WEBVTT 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to her comeback, Transforming Your Life 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:10.560 After 50. I'm your host, Michelle Thompson. If 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:13.460 you've ever whispered to yourself, there has 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:16.480 to be more than this. You are in the right place. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.280 This show is for women over 50 who have hit their 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:21.660 breaking point and are finally ready to stop 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:24.620 going at it alone. You've tried the self -help 00:00:24.620 --> 00:00:27.739 books, the vision boards, positive thinking, 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:30.879 but you're still stuck. And here's what I know. 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:34.700 You're not broken. You just need the right support. 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:36.679 And that's exactly what you're going to find 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:39.759 here. Each week, I'll sit down with incredible 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:42.520 women who have transformed their lives. You'll 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:45.539 hear their real stories, the messy middle, the 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:47.640 breakthrough moments, the practical steps that 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:50.500 they took to create the lives that they love. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:54.359 Because your lowest limit, it can be your launching 00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:58.079 pad. So if you're done settling and ready for 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:01.109 your comeback, Stay with me. Let's discover how 00:01:01.109 --> 00:01:04.030 other women have made it happen and how you can 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:09.370 too. Are you ready? This is her comeback. Hi, 00:01:09.530 --> 00:01:13.170 good day, everyone. I am so honored and privileged 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:17.590 to have with me Patty Brown. I would like for 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:20.950 her to kick us off, get started by telling us 00:01:20.950 --> 00:01:23.730 a little bit about yourself. Patty, welcome to 00:01:23.730 --> 00:01:26.109 the show. Thank you, Michelle. Thank you for 00:01:26.109 --> 00:01:31.430 having me. Well, I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:34.810 and pretty much stayed up in that area for my 00:01:34.810 --> 00:01:37.650 whole life. I was married. I had stepdaughters. 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:43.469 I had a son. And that all kind of fell apart 00:01:43.469 --> 00:01:49.590 when I needed to get sober. I got sober at the 00:01:49.590 --> 00:01:55.950 age of 40. And from there, made a lot of changes 00:01:55.950 --> 00:02:00.989 in my life. for the better. So definitely something 00:02:00.989 --> 00:02:04.069 I can identify with and that's it's a huge life 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:08.750 -changing moment, big transformation. So as I 00:02:08.750 --> 00:02:12.409 understand it after getting sober there and now 00:02:12.409 --> 00:02:16.569 both were women over 50, what are other transformations 00:02:16.569 --> 00:02:19.610 that have happened and how have you recreated 00:02:19.610 --> 00:02:22.310 your life during this phase of your life, during 00:02:22.310 --> 00:02:28.330 this time of your life? I got remarried. I got 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:31.169 divorced and remarried. And so I was living in 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:36.090 Pennsylvania and I was doing well. I went back 00:02:36.090 --> 00:02:40.770 to college. I became a mammographer and I just 00:02:40.770 --> 00:02:45.129 started to feel dark. I started to feel like 00:02:45.129 --> 00:02:48.020 I needed to... change. I mean, Pennsylvania, 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:50.639 you know, it's, it's dark up there. It's like 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:52.740 cloudy for like nine months out of the year, 00:02:52.740 --> 00:02:56.180 if not more. And it started to affect me. I would 00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:59.599 use a sun lamp in the mornings before I went 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:01.960 to work. It kind of goes over your head while 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:06.340 you read a book or something. And to just promote 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:09.439 some kind of wellness, some kind of vitamin D, 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:14.460 vitamin, you know, sunlight. And so I was doing 00:03:14.460 --> 00:03:17.819 that and realized that I needed to make a change. 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:21.120 I talked to my husband about it and he was willing 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.620 to move back to Florida. We actually had met 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:26.580 in Florida. We moved, we were living down there 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:30.439 for a little bit and met and then moved back 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.580 to Pennsylvania. But yeah, I needed to make a 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:39.120 change. So I started looking for jobs down in 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:43.139 Florida and got one and came down. It was scary 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:49.580 because I came by myself. with a carload of dishes, 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:55.319 a card table, an air mattress. And that was it 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:59.139 because my husband stayed home and sold the house. 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:04.599 So it was a little tough. It was a little scary. 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:07.740 But I knew, I knew in my heart and my gut that 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:12.199 I needed to make a change. So that's what I did. 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:15.110 He was up there for about... eight months and 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:19.449 then came down. Once the household, he came down 00:04:19.449 --> 00:04:23.910 and then brought furniture with him. That's a 00:04:23.910 --> 00:04:29.610 good thing. But furniture, no furniture. I was 00:04:29.610 --> 00:04:34.209 happy being in Florida. It's beautiful. I'm looking 00:04:34.209 --> 00:04:41.230 outside. It's blue sky. The sun is out. It makes 00:04:41.230 --> 00:04:45.800 me happy. It warms my heart. So those are some 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:53.240 changes. In 2023, I was diagnosed with renal 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:59.100 cell carcinoma stage three. So I obviously had 00:04:59.100 --> 00:05:04.500 a surgery. I was on a lot of medication, sick 00:05:04.500 --> 00:05:08.560 from the medication, but realized then again 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.560 that I needed to make another change. I needed 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:15.519 to make a change. in my diet and everything, 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:21.879 pretty much. Physically, I lost 35 pounds. Oh, 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:24.660 congratulations. Oh, thank you. Because of my 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:28.740 diet, because of exercising, doing yoga, I have 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:33.199 a really good routine that I do now for my exercise 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:37.540 and for my yoga. And I do this yoga nidra, which 00:05:37.540 --> 00:05:41.620 is, it's... It's a conscious sleep mode kind 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:46.420 of thing. It's relaxing the body so much that 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:53.660 it enhances my spirituality. It enhances everything 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:56.879 in my body because it targets different parts 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.339 of the body. Also, yeah, I made quite a few changes 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:06.220 to feel better inside and to feel better mentally. 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:11.339 Um, you also were a big part of that because 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:16.120 you were my life coach and you enhanced my awareness 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:21.639 of my ability to do pretty much anything. I was 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:25.079 in the middle of writing a book at the time and 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.439 was scared to really put it out there. You helped 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:32.139 me to realize that I could do that. You helped 00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:37.189 me to realize my worthiness. my talents, my passions, 00:06:37.730 --> 00:06:45.050 so many things. Thank you, Patty. I'm so glad 00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:48.269 that we were able to connect. And it's just a 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:52.449 gift to be able to watch someone grow and really 00:06:52.449 --> 00:06:56.490 take action and do things to better themselves. 00:06:56.790 --> 00:06:59.189 And it was just such a pleasure working with 00:06:59.189 --> 00:07:01.910 you. And so thank you so much for your kind words 00:07:01.910 --> 00:07:09.069 and support. Emotional, but I do that. We are 00:07:09.069 --> 00:07:16.529 emotional beings. We are. We are. So I finished 00:07:16.529 --> 00:07:20.769 my book also, but you also helped me just to 00:07:20.769 --> 00:07:27.310 realize that I need to live my life in joy. You 00:07:27.310 --> 00:07:31.050 know, that's what is so important. That's what 00:07:31.050 --> 00:07:36.139 life's all about. Yes. Be joyful. kind, be helpful, 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:42.300 be the person I always wanted to be. You can, 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:45.480 you absolutely can, and you have done it. You 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:49.060 have done those things to bring that, bring those 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:52.480 qualities, the happiness, the purpose, the determination. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:54.779 You've done those things to bring it into your 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:59.699 life. Yes, yes. And you know, I was so fearful. 00:08:01.290 --> 00:08:05.069 For many, many years, I was just a fearful -based 00:08:05.069 --> 00:08:08.589 person, afraid of people, afraid of what you 00:08:08.589 --> 00:08:11.009 think, afraid of little things like making a 00:08:11.009 --> 00:08:14.129 phone call, just everything. And I don't have 00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:19.410 those fears anymore. They're unfounded fears, 00:08:19.670 --> 00:08:23.649 really. And you helped me realize that, too. 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:28.839 Oh, it's just so awesome. I was reading something 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:32.240 earlier this week, and it talked about love and 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:35.659 fear, like choosing love over fear. And when 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:38.679 you're in love, you have this optimism. You're 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:42.639 open. You're willing. All of these. qualities 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:45.860 that stem from love and being in love as opposed 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:50.639 to fear when we're closed, we're just scared, 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.039 the ego is basically running, how we're thinking, 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:56.460 all of that. Yeah, I just thought of that while 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:58.840 you were talking, operating from love instead 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:03.759 of fear. Absolutely. And fear paralyzes you, 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.490 you know? Since I got sober, since I worked with 00:09:07.490 --> 00:09:10.129 you, since I had a 12 -step program that I worked 00:09:10.129 --> 00:09:14.929 with also, and those fears are unfounded. My 00:09:14.929 --> 00:09:19.490 husband and I have traveled. We've traveled to 00:09:19.490 --> 00:09:21.490 the mountains of North Carolina. We've traveled 00:09:21.490 --> 00:09:24.429 to Hawaii. We've traveled to Italy. We've traveled 00:09:24.429 --> 00:09:28.250 to New Mexico. We've traveled to Key West. We've 00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:32.220 just done a lot of traveling. based in fear, 00:09:32.259 --> 00:09:34.779 I wouldn't be doing all that. I'd be just sitting 00:09:34.779 --> 00:09:38.620 at home with the TV in front of me. And, you 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:43.779 know, life is so much more than that. It's the 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:46.720 adventure, the exploration. Again, just being 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.990 open to what's out there. I love it. Yeah. So, 00:09:51.289 --> 00:09:54.730 Patty, you mentioned you wrote a book. So I'd 00:09:54.730 --> 00:09:57.610 love to hear some more about it. What are moments 00:09:57.610 --> 00:10:00.309 of clarity that you had as you were writing your 00:10:00.309 --> 00:10:05.509 book? My book is called The Quiet Voice. It's 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:09.909 essays or stories of my life, little bits and 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:16.710 pieces of my life where I had changes made because 00:10:16.710 --> 00:10:23.179 of the quiet voice, which I believe is a higher 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:29.019 power, God, Buddha, whatever the belief is. I 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:33.899 don't have any kind of set belief that it's that 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:40.480 God or this God. It's my interpretation of it. 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:47.840 My higher power has directed me, saved me. put 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:54.879 people in my life. So many different times of 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:58.559 my life have changed because of the quiet voice. 00:10:59.299 --> 00:11:01.960 And I know I call it the quiet voice because 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:06.039 when I first got sober, I went to a rehab and 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:07.600 I was trying to figure out where I was going 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:12.480 to live because I had been homeless. And the 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:18.720 shelters were where I was. drinking and drugging. 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:23.740 And I knew I couldn't go back there. And I had 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:27.600 an idea of where I would go. And one of the counselors 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:31.340 said to me, OK, so now you know where you want 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:34.960 to go. But is there a real quiet voice telling 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:42.840 you maybe you shouldn't go? And there was because 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:48.960 I had drank at that place before. So there was 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:51.080 a voice telling me that. Anyway, that's where 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:54.559 I got the quiet voice from. That counselor said 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:03.120 that to me 26 years ago, over 26 years ago, warning 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:06.600 me to listen or not really warning me, but asking 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.519 me to listen to that voice. And she said, that 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:12.980 voice will get louder and louder as you stay 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:18.080 sober and enjoy your life. I love it. That's 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:23.440 awesome. So can you tell me a little bit more 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:27.019 about just how does the book offer more insight 00:12:27.019 --> 00:12:30.220 into you? What other things might someone get 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:35.360 from reading your book? So if anybody's in recovery, 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:40.779 I think it would help. But I also believe and 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:43.620 I've had people come to me. Because it is out 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.000 there now, it's on Amazon, it's on Barnes and 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:49.360 Noble, it's eBooks, Apple Books, it's out there. 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:52.940 And people who are not in recovery have come 00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:55.700 up to me, a couple of people at my work, a couple 00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:58.860 of other people, and said that it helped them 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:06.200 so much. Just get an insight on remembering to 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:10.340 listen to their gut. Because the gut tells, the 00:13:10.340 --> 00:13:13.909 voice tells the gut. what's going on. Anyone 00:13:13.909 --> 00:13:17.929 in search of spiritual growth, self -realization, 00:13:18.250 --> 00:13:21.970 inner awareness of one's spiritual potential, 00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:28.649 anyone needing a shift or change in life or taking 00:13:28.649 --> 00:13:33.350 that extra step to do what they know what they 00:13:33.350 --> 00:13:39.350 want to do but are afraid to do it, really the 00:13:39.350 --> 00:13:46.320 book is about hope. It's about change and realizing 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:51.559 that no matter what happens in our life, there's 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.700 always hope. And once we get to the other side 00:13:54.700 --> 00:14:00.100 of it, that it's way better than what we ever 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:04.100 thought it would be. That's so powerful. I love 00:14:04.100 --> 00:14:07.970 that. It's amazing. I really I'd love I love 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:11.009 your story and I do think that it's just inspirational. 00:14:11.009 --> 00:14:14.070 So I really appreciate your sharing that and 00:14:14.070 --> 00:14:16.250 I'm so glad that you took the time putting it 00:14:16.250 --> 00:14:19.070 in the book so that others can read it and it's 00:14:19.070 --> 00:14:22.049 more accessible for everyone to hear and to know 00:14:22.049 --> 00:14:25.009 about. So let's talk a little bit about what 00:14:25.009 --> 00:14:27.850 do you do for fun? What other things do you enjoy 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:31.970 in your life? Well, it's almost always nature 00:14:31.970 --> 00:14:36.500 oriented. I love. I love nature. I love the beach. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:42.820 I now walk the beach once or sometimes twice 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:46.559 a week to see if there's any turtle nests coming 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:51.259 in. We mark the turtle nests and check them after 00:14:51.259 --> 00:14:54.600 they're ready to hatch. I check them to make 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:58.500 sure that everything's working properly for the 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:03.320 hatchlings. So I do that. Go to the beach for 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.500 just for recreation obviously walk. There's so 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:11.620 many places to walk that are Just beautiful down 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:15.000 here and you can do it year -round. I used to 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:20.379 hate the snow Sorry anybody up in old cold land 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:24.279 But I used to hate the snow I would wear a ski 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:27.580 jacket full ski jacket and pants to walk my dog 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:35.639 in winter So it's so nice to be able to walk 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:41.340 and ride bike, whatever I'm doing outside to 00:15:41.340 --> 00:15:47.700 just hug a tree. Sometimes I'll hug a tree. I 00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:52.620 really will. And grounding myself outside is 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:58.419 so important. I just feel better. It's enhanced 00:15:58.419 --> 00:16:02.679 me emotionally, spiritually. physically, the 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:06.080 walking, everything. So a lot of it's outside, 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:09.639 a lot of it's family. I love to visit with family. 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:13.120 I have a sister who's down here for a few months 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:17.600 right now, visit with her. My husband and I go 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:23.120 on these treks also. We're going to go out West 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.960 next year. We have a trip planned to go to Moab. 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:30.620 How exciting. Brightening and all that. I love 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:34.320 it. How exciting. That's great. So how can people 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.379 find you, Patti? What's the best way? Okay, on 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:43.580 social media, I'm on Instagram as at PattiBears, 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:46.639 all one word, PattiBears, because I'm a Bears 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:56.240 fan. My email account is turtlesoftheC8, turtlesoftheC 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:01.059 being all one word, eight. At gmail .com and 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:03.820 I'm also on Facebook. I don't do Facebook a whole 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:08.660 lot, but I'm Patty Brown on Facebook. My name 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:13.279 is just for the correct spelling. Thank you. 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:17.339 Patty, it has been such a joy talking with you 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:20.359 today, and I appreciate your time being open 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:24.079 and vulnerable and sharing your message. Thank 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.079 you. Really appreciate it. I wish you all the 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:29.359 best with your book and everything else that 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:33.720 life has for you. Thank you so much, Michelle. 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:37.519 Thank you for having me. Thank you for the conversation. 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:41.259 It was wonderful. Thank you so much for spending 00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:44.099 time with me today. I am truly grateful that 00:17:44.099 --> 00:17:47.140 you chose to listen in and I hope that this conversation 00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:49.799 sparked something meaningful for you. Please 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:52.700 take a moment to subscribe, leave a review. It 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:54.920 helps other women to find us who need to hear 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:58.059 these stories too. And if you know someone who 00:17:58.059 --> 00:18:00.740 is ready for their own comeback, share this episode 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:03.480 with them. I'd love to connect with you beyond 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:07.759 the podcast. Visit me at hercomebackpodcast .com. 00:18:07.849 --> 00:18:11.869 That's HerComebackPodcast .com to learn more 00:18:11.869 --> 00:18:14.490 about how we can work together. I have a gift 00:18:14.490 --> 00:18:18.589 for you. Get your free copy today of five powerful 00:18:18.589 --> 00:18:22.390 shifts to reclaim your life. Remember your comeback 00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:25.230 story is waiting to be written. The question 00:18:25.230 --> 00:18:28.630 isn't, can I transform my life? The question 00:18:28.630 --> 00:18:31.250 is, are you ready? Let's go.