Today we discuss how being a stay-at-home mom impacts Liz’s identity. She couldn’t go back to who she was pre-motherhood and, the sole role of motherhood wasn’t panning out for her. Motherhood caught Liz off guard with no fair warning of what it would be like nor the guidance she needed. It uprooted her from herself and left her in shock. Motherhood covered up the majority of who Liz was. She was off balance and needed to find a way to both be herself again and a good mom. Shortly after her second child she started to make headway back to being herself. She tried new things and eventually started an art business. Her main goal is to create more time for herself so that she can be herself. Her artwork became her mental health practice. It's her way to have time alone. She’s making inroads into uncovering herself and finding alignment with motherhood. Main take-aways : Don’t let yourself be completely taken over by the needs of others. Keep fighting for yourself. Force yourself to get alone time. Making time to be yourself is necessary rejuvenation to avoid overwhelm and burnout. You don’t need to do motherhood the way you thought you needed to. Figure out things you can let go of and let go of them. Try out new things to find what lights you up.  For the sake of children's mental health, figure out how to be a less stressed mom.  Bio: Liz Bonny is a fiber artist based in Lawrence, KS. She’s been weaving and dyeing for nearly twenty years and started spinning on a drop spindle nearly ten years ago. She’s taught various small fiber classes through her local fiber guild and at home. She’s a full time stay at home mother of two very active children and spends her spare time creating -  it's therapy after all. Instagram: @harvestrybyhand Email: [email protected] Shop: Etsy.com/shop/harvestrybyhand --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

“Sarah The Artist” lost her ability to do art and with it, her identity. After nearly two decades working as a successful professional artist, a relocation left her without the joy that inspired her muse. Trying to force the artistic process failed. For a couple of years she resisted giving into this defeat. After going down kicking and screaming, a lightbulb went off one day, illuminating her way forward.  Takeaways:  Some things can't be forced.  After your loss, it can take a few years to allow yourself to think of yourself as someone else.  Busyness can cause you to miss the cues the universe gives you to find that which fulfills you.  Seek those who will support whatever you're doing and take with a grain of salt those who invalidate your experience.  Explore things you've always been interested in.  See if things you enjoyed in the past and let go of still bring you joy.  Sometimes to change, some people need to be let go of.  People recognize and understand the old you. They want that you. Don't let this keep you from moving forward.  When you feel guided to be doing what you're doing, that's what will help you get through your moments of doubt.  We're connected to something bigger than ourselves - a larger purpose. When you find the “right thing” to do, it feels the opposite of swimming upstream.  The day will come when the light switch goes on and you won't be able to ignore it.  This will be the “right thing” to do.  Things have to be taken away for you to look for what's missing.  Grief work; you can either dole it out over 15 years or just get in there and feel it.  Cherish that one person who believes in you and helps you when you don't believe in yourself. Every moment has some little bit of joy in it.  Practice looking for those specks of joy.  Contact info:  Website: www.SaltAndFireSpellworks.com  Instagram: https://instagram.com/SaltAndFire.Spellworks  Podcast: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/salt-and-fire-spellworks-claim-your-v8xlfSdhb6n/ Julie’s Tough Stories Workshop https://www.courage-ignite.com/Tough_Stories_Workshop_waitlist Bold Becoming-Identity Retooled Private Facebook Group (free) https://www.courage-ignite.com/Bold_Becoming_FB --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

Livia Rismondo, a 22-year-old Canadian citizen from a town of 200, went to Australia to backpack and have adventures. What she got was a 5+ year relationship with her identity rooted in another person, until the relationship ended, landing her in a dark place where she no longer knew who she was and didn't know how she got there. On her journey to becoming unrecognizable from that dark place she learned about depression and anxiety, what self-care is and how to set limits, the value of human connection, and that home is not a place but a feeling. Takeaways Through my identity rebuilding process I had massive growth, I became unrecognizable from where I was at my darkest moments when I didn’t know who I was anymore. Even though it feels like your pain and suffering will never end, it won’t last. Firmly believe that you’ll come out the other side, that it’s temporary. Be okay with your heavy feelings. Feel them. Build up and lean on your support network. Really learn what self-care is and do it. (P.S. There’s no instant gratification in self-care, its benefits are invisible and you’ll only understand their power over time.) You’re likely to become a 2.0 version of yourself, even though you have no idea what that looks like or how you’ll get there. Have the courage to ask yourself: Is the fear of doing something new, unfamiliar or scary more powerful than the stuck, unhappy feeling? To which will you give more power? Believe that whatever decision you make, it’s the best decision in that moment, and there are no wrong decisions. You can have beautiful outcomes from traumatic experiences. How to 10x honoring yourself: Focusing on a specific goal/project that’s just for you makes it possible to prioritize your time without guilt. Bio Livia Rismondo, host of “The Expat Chronicles” podcast, is a broadcast professional whose adventurous spirit gives her the distinction of being an expat. An inspiration to those looking for something bigger out of life, she encourages people to find the motivation, determination and courage to step outside their comfort zone. Livia believes that everything life throws at us has a definite purpose in us becoming who we’re meant to be. She sees sharing personal journeys as a common thread that permits us to relate to each other. In keeping the spirit of human connection alive, Livia’s podcast is where expats share their stories and gain inspiration and a sense of belonging. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/livia_rismondo/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/theexpatchronicles Website https://www.theexpatchronicles.com.au/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7eBeNhh1sxtTm7BENbaacF?si=37adae7463974563&nd=1 Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-expat-chronicles/id1594038162?fbclid=IwAR3wbVK3ThWLw4X1Z2YJ5ihg_Mj4Gh0PAt7fGA3EOXfU-5VVxtKtfXGz_8o --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

A bonafide, virtually recovered codependent, separated from her husband after almost 3 decades with a man suffering from alcoholism, Tammy Roach is in transition. A car accident gave her a traumatic brain injury, persistent post concussive syndrome, and yanked away her old identity lock, stock and barrel, catapulting her into a new, luxurious identity that includes “Being Joy!!” Tammy’s had a few lifetime’s worth of challenges, starting with not feeling safe in her family. She’s got an adopted brother with fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, and at 18 became homeless with schizophrenia. She’s been a caregiver to many family members, including her husband as he survived a brain tumor. And her daughter was in a mass shooting. This interview is chock-full of insights she’s discovered on her path to wholeness and freedom. Here’s a few: Silence is no longer an option. Joy is possible regardless of circumstances. Life can include not fitting into others’ boxes. We break out of others’ boxes by speaking our truth. Your real you is BEGGING to come forth. You matter. Boundaries are better constructed as gates than walls. Boundaries are for you to uphold vs. others to respect. Overwhelm is a symptom of not living your truth. Feeling good is a clue that your choices are in alignment with your soul. You can change your belief system by tuning into your emotions and evaluating the current validity of rules you’re following. When you believe differently, you make new rules that pull you back to your core self. Allow grace to dilute shame. Tactic to shift from shame — Use awareness to move into acceptance — you did the best you could in that moment. Settling keeps you unfree and under external and internal pressure. Reframe “Struggle” from something to work AGAINST, to something to struggle FOR. Joy comes from sovereignty. You can reclaim your power through your voice — “language upgrades.” Self-care, meditation and speaking your truth are core to experiencing the love and freedom that is your birthright. All the love you desire is within you. You must give it to yourself. Bio Tammy Roach helps women remember who they are. When we remember who we are, we open to our true purpose and experience peace and satisfaction. She works as an aromatherapist, breath-work coach and will soon debut her podcast This TLC Life. She teaches clients how to transform physical and emotional pain, reduce physiological stress and release stuck emotions. She helps women find freedom to live authentically. Tammy’s lived most of her life separate from her true calling. She was the epitome of  co-dependent. After a car accident, that changed from black to white. No longer able to live someone else’s requirements, she HAD to live her authentic life. She kick-started her journey with self-care. Self-care made self-love accessible, which put self-worth within reach. And self-worth gave her the golden nugget — self-value — making it possible to believe that she matters. Once we’ve allowed ourselves to receive the love we so profoundly desire, our lives change. Instagram — https://instagram.com/tammyroachofficial --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

Bold Becoming — Identity Retooled is a podcast celebrating, supporting and connecting those reclaiming a new life narrative. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

Everyone can recognize unfairness. All it takes to see it is moving aside the layers of status beliefs. Those constructs protecting our privilege. Yet the status of “deserving" dictates how we use fairness. This castrates fairness. We do this with arbitrary "fairness" rules which exclude people for irrational reasons. Deserving and fairness intertwine in our psyche. This relationship comes from every angle in life. It is ubiquitous, and yet many aspects are invisible and untraceable. In the end, it forces us to depreciate ourselves. We know when we're treated unfairly. And to assimilate this disconnect we rationalize. As children, that's our only defense - we have no capacity to enforce fairness. So we come to believe that we don’t deserve. This keeps us safe. We avoid entering into a state of (unacceptable) rage at unjust treatment. Over time we divorce the relationship between deserving and fairness. Eventually we forget that relationship. We see them as separate entities. As adults, it’s our job to pull this relationship out of the closet, to examine it, and to reignite our sense of deserving. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

Perspective has the ability to turn the world upside down. Wars start over it. Divorces happen because of the power behind this word. Suicide robs lives because of this. This episode is about how I saved a 10-year dream by harnessing the power of shifting perspective. . Shifting perspective is one of the great saviors. It's available to all who choose, at any time. NOT shifting perspective is likely a major contributing factor behind any downfall. . What's something you've dug in your heels over? What beliefs keep you separated from others? What would it take for you to start allowing for the phenomenon of differences of perspective? What's one needle mover worth shifting perspective and treating differently? . Are you willing to make that shift - today? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

How is putting together a puzzle for fun like real life? I found that out last night.  - Amazed at how I could have deep feelings over a simple game, I felt exhilaration and anxiety. Yep! Anxiety. I wasn't sure I had all the pieces. If one or some were missing, I'd spend more time putting it together, searching for something that didn't exist. Was it worth it??  - The process reminded me of working on projects in life. We choose something we want, then get scared that we might get disappointed. So many times we don’t even start because we’re not assured success. Or we don’t know everything and shortchange ourselves. Because we CAN learn and invent new ways to do things. - Discovering the overlap of life skills and puzzle-putting-together skills was almost as much fun as the puzzle. I had a general action plan. I sought out patterns, akin to batching tasks on a project. I worked on the easy part first. LOL! I got totally frustrated when I couldn't complete certain sections/tasks. And I frequently lost focus, moving to work on another part of the puzzle than what I'd intended to work on.  - I discovered that, as in life, it's impossible to follow a plan of action without detours. And detours, and spaces of the unknown, add spice to life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

If not you, then who? If not me, then who? If you and I have access to power, if we have the luxury of being in a position where we get to make choices every day about what we can do with our lives, then we have the ability to help others. It's you and I who can influence others in profound ways, if we so choose. We can speak truth to power. We can call out abuse, corruption, and all the things that take us all down. The things that produce cynicism and hatred. The things that destroy hope and motivation. It's all around us in our everyday lives. It might even be in our homes. What are you ready to take a stand for? What's a vision you want to help actualize? What's one thing you can start doing on a consistent basis to make that change that matters happen? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support

In life, there's pecking order. Then there are systems and circumstances that make pecking order pale in comparison. When we spend time getting to know the pain of others it helps us appreciate what we have. If you’ve any sense of boredom or feel a bit rudderless, go out and learn about others who struggle more than you. It's where many find purpose. They see that in comparison, there are others with problems they never imagined. They see problems way worse than their own. This creates compassion that can extend to a helping hand. When's the last time you volunteered, helped make something or someone's life better? We in the USA would do well to gain more perspective. And it's up to you to make that happen. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/julie-browne/support