I'd like to share a very recent story that most definitely has made me stronger, as the most painful ones typically do. I wasn't going to publish a podcast this week as it's coming off a holiday however I must share as it's weighing heavily on my mind. My partner was verbally assaulted in the grocery store on Thanksgiving day. She had run out to get us coffee and whip cream for our pie. we'd overlooked it and pie just isn't pie without whipped topping. She was proud of herself and excited to be going to the grocery store. A place she hasn't been in probably 4 years. She masked up as that's how she feels safest and entered the store.

I'd like to discuss embracing the concept of disconnecting to Connect and Prioritizing Quality Connections by Doing Less. Now if you know me you know that this is a personal challenge as I am always looking to be online, building schedules, creating to do list and keeping active and busy. But as we are quickly approaching the HOLIDAY SEASON with Thanksgiving approaching and soon after Christmas and I wanted to take a moment and point out that we don’t have to buy it all, cook it all, or DO it all.

I'd like to discuss our words, how we use them, what we think they say and what they might be saying to others.Words hold so much power and have an incredible impact on our lives. They shape our thoughts, emotions, and relationships. However, what we think we are saying may not always convey the same meaning to others. Today I want to explore the profound influence of words, the importance of kindness, and the need to educate ourselves for effective communication.Words have the ability to uplift, inspire, and heal. They can also cause harm, spread negativity, and create misunderstandings. The impact of our words goes beyond our intentions. They have the power to shape perceptions and influence behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to be mindful of our choice of words and their potential consequences.

Things that make YOU and things that make YOU STRONGER. Let me be clear, you can FEEL broken, but you can never BE broken. We are the best versions of ourselves, and no one can be us better than us, right? Let’s hold that as fact for this discussion.I was raised to Rise up, above all the teasing and taunting through middle school, all the struggles I felt I was having personally during high school and the difficulties that college put in front of me. What I now know, through therapy and exercises of learning who I really am, is that it wasn’t to just swallow the fears, anxiety and pain but to learn from it all, the teasing said something about the others doing the teasing, to learn for my errors, mistakes, past experiences... but never let them break me.

As the warm summer days slowly fade away, we find ourselves on the cusp of a new season. With the arrival of fall and winter, our bodies undergo fascinating changes to adapt to the shifting temperatures and shorter days. In this episode, we'll explore how our bodies respond to the changing seasons and offer some tips to make the most of this transitional period. For me, personally and having Multiple Sclerosis the transition period takes a little longer and sometimes fluctuates throughout the season. It’s important for all of us to keep the following things in mind,,,

I'd like to talk about Relationships. All of our relationships. Those we have with our close friends and families to those that we made in high school and college and those we are now making online and on social media. My relationships mean something, every single one of them ties me to an experience, a time in my life, something that built me up or made me stronger for having met that person or better for having them in my life.

A stigma by definition is a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person. I grew up in an environment that to feel overwhelmed, to be anxious or not yourself meant you were “crazy” and weak. That you should be a strong enough person to overcome, to push through it and to just bottle it up and push it down deep inside of you. (sounds healthy, right) It was also a shared thought that mental health doctors were all ‘quacks’ and would only make you crazier so to keep you as a patient and paying for their services.

Storytelling draws people in. They want to know, learn, and hear more. They become invested in your story, in you, people are inquisitive. The question becomes what and how much do I share. It's a personal preference as I am authentic and transparent to a flaw and tend to overshare in my honest opinions. But to know my story is to know me me. All the chapters. And a great storyteller makes you feel welcome to ask questions, dig deeper and not feel awkward or like you are over stepping. Sort of an open book feeling. An open-door policy, come on in, take a look around, and get comfortable. I'm here to share. Listen and get to know me.

We start from the beginning and to me that means being born and raised as a farmer's daughter. You can take the girl away from the farm but you can't take the farm out of the girl. Raised to be tough, have a ‘never give up’ attitude, always pushing myself until I had nothing left and then push a little harder. And because I was the only daughter and in the middle of two brothers, it was a driving force to always want to outperform the boys, because limitations are only those you set in your own mind. This might explain me and why I am how I am in my life and in all of my other stories that I will share with you in future episodes of this podcast.