WEBVTT 00:00:03.509 --> 00:00:06.669 You are a mentor to the people who witness you 00:00:06.669 --> 00:00:09.169 living your life whether you know it or not. 00:00:09.609 --> 00:00:13.330 You are teaching the people around you. Are you 00:00:13.330 --> 00:00:17.829 an example or are you a warning? Think about 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:21.089 the unexpected teachers in your own life. Have 00:00:21.089 --> 00:00:25.109 they shown you what to do or what not to do? 00:00:26.190 --> 00:00:30.750 Who have you learned from and what have you learned 00:00:30.750 --> 00:00:34.840 from? These questions from one of my favorite 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:38.000 books that I've referenced on previous podcasts 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.820 Finding the way by Siri Lindley. These are her 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:48.219 words from page 228 of her book and I had to 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:51.759 stop when I read those pages and and she always 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:54.899 has journaling prompts at the end and really 00:00:54.899 --> 00:00:58.679 think about the people I've learned from the 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:02.799 most powerful learnings I have had from observing 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:07.180 other people and what I have learned about myself 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:11.140 in just these last 90 days that my life has been 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:14.219 shifting. So that's what we're going to get into 00:01:14.219 --> 00:01:19.579 today. I am going to target I guess three different 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:24.030 people that I have learned from and probably 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:27.469 have influenced my most recent decisions the 00:01:27.469 --> 00:01:31.629 most, and then help you and guide you through 00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:36.150 some of these prompts as reflection and action 00:01:36.150 --> 00:01:44.769 steps. So let's get started. This episode of 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:47.569 life's next lesson plan is sponsored by literatus. 00:01:47.849 --> 00:01:50.810 Literatus is more than just a bookstore. It's 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:53.950 a hub for connection, community, and incredible 00:01:53.950 --> 00:01:58.030 stories waiting to be discovered. Rather than 00:01:58.030 --> 00:02:00.750 sending my listeners to big online retailers, 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.629 I want to encourage you to support this beloved 00:02:03.629 --> 00:02:06.890 local business. Whether you're picking up a book 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:09.789 we've discussed on the podcast or browsing their 00:02:09.789 --> 00:02:12.990 website for your next literary adventure, Literatus 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:16.050 has you covered. Every week on the podcast, we 00:02:16.050 --> 00:02:18.770 dive into books that inspire, challenge, and 00:02:18.770 --> 00:02:21.590 transform. And now I'm thrilled to share a way 00:02:21.590 --> 00:02:24.409 for you to get those books while supporting a 00:02:24.409 --> 00:02:28.030 local treasure, Literatus, right in my own town 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:31.110 of Watertown. By shopping at Literatus, you're 00:02:31.110 --> 00:02:33.870 not just buying a book. You're investing in our 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:36.569 community. And who doesn't love the smell of 00:02:36.569 --> 00:02:39.469 fresh pages while you sip one of their handcrafted 00:02:39.469 --> 00:02:42.669 drinks, enjoying the charm of your local bookstore 00:02:42.669 --> 00:02:47.569 visit? Stop in today at 401 Vain Street in Watertown 00:02:47.569 --> 00:02:51.210 or visit their social media or website to order 00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:54.389 online. Let's support the places that make our 00:02:54.389 --> 00:03:00.240 town special. Thank you for joining me for another 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:03.080 episode of Life's Next Lesson Plan. I'm Rachel 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:06.180 and I started this podcast during my 29th and 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:08.659 last year as a high school teacher. The goal 00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:11.400 of my work with Life's Next Lesson Plan as well 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.560 as my Live and Learn Patreon is to create a connection 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:17.340 where we are all teachers. We all have lessons 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:20.319 and stories to share that can help others. I'm 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:22.719 so fortunate to be able to extend the four walls 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:26.219 of my previous classroom to an unlimited audience. 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:29.509 where we can all learn from each other. And my 00:03:29.509 --> 00:03:31.930 guests are some of the most inspirational people 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:35.050 with the best stories and lessons I know, which 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:38.250 is why I want to share them with you. Their words 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:40.889 are something everyone should hear. It is my 00:03:40.889 --> 00:03:42.669 hope that you are able to take away something 00:03:42.669 --> 00:03:45.689 from each episode to apply to your own life, 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.830 whether that be a career search, path to a more 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:52.469 fulfilling life, or new ideas on current topics. 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:57.599 Before I start this solo episode today, I just 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:04.199 have to share it is really fascinating to me 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:09.099 what has transpired in my life since starting 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:15.180 this podcast and It's not even so much the decision 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:18.500 that I made to kind of change the trajectory 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:23.529 of my life but I've always kind of shared things 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:27.610 on social media, but pulled back a little bit 00:04:27.610 --> 00:04:32.170 in the past recent years. But now with this podcast, 00:04:33.209 --> 00:04:37.910 I'm just gonna say it. I've been getting phone 00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:42.449 calls, texts, and emails from people going through 00:04:42.449 --> 00:04:45.290 major changes. I just got off the phone five 00:04:45.290 --> 00:04:48.670 minutes ago with someone who's going through 00:04:48.670 --> 00:04:54.050 a major change and wanted some advice. And just 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:58.769 last week when I recorded a podcast, another 00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:02.180 major life shift. was talking to this person 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:06.819 about and two weeks before that someone else 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:10.160 reached out to get together just about like being 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:16.819 at a crossroads days before that I mean I love 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:20.250 it It's crazy. It's it's community. Right. And 00:05:20.250 --> 00:05:23.410 it just goes to show that like we are all no 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.850 matter what age we're at, we're all struggling 00:05:26.850 --> 00:05:29.990 with big decisions, no matter what they are about 00:05:29.990 --> 00:05:35.629 relationships, career, family. I mean, wow, I 00:05:35.629 --> 00:05:37.990 love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. Because 00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:42.209 as I sit here by myself talking into my computer, 00:05:42.569 --> 00:05:47.680 you don't really expect that to build community. 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.040 Although I know when I listen to podcasts, you 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:54.259 sort of form your own little community with the 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:57.279 people who listen to the same podcast or the 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:01.540 podcaster. But it's just been, I think, one of 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:05.240 the most unexpected and my favorite parts of 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:09.319 podcasting. So I just have to say that. Thank 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:13.620 you so much for reaching out and for sharing, 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:16.120 you know, your life journey with me and your 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:20.040 questions. And I'm always here. You have many 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:22.980 ways to reach me on social media or email or 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:26.959 those of you who have my phone number. Absolutely, 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:30.639 like we can work on this together. And I think, 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:33.899 you know, I'm a pretty straight shooter and Again, 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:36.500 probably don't make all the best decisions, but 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:39.500 I'm trying to make the best decisions for me 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:42.939 So that kind of ties in with what I wanted to 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:45.759 talk today be talk about today because when I 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:50.759 again I'm like Taking my time through Siri Lindley's 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:52.899 book because I love it so much. I don't want 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:57.199 it to end and There's so much to dig into because 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:02.750 as I said she has questions for you to contemplate 00:07:02.750 --> 00:07:06.269 at the end of every chapter, and they're so good. 00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:08.990 Like, I really like to sit and think about them. 00:07:09.350 --> 00:07:14.420 And sometimes, we've... done our sauna talks, 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:17.019 which I put on social media a little bit, but 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:19.019 Brett and I, because there's not much that you 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:21.680 can do in a sauna. But, you know, I usually bring 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:25.019 like a couple questions to talk about, or we 00:07:25.019 --> 00:07:27.600 have something in our lives that we need to talk 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:30.980 through. And sometimes, you know, after I'm done 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:33.399 reading her book, I'll have been thinking about 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.100 something and wondering what he would think of 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:38.699 the question, you know, from Siri Lindley's book. 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:41.879 So a lot of, you know, what I talk about on the 00:07:41.879 --> 00:07:44.860 podcast. becomes part of our sauna talks which 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:48.939 I would like to share some of that either on 00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:52.660 here or I think that might become a monthly installment 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:56.360 on patreon our sauna talks because we do have 00:07:56.360 --> 00:07:59.220 some great conversations in the sauna when there's 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:02.079 really nothing else that you can do but connect 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:08.019 and sweat together so all right today This will 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:10.699 be another pretty personal one and I usually 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:13.500 like to save these for Patreon, but yeah, it 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:16.819 is what it is. I hope that you can take something 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:20.360 from it, but I've chosen kind of three people 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:24.360 or one is a pair of people that I have, you know, 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:28.439 learned either what to do or what not to do or 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:31.720 basically have kind of guided, I would say definitely 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.610 my recent decisions. like within the last year 00:08:35.610 --> 00:08:40.470 for sure, as I was reflecting with series prompts. 00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:44.179 We're going to talk about that. and then you 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:47.240 know just kind of the last 90 days and then the 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:51.039 next 90 days I think would be good for us for 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:54.580 you to kind of look at that overall you know 00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:57.080 who have been the biggest influences on me and 00:08:57.080 --> 00:09:00.320 that's gonna change I mean I've lived 51 years 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:03.759 so some are more recent than others and then 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:07.059 you know I've had a big past 90 days and we'll 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:12.000 have a very big next 90 days and just kind of 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.299 think about that in the frame of your life as 00:09:14.299 --> 00:09:16.259 well. So we'll get to that a little bit later 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:20.360 on. But I'm going to start with my absolute number 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:25.159 one, like hands down, biggest teacher of my life. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:28.460 Anybody who knows me probably knows immediately 00:09:28.460 --> 00:09:31.840 who I'm going to say. But that is my grandma 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:37.200 Weibel. And anybody who knows her, any single 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:40.159 person, whether you're related to her or met 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:44.120 her once or twice, everybody will say the same 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:47.440 exact thing about her, most amazing woman who 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:51.639 ever lived and walked the earth. This woman had 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:58.139 10 children, lived on a farm in the middle of 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:03.460 nowhere, Wisconsin, and Eventually, they moved 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:06.980 down the road from this farm into a house. I 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:10.659 look back now, that house seemed so big when 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:14.279 I was younger, it had one bathroom. And granted, 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:17.100 not all 10 kids lived there at the same time, 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:19.299 but if her kids weren't there, her grandkids 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:25.080 were there. You know. It was full all the time. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:28.759 And I think, you know, upstairs and we had a 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:31.740 boys' bedroom and a girls' bedroom upstairs because 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:36.200 she had five boys and five girls. And the boys' 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:40.299 bedroom could sleep one, two, three, four people, 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:44.059 enough beds. And the girls' room could sleep, 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:46.879 I think, three and there was a baby crib in there. 00:10:47.370 --> 00:10:50.450 So then their bedroom was downstairs with the 00:10:50.450 --> 00:10:55.250 living room and kitchen and one bathroom. And 00:10:55.250 --> 00:10:59.730 I don't ever remember anybody griping about it, 00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:05.029 which just is crazy today. And I think that's, 00:11:05.029 --> 00:11:08.370 you know, kind of part of like what she taught 00:11:08.370 --> 00:11:15.230 me is just like simple is fine, right? Like, 00:11:15.309 --> 00:11:19.490 and... The importance of home is that you're 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:23.049 all together and you get a feeling when you're 00:11:23.049 --> 00:11:25.909 there. Anybody who visited their house, definitely 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:28.669 you're greeted with food. You're greeted with 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:34.190 warmth and welcoming. And, you know, that's what 00:11:34.190 --> 00:11:40.309 her house was. She was the most selfless person. 00:11:40.649 --> 00:11:43.649 There's nobody who could argue that. The kindest 00:11:43.649 --> 00:11:49.799 person. who truly, as a human, showed unconditional 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:54.840 love. Unconditional love. Bar none. Never judged. 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:58.539 You never, I don't know a single person like 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:03.460 that, truly, today. And that's why everybody 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:11.120 loved her so much. And some of my cousins, who 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:14.100 obviously there are a lot of because she had 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:19.700 10 children, some have named their children after 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:22.980 her, rightfully so. I thought about doing that 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:28.159 as well. The way my life worked, which we'll 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:33.009 get into a little bit in this episode. because 00:12:33.009 --> 00:12:36.049 of another choice that I chose as a teacher today, 00:12:36.590 --> 00:12:42.049 but I lived with my grandparents in that house 00:12:42.049 --> 00:12:45.710 and for sure one of my aunts part of the time, 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:52.029 you know, the youngest of the 10, until I was 00:12:52.029 --> 00:12:54.740 in kindergarten. from what I can remember. I 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:57.799 don't have a lot of memories because I don't 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:00.080 have a lot of memories of my mother before kindergarten 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.919 because my mom had me right out of high school 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:09.019 and I didn't know my biological dad. So I was 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:12.519 tooling around with my grandparents, you know, 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:16.779 from birth until my mom got married when I was 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:21.500 in kindergarten and I was adopted under that 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:26.309 person's name. And my grandma taught me everything. 00:13:26.789 --> 00:13:30.090 I mean, all life skills, how to tie my shoes, 00:13:30.149 --> 00:13:36.809 how to read, but mostly just how to love. And, 00:13:36.970 --> 00:13:39.809 you know, I remember going to church with them 00:13:39.809 --> 00:13:43.330 every Saturday night. I remember my grandpa trying 00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:46.289 to entertain me with these weird, they were like 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:48.649 green, I don't know. I don't even know if you 00:13:48.649 --> 00:13:52.769 can call them mints. But, you know, That was 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:57.169 a ritual. I was basically like another one of 00:13:57.169 --> 00:14:02.970 their kids. And so those are my very, very early 00:14:02.970 --> 00:14:08.190 memories and I'm getting emotional talking about 00:14:08.190 --> 00:14:13.309 it just because I learned the most I think about 00:14:13.309 --> 00:14:19.850 being a mother and just how to treat people and 00:14:21.710 --> 00:14:26.190 I don't know, unconditional love from her. And 00:14:26.190 --> 00:14:31.429 again, the most important things in life are 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:38.149 simple because I don't ever once remember them 00:14:38.149 --> 00:14:41.029 going out to eat. Every meal was cooked from 00:14:41.029 --> 00:14:45.110 home and she cooked every meal in front of you 00:14:45.110 --> 00:14:47.309 while you stood there or she got the leftovers 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:52.860 out. Never griped about it. I mean I did a lot 00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:55.360 of dishes there at Right Fleece Sew as I should 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.500 have to help, but setting the table and I mean 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:04.279 just always felt so safe. I remember during very 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:10.059 difficult parts of my life people saying maybe 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.179 you know tongue -in -cheek but think of your 00:15:12.179 --> 00:15:14.639 safe place or your happy place and there are 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:20.039 many many times growing up that I just pictured 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:23.980 myself in that house, and I can still picture 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:30.919 it in my mind. And that was my safe place. And 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:35.100 because of the way that my life went, I went 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:37.639 back there. I mean, when I would come home from 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:41.759 college, oftentimes I stayed there for various 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:46.549 reasons we won't get into, but... Yeah, I mean 00:15:46.549 --> 00:15:49.570 and bless her lived into her 90s died in her 00:15:49.570 --> 00:15:54.330 sleep as an angel should but I really really 00:15:54.330 --> 00:15:58.409 when I was making this decision about you know 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:02.710 what to do and agonizing over, you know money 00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:07.289 being left on the table and life being short 00:16:07.289 --> 00:16:13.019 I Really thought about her And, you know, you 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:16.139 ask many different people for advice. And if 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:18.960 I could ask her for advice, you know, I knew 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.259 what she would have said. And, you know, have 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:26.039 a roof over your head. You know, have someone 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:29.820 who loves you. Show other people love. Be happy. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:36.360 And that's why I chose her as my number one teacher. 00:16:37.269 --> 00:16:41.470 I'm sure a lot of us can relate to having influential 00:16:41.470 --> 00:16:45.309 grandparents. I know when my students would write 00:16:45.309 --> 00:16:47.769 a paper where they would interview an elder, 00:16:49.269 --> 00:16:51.309 you know, a lot of them said that they chose 00:16:51.309 --> 00:16:54.970 a grandparent because of their values that they 00:16:54.970 --> 00:16:57.509 had shown them. And I know that's probably a 00:16:57.509 --> 00:17:03.289 pretty popular choice. So my second choice, oddly 00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:06.710 enough, I'll explain the connection, but kind 00:17:06.710 --> 00:17:11.920 of is related. I don't know. I couldn't explain 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:13.980 this feeling. This is going to sound really dumb, 00:17:13.980 --> 00:17:19.079 but I'm going to say it anyway. I saw a quote 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:23.140 from someone who had said, you know, that they 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:25.299 felt that they had met the love of their life 00:17:25.299 --> 00:17:29.180 and they felt that their grandmother had sent 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:33.380 them to her. She'd said this. And I was like, 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:36.440 OK. This was like in the last two months that 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:42.059 I saw this. That is exactly how I feel about 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:47.559 meeting my significant other Brett. And I really 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:52.839 have to say, like, I got it wrong many times 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:57.000 in my life. You know, and we get older and we 00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:03.579 get wiser 100%. And I didn't grow up with the 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:08.339 best role modeling or stability necessarily outside 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:14.480 of my grandparents and some aunts. But yeah, 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:19.180 Brett is my second choice, especially for recent 00:18:19.180 --> 00:18:22.940 decision -making. I've never met anybody like 00:18:22.940 --> 00:18:28.400 him. I honestly, a hundred percent, and I've 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:33.619 told this to friends, From the first times I 00:18:33.619 --> 00:18:38.880 came to his house I Felt the same exact feeling 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.019 getting emotional again the same exact feeling 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:46.079 that I felt when I was at my grandparents house 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.880 I've never ever ever felt that way anywhere else 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:54.299 and I don't know how to explain it and it is 00:18:54.299 --> 00:19:00.180 because He has a lot of those same values that 00:19:00.410 --> 00:19:05.329 I learned from my grandmother. And he's, you 00:19:05.329 --> 00:19:11.829 know, a 46 year old man. So that's kind of funny 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:17.730 to say, but he believes less is more. He has 00:19:17.730 --> 00:19:20.430 seen things through his time in the military 00:19:20.430 --> 00:19:24.670 that make him feel that way. You know, he would 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:29.130 always say, I saw people living on landfills. 00:19:29.549 --> 00:19:34.329 who were happy. That was their life. And they 00:19:34.329 --> 00:19:39.410 woke up every day with a joy for life and were 00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:45.009 good to people. And look what we have in the 00:19:45.009 --> 00:19:50.369 United States and what he fought and risked his 00:19:50.369 --> 00:19:58.470 life in Iraq for us to have. It's such a perspective 00:19:58.470 --> 00:20:03.769 shift to talk to someone who's lived like that 00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:08.910 and seen those things. And it's almost difficult 00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:15.950 then to see the consumerism, the materialism, 00:20:16.029 --> 00:20:21.049 which I definitely will admit I prioritized at 00:20:21.049 --> 00:20:23.769 parts of my life. You know, we all fall into 00:20:24.580 --> 00:20:26.700 Especially with social media look what these 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:28.819 people have look where these people are going 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:30.859 look you know look at the house They bought or 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:37.240 the car they bought holy crap who cares? Who 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:41.380 cares? What you really should be looking at is 00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:45.700 look at how happy they are together Look at how 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:51.279 wonderful they treat each other Look at the quality 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:57.410 of their life together And this has been such 00:20:57.410 --> 00:21:05.190 a good shift for me. And just even, you know, 00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:07.049 going back a little bit because I've had this 00:21:07.049 --> 00:21:12.190 conversation with someone recently of he has 00:21:12.190 --> 00:21:17.069 taught me never to settle because he never settled. 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:20.170 He was never married. He never lived with anyone. 00:21:20.549 --> 00:21:24.619 He doesn't have children. And, you know, at 40, 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:31.000 whatever age she was when we met, 43, 44, he 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:35.400 just always said, society pressures you to take 00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:41.799 so many paths. And I never felt I had met anybody 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:44.900 that I wanted to marry. I had never met my soulmate. 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:48.099 I never met anybody that I would want living 00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:53.220 in my house. And I didn't Feel pressure or a 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:58.579 time clock, you know to do that so that's refreshing 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:06.460 but also just Less is more You can have so much 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:12.420 joy through simple things in life and Really 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:19.450 looking at what is important to me in life And 00:22:19.450 --> 00:22:22.430 going back to the train of thought I was on before, 00:22:23.369 --> 00:22:27.049 I had said to somebody, you know, when you, if 00:22:27.049 --> 00:22:30.029 you would have, you know, talked to me after 00:22:30.029 --> 00:22:34.130 my divorce in 2020, I told people, I will never 00:22:34.130 --> 00:22:36.849 date again. There is no way I will get married 00:22:36.849 --> 00:22:38.990 again. And people were like, oh, okay, sure. 00:22:39.190 --> 00:22:45.390 Uh -huh. But thank goodness, not thank goodness 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:49.250 for the pandemic, but thank goodness that I was 00:22:49.250 --> 00:22:55.509 forced in isolation, because not that I wouldn't 00:22:55.509 --> 00:23:00.890 have done the work on myself, but I think I would 00:23:00.890 --> 00:23:04.970 have distracted myself more and maybe got off 00:23:04.970 --> 00:23:08.470 path with the work that I needed to do, which 00:23:08.470 --> 00:23:12.450 was I absolutely had to be alone, I think. Everybody 00:23:12.450 --> 00:23:16.109 should spend time alone You have to know that 00:23:16.109 --> 00:23:19.549 no matter what you will be fine and happy alone 00:23:19.549 --> 00:23:21.970 And that's what Brett always said to me like 00:23:21.970 --> 00:23:26.009 he had so many hobbies He went you know had no 00:23:26.009 --> 00:23:28.490 problem going and doing things that he enjoyed 00:23:28.490 --> 00:23:31.069 by himself if he wasn't dating someone at the 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:35.809 time And you have to be okay saying if I never 00:23:35.809 --> 00:23:40.349 get married I will be okay because if you don't 00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:45.329 meet that right person and you settle, we all 00:23:45.329 --> 00:23:48.069 know why the divorce rate is so high, right? 00:23:48.529 --> 00:23:52.509 Every second person I talk to seems to be contemplating 00:23:52.509 --> 00:23:55.750 or going through a divorce. And part of that, 00:23:55.869 --> 00:23:58.430 I am going to argue, maybe I'm wrong, but part 00:23:58.430 --> 00:24:00.710 of that I think is people settle or people don't 00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:04.049 want to be alone or, you know, biological clocks 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:08.210 are ticking and absolutely like, hi, I'm sure. 00:24:08.460 --> 00:24:12.220 Hmm, I've settled in my life. I know I have because 00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:17.720 it seemed like the easier path for me and that's 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:25.680 what I admire so so so much I Wow It just has 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:28.480 changed so many mindsets of mine mindsets about 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:34.220 money mindsets about just like What true happiness 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:38.079 and life means and where you can get that from? 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:44.019 how important it is to live every day because 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:48.420 tomorrow is not promised. Someone always has 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:51.920 it worse than you. You know, be thankful that 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:55.859 you have a roof over your head. When I was a 00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:57.799 single mother, there were some scary freaking 00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:03.059 times. You know, when, yeah, we'll just say that. 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:06.680 And if you have a roof over your head and someone 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:09.660 who loves you you are ahead of a lot of people 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:14.940 more than you know and then with that if you 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:19.240 have that and You have hobbies and you have things 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:22.920 that bring you joy whether you're alone or in 00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:27.740 a relationship that is what life is about and 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:35.039 so oh it just really made me think about money 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:40.660 is important in so that it can keep you safe 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:47.460 and beyond that sure you can buy a fishing boat 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:50.539 and that will make you happy you can buy a camper 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:54.809 which we are doing but to cut costs on other 00:25:54.809 --> 00:25:58.990 things like hotels or to help you achieve more 00:25:58.990 --> 00:26:01.630 joy and if if a goal of yours is to get out more 00:26:01.630 --> 00:26:05.970 in nature and this camper allows you to do that 00:26:05.970 --> 00:26:10.490 then that is a good use of your money but not 00:26:10.490 --> 00:26:14.769 having a house that makes you house poor not 00:26:14.769 --> 00:26:19.269 having brand name purses brand name cars brand 00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:24.490 name shoes Yes, do we like to go out to dinner 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:29.410 and look nice and dress up? Yes, but so so so 00:26:29.410 --> 00:26:33.109 different from the things that I used to value 00:26:33.109 --> 00:26:40.329 and Just the the feeling of safety and unconditional 00:26:40.329 --> 00:26:47.390 love and The simplistic way of life so refreshing 00:26:47.390 --> 00:26:51.599 so refreshing With that, we're going to take 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:54.960 a little bit of a break to hear some ads and 00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:58.359 some Ask the Teacher Anything questions. I wonder 00:26:58.359 --> 00:27:01.200 if I need to rename that segment when I'm not 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:04.779 a teacher anymore. Maybe that's where I should 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:07.940 put the sauna talks. Let me know, please, what 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:10.839 you think. If you have a new title for Ask the 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:13.099 Teacher Anything, because I only have 40 more 00:27:13.099 --> 00:27:16.279 days of being a teacher when I'm recording this. 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:19.279 And, you know, what I should replace it with 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.720 or what I should call it or if I should do something 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:25.259 else. I need to steel myself, you know, brace 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:30.559 myself for my third teacher after our break. 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:34.819 So we'll be back, hopefully. keep my composure. 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:40.779 100 % of men and women have hormones, and with 00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:43.400 the increased presence of processed foods and 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:46.000 environmental toxins, it's more important than 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.420 ever to make mindful choices in the products 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:51.900 we use every day. That's why I trust Q and Grace, 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:55.380 high -performing clean products designed to support 00:27:55.380 --> 00:27:58.420 hormone health while reducing exposure to harmful 00:27:58.420 --> 00:28:02.400 chemicals. because this topic has been my primary 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:06.380 focus since ending birth control in 2024 and 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:09.099 an attempt to regulate my changing midlife hormones. 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:12.559 After making healthy swaps in my diet, personal 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:16.099 care products, and exercise routine, I've been 00:28:16.099 --> 00:28:18.680 able to lower my dose of anxiety medication I 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:22.200 once relied very heavily on and have restored 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:24.960 balance to my nervous system and cleared up the 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:27.779 brain fog I was experiencing in perimenopause. 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:30.779 Pugh and Grace has played a key role in this 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:34.180 transformation, offering safe, effective, non 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:37.299 -toxic solutions that support my wellness journey. 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:41.539 If you listened to episode 16 with certified 00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:44.400 Mayo Clinic health and wellness coach Tracy Danielson 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:47.039 Mitchell, you heard our talk about the importance 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:49.940 of hormone health. To share with you everything 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:52.900 I did throughout my journey to balance my hormones, 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:55.680 I did a deep dive on my Live and Learn Patreon 00:28:55.680 --> 00:29:00.319 about all of the tests and supplements that I 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:05.819 use in order to navigate this journey in my 50s. 00:29:06.009 --> 00:29:09.049 To find this episode, you can just visit patreon 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:13.390 .com slash live and learn. Some of my favorite 00:29:13.390 --> 00:29:16.230 products I use every day include Hue and Grace's 00:29:16.230 --> 00:29:20.329 hydrate and detox that contains powerful antioxidants, 00:29:20.829 --> 00:29:24.630 electrolytes, and prebiotic fiber. Their popular 00:29:24.630 --> 00:29:27.170 blue drink you see me drinking on Instagram is 00:29:27.170 --> 00:29:30.009 their triple boost hormone support protein powder 00:29:30.009 --> 00:29:33.369 with blue spirulina that I mix with their daily 00:29:33.369 --> 00:29:37.099 collagen supplement. I also keep my skin hydrated 00:29:37.099 --> 00:29:40.980 and smooth with their spray -on body oil. I love 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:43.579 putting this on before going out and it gives 00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:47.700 my aging skin a more dewy look. I've also switched 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:50.160 out my hair care products to Hue and Grace's 00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:53.700 Your Best Hair Day line with all natural ingredients 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:56.680 that help nourish my hair and stretch out time 00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:00.089 between washes. If you're on this journey with 00:30:00.089 --> 00:30:02.910 me and are interested in exploring Hue and Grace's 00:30:02.910 --> 00:30:06.650 trusted non -toxic products for 10 % off and 00:30:06.650 --> 00:30:09.950 free shipping, you can use my discount link at 00:30:09.950 --> 00:30:13.549 hueandgrace .com slash lesson plan and reach 00:30:13.549 --> 00:30:17.690 out anytime via email at nextlessonplan at gmail 00:30:17.690 --> 00:30:21.809 .com with questions. Live and learn with me as 00:30:21.809 --> 00:30:25.089 we focus on living fully and feeling our best. 00:30:25.390 --> 00:30:30.160 Visit hueandgrace .com to see how easy it is 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:33.279 to start making some healthy swaps on your way 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.200 to non -toxic living. To those of you who have 00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:39.960 followed me for a while, you know that I value 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:42.799 mental and physical wellness. Personally, I've 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:44.640 worked with a few different coaches over the 00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:47.839 years and even been one myself. If you are looking 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:50.460 for education and support in your own wellness 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:53.000 journey, I would love to invite you to the wellness 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.880 community I am currently in that keeps me accountable 00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:59.039 daily with my nutrition and movement. If you 00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:01.500 are a Facebook user, you can search for our free 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:06.099 group called Team MG. This group is led by my 00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:08.859 coach, Megan Grimord, who is a certified trainer 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:12.099 and nutrition coach. She offers lots of education 00:31:12.099 --> 00:31:15.210 and support for your wellness journey. If you 00:31:15.210 --> 00:31:17.309 want to get to know Coach Megan Moore, you can 00:31:17.309 --> 00:31:20.609 follow her on Instagram at all lowercase, Megan, 00:31:20.609 --> 00:31:25.750 M -E -G -A -N, underscore, grimoire, G -R -I 00:31:25.750 --> 00:31:29.549 -M -O -R -D, or even listen to her on episode 00:31:29.549 --> 00:31:33.509 10 of the podcast. She has also created a discount 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:36.130 code for my listeners. Just go to her website, 00:31:36.450 --> 00:31:43.619 www .team -mg .com. and enter code LESSONPLAN10 00:31:43.619 --> 00:31:47.400 to get $10 off any of her premium coaching packages 00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:50.839 for the first month. Coach Megan is a busy mom 00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:53.579 like me who works full -time, so I appreciate 00:31:53.579 --> 00:31:56.740 her practicality mixed with some tough love to 00:31:56.740 --> 00:32:03.579 keep me going. It is Ask the Teacher Anything 00:32:03.579 --> 00:32:07.500 time. So, first question. How do you keep the 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:10.980 balance between structured content and natural 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:15.519 conversation? I was not good at this in the beginning. 00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:17.839 I'm probably still not good at this, but I know 00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:21.859 that I feel more comfortable now. A lot of my 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:25.259 guest podcasts follow generally the same sort 00:32:25.259 --> 00:32:28.400 of outline, which I do share with my guests ahead 00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:31.240 of time so they know where the conversation will 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:35.099 go. But oftentimes now I've been straying from 00:32:35.099 --> 00:32:37.920 that a little bit because I'm so interested in 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:41.299 things that they're saying. And if I think that 00:32:41.299 --> 00:32:43.779 I have a question that other people might have 00:32:43.779 --> 00:32:46.900 and want to hear the answer to, then I sort of 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:51.119 add that into the conversation. I've been a little 00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:54.119 less, I won't say less structured, but I've allowed 00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:56.420 myself to stray, I would say, from the outline 00:32:56.420 --> 00:33:00.460 a little bit. In my solo episodes, I've definitely 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:03.660 been doing less scripting, because I think the 00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:06.680 more personal they've gotten, that's just stuff 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:09.660 off the top of my head. Some of them I do a little 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:13.599 bit more research for, and I have some facts 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:15.700 and things that I'm borrowing that I wanna get 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:19.599 right, so I have an outline in front of me. Um, 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:21.980 and you know, those maybe sound a little bit 00:33:21.980 --> 00:33:24.720 more scripted today. I definitely had an outline 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:26.700 and had thought about what I wanted to talk about, 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:31.220 but I've been up since 10 to four this morning 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:34.680 because I had to help do inventory at my second 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:39.140 job and, uh, this podcast is due tomorrow. It's 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:42.460 the latest I've ever done a podcast, uh, before 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:45.880 it's supposed to go on. So, you know, Most of 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:48.000 this is just off the top of my head, which is 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:50.819 good. I think people who've been doing podcasting 00:33:50.819 --> 00:33:53.160 a long time, that's why people like them because 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:56.059 it's more natural and authentic and vulnerable. 00:33:56.599 --> 00:33:59.920 So I think I've gotten better with, you know, 00:34:00.039 --> 00:34:02.519 hopefully it's sounding a little bit more natural. 00:34:03.279 --> 00:34:07.200 Question number two, how will you define success 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:10.420 for yourself when you're no longer a teacher? 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:17.159 Yeah, great question. I stopped chasing success 00:34:17.159 --> 00:34:21.739 as a teacher quite a while ago. I would say just 00:34:21.739 --> 00:34:24.659 before the pandemic or even maybe when the pandemic 00:34:24.659 --> 00:34:26.840 hit because it changed so much of what we could 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:30.699 do. But also just, again, change my perspective 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:33.480 and like, you know, what's important to chase 00:34:33.480 --> 00:34:36.480 after and, you know, maybe why I was feeling 00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:40.599 so burnt out. And during the pandemic, I was 00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:46.170 asked to step in to teach at Mount Mary University 00:34:46.170 --> 00:34:50.389 at night. They needed some help for two years. 00:34:50.429 --> 00:34:54.610 It ended up being teaching their journalism class 00:34:54.610 --> 00:34:58.230 there, their news magazine and their website. 00:34:58.349 --> 00:35:00.829 And so I was teaching during the day during a 00:35:00.829 --> 00:35:04.809 pandemic off and on in person at home. And same 00:35:04.809 --> 00:35:07.590 thing at Mount Mary, going through a divorce, 00:35:07.909 --> 00:35:13.710 going through a pandemic. That was kind of a 00:35:13.710 --> 00:35:16.050 different measure of success. I did not apply 00:35:16.050 --> 00:35:18.849 for that job. Someone literally called me and 00:35:18.849 --> 00:35:21.289 said, hey, we need help. Are you still in the 00:35:21.289 --> 00:35:25.170 area? I thought of you. And I was like, dang, 00:35:25.570 --> 00:35:28.809 pretty cool. Someone also reached out to me during 00:35:28.809 --> 00:35:32.230 the pandemic and was starting a company and needed 00:35:32.230 --> 00:35:36.150 a wellness blogger who could write. and also 00:35:36.150 --> 00:35:39.329 was interested in wellness. And I did that for 00:35:39.329 --> 00:35:41.750 like a year during the pandemic. And to me it 00:35:41.750 --> 00:35:44.889 was like, all right, this is like a different 00:35:44.889 --> 00:35:49.190 measure of people are seeking me out to do things 00:35:49.190 --> 00:35:52.329 that they need because of my skills. And I think 00:35:52.329 --> 00:35:57.230 that's exactly how my next chapter came to be. 00:35:58.170 --> 00:36:02.789 They did not have a job Posted I went to them 00:36:02.789 --> 00:36:06.110 and said hey, you know, I'm leaving teaching 00:36:06.110 --> 00:36:10.190 and I'm exploring opportunities and You know 00:36:10.190 --> 00:36:13.409 here is my skill set. They didn't know me a little 00:36:13.409 --> 00:36:17.670 bit or know of me Do you think I could be of 00:36:17.670 --> 00:36:22.809 help to you and We basically spent months and 00:36:22.809 --> 00:36:27.630 are near the end now of negotiating just like 00:36:27.599 --> 00:36:31.500 how could they use my skills? And so I think 00:36:31.500 --> 00:36:36.480 that's how I define, will define my success is 00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:40.800 like, am I still being of value based on the 00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:44.099 skills that I have? I always love to learn and 00:36:44.099 --> 00:36:47.920 grow. So am I continuing to learn new things 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:51.420 and to grow and to be of value to a company? 00:36:52.760 --> 00:36:55.099 It's, you know, I have a whole classroom full 00:36:55.099 --> 00:37:00.809 of awards. I have a resume full of accolades 00:37:00.809 --> 00:37:07.769 and burnout to show for it. And some very great 00:37:07.769 --> 00:37:10.769 stories and relationships, obviously. Many of 00:37:10.769 --> 00:37:14.130 my guests were part of that journey. But I would 00:37:14.130 --> 00:37:18.789 say to anybody, to them, to myself, now is like, 00:37:19.110 --> 00:37:21.789 do you enjoy what you're doing? And I did at 00:37:21.789 --> 00:37:24.579 the time, for the most part. It became harder 00:37:24.579 --> 00:37:28.539 at the end, you know, so my success will be learning 00:37:28.539 --> 00:37:34.179 You know as much as I can each day using my skills 00:37:34.179 --> 00:37:39.199 and adding to my toolkit of skills and enjoying 00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:44.079 what I'm doing and At my going away party last 00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:47.579 week for from school When I started talking to 00:37:47.579 --> 00:37:49.360 some people about what I was going to be doing 00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:51.760 and mentioning the names of my new bosses everybody 00:37:51.760 --> 00:37:56.880 was like What? They're like so fun and so energetic 00:37:56.880 --> 00:38:01.539 and I was like, I know. That's, you know, a huge 00:38:01.539 --> 00:38:06.659 perk. Like I'm really excited to work for people. 00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:09.800 They are all siblings. It is a family business. 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:15.139 They are uber talented and fun and prioritize 00:38:15.139 --> 00:38:18.800 their family relationships first over their business 00:38:18.800 --> 00:38:21.989 and have been really successful doing that. And 00:38:21.989 --> 00:38:26.269 I'm just so looking forward to hopefully osmosis, 00:38:26.369 --> 00:38:29.730 getting their energy and enthusiasm. And I'm 00:38:29.730 --> 00:38:32.369 going to have a huge learning curve. And I love 00:38:32.369 --> 00:38:36.010 learning and learning something. I learned yearbook 00:38:36.010 --> 00:38:39.610 from the ground up 11 years ago. This will also 00:38:39.610 --> 00:38:43.630 involve something's yearbook as well, almost 00:38:43.630 --> 00:38:45.590 signed on the dotted line. And I'll be able to 00:38:45.590 --> 00:38:49.440 tell you for sure soon. And so, yeah, that's, 00:38:49.460 --> 00:38:51.800 I think, how I'll measure success in my next 00:38:51.800 --> 00:38:54.880 chapter. You can submit questions, as always, 00:38:54.980 --> 00:38:58.460 on social media or on our website at Life's Next 00:38:58.460 --> 00:39:01.619 Lesson Plan dot com. Please, please, please tell 00:39:01.619 --> 00:39:06.400 me what I should name this segment of Ask the 00:39:06.400 --> 00:39:09.000 Teacher Anything, Ask the Former Teacher Anything. 00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:11.199 I don't know. Please, please, please send me 00:39:11.199 --> 00:39:14.880 your ideas because I'll need help. We're back 00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:17.880 and I can't put it off any longer, but I'm kind 00:39:17.880 --> 00:39:20.320 of dreading this part of the podcast a little 00:39:20.320 --> 00:39:23.980 bit Maybe with that said I'll just I'm gonna 00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:27.940 probably keep it shorter Than my normal rambling 00:39:27.940 --> 00:39:29.940 self just because I think a lot of it would be 00:39:29.940 --> 00:39:33.239 better on Patreon But I I always want to be a 00:39:33.239 --> 00:39:37.579 hundred percent honest And I am who I am and 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:41.039 I'm learning a lot about other people who maybe 00:39:41.039 --> 00:39:43.099 have experienced some of the same things that 00:39:43.099 --> 00:39:46.099 I have. And I think it's really important for 00:39:46.099 --> 00:39:49.199 us to share and be honest about what we've been 00:39:49.199 --> 00:39:53.900 through because the one thing as a teacher is 00:39:53.900 --> 00:39:56.860 that if you can help one person through teaching 00:39:56.860 --> 00:39:59.710 or through sharing your stories. then it's worth 00:39:59.710 --> 00:40:03.489 it. I'll just say that what I chose as my third 00:40:03.489 --> 00:40:07.489 and final teacher for this segment would be two 00:40:07.489 --> 00:40:13.750 people and I'm, you know, working on forgiveness 00:40:13.750 --> 00:40:20.289 because we do the best we can at the time with 00:40:20.289 --> 00:40:24.630 what we know and we all make mistakes. We'll 00:40:24.630 --> 00:40:27.510 just say that. And so this isn't a judgment. 00:40:27.949 --> 00:40:33.849 in any way. And I think, you know, it's also 00:40:33.849 --> 00:40:38.789 a lesson in if you can do better when you know 00:40:38.789 --> 00:40:42.590 you can do better, then do better. And some people 00:40:42.590 --> 00:40:44.550 take advantage of that and some people don't. 00:40:45.269 --> 00:40:49.650 But long story short, I would say my biological 00:40:49.650 --> 00:40:55.829 parents have taught me many things. You know, 00:40:55.829 --> 00:41:00.519 we can't choose our family. I've said it once 00:41:00.519 --> 00:41:03.079 and I'll say it a million times and have said 00:41:03.079 --> 00:41:05.360 it a million times. You know, there were many 00:41:05.360 --> 00:41:08.440 times in my life growing up that I said, you 00:41:08.440 --> 00:41:11.039 know, and felt like if you didn't want to have 00:41:11.039 --> 00:41:14.139 me as a child, maybe my life would have been 00:41:14.139 --> 00:41:17.139 better off not lived. I don't believe that today, 00:41:17.880 --> 00:41:21.980 but because of the way I grew up and, you know, 00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:26.130 again, any of you were a mistake. children and 00:41:26.130 --> 00:41:28.210 you knew full well and it was thrown in your 00:41:28.210 --> 00:41:34.469 face that you were a mistake child um you know 00:41:34.469 --> 00:41:40.269 therapy and you know you can get over that in 00:41:40.269 --> 00:41:43.250 some ways but it does continue to come up and 00:41:43.250 --> 00:41:46.230 i'm learning more and more about even though 00:41:46.230 --> 00:41:48.710 you feel like you've put your past or your childhood 00:41:48.710 --> 00:41:51.489 behind you it definitely affects you when you're 00:41:51.489 --> 00:41:56.119 older um but I will say it does not matter where 00:41:56.119 --> 00:41:59.780 you come from. It matters where you're going. 00:42:00.659 --> 00:42:03.500 And I definitely learned an important lesson 00:42:03.500 --> 00:42:08.860 that you can only rely on yourself. And if you 00:42:08.860 --> 00:42:13.059 want something, you have to get it for yourself. 00:42:13.539 --> 00:42:16.699 There will be people along the way to support 00:42:16.699 --> 00:42:22.079 you, maybe not the people you thought. But Huge 00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:25.159 lesson the same thing. I you know wanted to say 00:42:25.159 --> 00:42:28.199 earlier with you have to be okay being alone 00:42:28.199 --> 00:42:33.000 You have to be okay leaning on yourself, and 00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:38.039 you have to enjoy your own company because you'll 00:42:38.039 --> 00:42:43.800 never heal if that's not the case and So a lot 00:42:43.800 --> 00:42:47.880 of work goes into that and and holy cow I've 00:42:47.880 --> 00:42:53.940 overcome so much Also, family is a very loose 00:42:53.940 --> 00:42:58.860 definition. You know, blood is blood, and blood 00:42:58.860 --> 00:43:01.820 is supposed to equal family, but it doesn't all 00:43:01.820 --> 00:43:07.480 the time. And family isn't always healthy. And 00:43:07.480 --> 00:43:13.199 if at some point you think you would be healthier 00:43:13.199 --> 00:43:17.960 and better with stronger boundaries, It is okay 00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:21.199 to put yourself first and your mental well -being 00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:30.940 first because hurt people hurt people. And I 00:43:30.940 --> 00:43:36.639 heard it from two therapists in my last relationship, 00:43:38.019 --> 00:43:42.059 you know, marriage counselors always say, Every 00:43:42.059 --> 00:43:46.079 marriage is solvable and fixable if both parties 00:43:46.079 --> 00:43:51.400 are willing to change and work Sometimes some 00:43:51.400 --> 00:43:54.940 people think they are right all the time And 00:43:54.940 --> 00:43:57.559 the other person is wrong and the other person 00:43:57.559 --> 00:43:59.579 is to blame and this isn't about my marriage. 00:43:59.599 --> 00:44:07.039 This is about family but Some people will never 00:44:07.039 --> 00:44:13.570 be wrong and Anything you try to do will come 00:44:13.570 --> 00:44:17.909 up short. And again, I'm not going to say too 00:44:17.909 --> 00:44:21.110 much. except that I have said that I did not 00:44:21.110 --> 00:44:24.170 meet my biological dad until, well I didn't, 00:44:24.409 --> 00:44:28.570 until I was in college and that was a short relationship 00:44:28.570 --> 00:44:32.110 and probably, you know, very overwhelming because 00:44:32.110 --> 00:44:34.409 of the stage of life that I was in at the time 00:44:34.409 --> 00:44:36.929 and I understand that. I wish I would have done 00:44:36.929 --> 00:44:42.429 better at that time. It is what it is. All of 00:44:42.429 --> 00:44:45.469 this to say is, you know, we teach people how 00:44:45.469 --> 00:44:50.730 to treat us. We are allowed to make choices in 00:44:50.730 --> 00:44:55.150 our lives about who we Surround ourselves with 00:44:55.150 --> 00:44:58.550 and I just think you know communication is so 00:44:58.550 --> 00:45:03.309 important and if you are feeling something express 00:45:03.309 --> 00:45:09.349 it and Depending on how that is met make your 00:45:09.349 --> 00:45:14.670 decisions accordingly and Huh, I am no expert 00:45:15.050 --> 00:45:19.690 This is not something that is easy for me or 00:45:19.690 --> 00:45:28.250 for anyone But over time I think You know Your 00:45:28.250 --> 00:45:31.489 intuition we talk a lot about intuition on this 00:45:31.489 --> 00:45:35.269 podcast and if you follow your gut and you know, 00:45:35.329 --> 00:45:39.389 what is right What is right is sometimes hard 00:45:40.240 --> 00:45:45.079 So again, we're focusing on, you know, what people 00:45:45.079 --> 00:45:50.920 have taught us. And sometimes, you know, lessons 00:45:50.920 --> 00:45:54.079 are hard to learn. There is a lesson in everything. 00:45:54.199 --> 00:45:56.860 There's a lesson in every single relationship. 00:45:59.239 --> 00:46:03.820 And decisions can change. Some people can change. 00:46:04.639 --> 00:46:09.059 And I hope if you are wrestling with similar 00:46:09.210 --> 00:46:13.550 type situations that you are able to find support 00:46:13.550 --> 00:46:18.309 and guidance for seeing your way through that. 00:46:19.610 --> 00:46:24.519 Okay, so. For our action steps today, I mentioned 00:46:24.519 --> 00:46:27.400 this earlier, but I like these questions that 00:46:27.400 --> 00:46:31.019 Siri had in her book about what have you learned 00:46:31.019 --> 00:46:34.579 in the last 90 days? Maybe that's attached to 00:46:34.579 --> 00:46:38.739 a person, maybe it's not. And then looking ahead 00:46:38.739 --> 00:46:43.659 to what you might learn in the next 90 days, 00:46:44.119 --> 00:46:47.780 I would say personally, I learned to trust my 00:46:47.780 --> 00:46:51.289 gut. I've learned about the power of decisions 00:46:51.289 --> 00:46:55.050 and the role of energy in the universe. I've 00:46:55.050 --> 00:46:58.670 learned so much from the guests that I've had 00:46:58.670 --> 00:47:01.110 recently on the podcast who I've never met in 00:47:01.110 --> 00:47:05.889 person, Laura, Tracy, one coming up who you haven't 00:47:05.889 --> 00:47:14.050 met yet, Betsy. Wow. Amazing stories and just 00:47:14.050 --> 00:47:16.250 could have talked to them for hours and hours 00:47:16.250 --> 00:47:20.030 and hours and I think Such interesting shifts 00:47:20.030 --> 00:47:23.570 happen once, you know, you make a big decision 00:47:23.570 --> 00:47:26.690 and once you put yourself out there and you go 00:47:26.690 --> 00:47:29.610 for it I mean, you know, I've said it before 00:47:29.610 --> 00:47:34.889 I knew Even though I was not ready to resign. 00:47:35.070 --> 00:47:36.909 I did not have a job lined up I did not know 00:47:36.909 --> 00:47:40.070 what I was gonna do. I just knew I had to do 00:47:40.070 --> 00:47:44.510 it things started to happen once I did that Because 00:47:44.510 --> 00:47:47.989 four years before that Even though I was applying 00:47:47.989 --> 00:47:51.690 for jobs and testing out the waters outside of 00:47:51.690 --> 00:47:55.349 teaching When things didn't fall the way I wanted 00:47:55.349 --> 00:47:59.469 them to it just oh, I'll just go back and I think 00:47:59.469 --> 00:48:05.409 you know You know yourself best, but I knew that 00:48:05.409 --> 00:48:12.510 I'm a grinder I find answers and I work until 00:48:12.510 --> 00:48:16.269 something works out. And so I really learned 00:48:16.269 --> 00:48:19.409 in the last 90 days that if you want to make 00:48:19.409 --> 00:48:23.690 something happen, you can. Make a list, make 00:48:23.690 --> 00:48:26.969 a vision board, make a tough decision, and force 00:48:26.969 --> 00:48:30.489 yourself into a corner to make it happen. And 00:48:30.489 --> 00:48:34.030 these recent podcast guests have all been through 00:48:34.030 --> 00:48:39.039 that. And I know Laura Flowers, I love her podcast, 00:48:39.239 --> 00:48:42.039 Rediscovering You. She talks a lot about intuition 00:48:42.039 --> 00:48:47.800 and energy, and that's part of her job as a life 00:48:47.800 --> 00:48:52.460 coach and a Reiki master. But I won't say I was 00:48:52.460 --> 00:48:54.960 skeptical about it, I just hadn't seen proof 00:48:54.960 --> 00:48:58.179 of it necessarily in my own life, and now I have. 00:48:59.010 --> 00:49:03.409 And so for the next 90 days, I mentioned this 00:49:03.409 --> 00:49:08.309 already, I'm so excited to learn a new career. 00:49:09.150 --> 00:49:14.050 I'm so excited to have new bosses. I mean, you 00:49:14.050 --> 00:49:16.789 know, 29 years of doing the same career, although 00:49:16.789 --> 00:49:19.230 I've learned a lot of new things in that career, 00:49:19.289 --> 00:49:22.789 it's gonna be terrifying and exciting at the 00:49:22.789 --> 00:49:25.650 same time, and I'm sure a different level of 00:49:25.650 --> 00:49:31.300 exhausting. I'm going to be shifting into a new 00:49:31.300 --> 00:49:36.679 identity as a career and a big shift at home 00:49:36.679 --> 00:49:41.219 with my daughter going on to college. And so 00:49:41.219 --> 00:49:44.380 there's going to be a lot to learn. This is a 00:49:44.380 --> 00:49:48.760 very pivotal point in my life. And so I'm excited. 00:49:49.500 --> 00:49:53.099 And I want you to really think about the teachers 00:49:53.099 --> 00:49:57.969 that you've had again. Maybe you've learned what 00:49:57.969 --> 00:50:01.010 to do or what not to do. What have you learned 00:50:01.010 --> 00:50:05.210 just in the last 90 days? And is it attached 00:50:05.210 --> 00:50:08.309 to a person or is it just a sort of a journey 00:50:08.309 --> 00:50:12.170 you've been on? And what can you learn in the 00:50:12.170 --> 00:50:15.489 next 90 days? And again, we are in charge of 00:50:15.489 --> 00:50:19.570 our own destiny. And so that can be a really 00:50:19.570 --> 00:50:25.960 exciting journey. Thank you so much for joining 00:50:25.960 --> 00:50:28.719 me today as I unpack the lessons from some of 00:50:28.719 --> 00:50:32.320 the most unexpected but deeply influential teachers 00:50:32.320 --> 00:50:35.760 in my life. From Grandma Weibel's quiet wisdom 00:50:35.760 --> 00:50:39.619 to the unconventional clarity Brett offers just 00:50:39.619 --> 00:50:42.920 by being himself and even the hard but necessary 00:50:42.920 --> 00:50:46.360 lessons from my biological parents. Every one 00:50:46.360 --> 00:50:48.400 of them has helped shape how I move through the 00:50:48.400 --> 00:50:51.440 world. Whether someone shows you who you want 00:50:51.440 --> 00:50:54.679 to become or who you don't want to be, There's 00:50:54.679 --> 00:50:56.960 a lesson in every interaction if we're willing 00:50:56.960 --> 00:51:00.460 to pay attention. I hope this episode inspired 00:51:00.460 --> 00:51:03.000 you to reflect on your own mentors and moments 00:51:03.000 --> 00:51:06.260 of growth. Maybe even you write down who's been 00:51:06.260 --> 00:51:09.519 shaping you on purpose or by accident, and what 00:51:09.519 --> 00:51:12.699 they've taught you. And as we step into our next 00:51:12.699 --> 00:51:16.320 90 days together, ask yourself, what am I meant 00:51:16.320 --> 00:51:19.480 to learn right now? And who might be showing 00:51:19.480 --> 00:51:22.440 up to teach me, even if I don't recognize it 00:51:22.440 --> 00:51:25.969 yet? If you love this conversation, be sure to 00:51:25.969 --> 00:51:28.710 subscribe, share it with someone who might need 00:51:28.710 --> 00:51:31.349 to hear it, and I'd love it if you'd leave a 00:51:31.349 --> 00:51:33.909 review. Just scroll all the way down on Apple 00:51:33.909 --> 00:51:37.909 Podcasts and click leave a review. It helps the 00:51:37.909 --> 00:51:41.550 show more than you know. Until next time, keep 00:51:41.550 --> 00:51:45.269 learning, keep listening, and keep leaning into 00:51:45.269 --> 00:51:47.429 your life's next lesson plan.