01:01:08.539 --> 01:01:11.920 a day as I count down my final days in the classroom 01:01:12.539 --> 01:01:16.780 I've also started an empty nest playlist there. 01:01:17.320 --> 01:01:20.039 And at the end of April, when we pick up our 01:01:20.039 --> 01:01:23.699 Luna Rover camper, I'll be starting a playlist 01:01:23.699 --> 01:01:28.619 for all things camping content as well. In the 01:01:28.619 --> 01:01:30.820 meantime, you can always check out our website 01:01:30.820 --> 01:01:34.039 at life's next lesson plan .com. And I can't 01:01:34.039 --> 01:01:37.260 wait to see you back here for the next episode.