Ep. 67 | Life Updates: 2023 Review, Rabbits Holes like the Polyvagal Theory, and When Scary, Hard Things Lead To Exciting New Chapters

A lot has happened since my last episode! I'm starting this season with a review and reflections from 2023 (which was a huge year of learning, growth, and creation - especially when it comes to all things MIND like self-directed neuroplasticity, memory reconsolidation, and hypnosis ) and then I dive into 2024 which has already been a wild ride in unexpected, scary, but also eye-opening and exciting ways.

Some of the things mentioned in this episode:
The Game Changer
The 6 Month Mentorship program
Free resources:
Beat The Burnout series
Fast EFT Secret Weapon

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, mental health, or professional advice. I am a certified health and life coach, not a licensed medical or mental health professional. Please consult with a healthcare provider before making any changes to your physical or mental health routines. If you are experiencing a crisis, seek help from a qualified professional or contact emergency services.

Connect with me on your favorite social media channel: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

To learn more about my approach and the programs and free resources available to support you, visit my website: www.lifeboost.today

I love to hear from you. You can always reach me at amelia@lifeboost.today.

Transcript

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Hi, beautiful friend. It is good to be back. It has been a little while since I last did a podcast, I was looking back and I'm recording this in February. And my last podcast episode was in October. So. Time flies. And I did not intend to take that long of a break. But in some ways, it actually has been intentional. I have been more intentional with the way that I am choosing to spend my time. And. One of those. One of the things I've learned is that. Sometimes you cannot do all the things that you want to do in that moment. I've really been prioritizing. And, I am now in a space where I am excited to get back into podcasting. And I have a lot to fill you in on. And that's a little bit why I kept thinking about. Recording this. Episode. Um, where I just kind of want to like, At the beginning of the year, I was thinking about how I wanted to just do a review of the year. And there's so much that happened last year. That that was all a little bit overwhelming thinking about sitting down and talking about that. And now, man, you have no idea this year. We're not even two months in and whew. Things are changing fast. I feel like I. I am already like a new person compared to how I was at the beginning of the year. And so I want to fill you in, on some of that too. And so what was happening was things just more and more things kept happening and evolving and. Then it was like even more overwhelming thinking about. How, how was I going to summarize all of that? What did I want to share in this episode? And I have had a very, like, Healing week. That'll fill you in more. Um, more towards the end, but I just realized it's a Sunday, I'm feeling very, just peaceful and content. And I was like, you know what, today's the day. And also it doesn't have to be perfect but I just want to. Check in let you know what's been going on. So that we can dive into this year podcasting, where I am really excited to be also having guests on here and just introducing you to some really amazing humans, having really fun conversations and. Introducing you to some, some things that you may not be familiar with to. Expand your mind as well. So, Thanks for being here. So last year, if I was to summarize 20, 23, It was such a huge year of learning, growth, and creation for me. It started out with a bang because I did the integrative change work course. Which just that totally changed my life and blown my mind. That is where. I really learned about brain rewiring and memory reconsolidation and how we can use self-directed neuroplasticity to be creating the change that we want. And if all of those words that I just said, you're like, I have no idea what you're talking about. Same. That was me. A little over a year ago. But the cool thing is just. It's so empowering when you find out that your brain is so capable of rewiring and learning new habits and just changing the way that you're feeling about things. When you are purposeful and you And you're paying attention. And you're aware of the patterns that you want to change. So, that was hugely helpful just in my own life. It really, there were certain things in my life that had happened that I just was having a really hard time letting go of, like I had done so much work. And yet. It's still hit me like emotionally and it was, you know, Maybe. Another podcast episode for another day to dive deep into that. But through this change work, I was really able to feel free from that and that was hugely liberating. And I just kept on learning and 2023. I did the positive intelligence course, which is really that's where you kind of learned those cool habits. Like how something as simple as just rubbing your two fingertips together. And if you're listening and and you're in a space where you can do this, do it with me just rubbing your fingertips together and noticing the pressure that you need so that you can feel the richest of your fingertips. Something so simple. Is actually really powerful because when you do that, you quiet the part of your mind. Were negative. Voices come from. And worry and overwhelm. When you were rubbing your fingertips together, it activates the part of your brain that is much more positive and focused. And it quiets the part where those judgmental thoughts and stress thoughts are coming from, and they're like a Seesaw. So if you're activating one by rubbing your fingertips together, You're quieting that other part of your brain and the more you do that, the more powerful that positive, focused peaceful part of your brain becomes and the weaker that area where your inner critic, that was a negative thoughts are coming from. So I learned cool things like that. And then I took, a hypnosis course, so in my change work course. I had already learned hypnosis techniques. But I wanted to dive even deeper and hypnosis. I just like. Did a little shiver because of knows this is so. Cool. It, when you are able to access your unconscious mind, it's like the sky's the limit. Most of us are so in our heads. Right? We're just so focused in what our conscious mind thinks that we need to be doing. And I am learning more and more just how wrong our conscious mind is so much of the time. Because the thing is our conscious mind has been programmed by messages in our society and for growing up, and from parents and peers and so much of them are not actually helpful. They're really, I learn more and more, are just totally disconnecting us from being able to tune into what our body and heart is telling us. And so that's why we just run ourselves ragged. Why we become exhausted why we become sick and unhappy. Because we think that we know what we need in order to be healthier, happier, more successful. But we often don't. Our body and heart know what we need to truly feel healthy and successful because when you think of that, Explore: like, what does that mean? When I imagine that I am healthier. What will that do for me? And like when you have those things, what does that do for you? And when you have all of that, maybe it's like, you are more energized. Maybe you feel stronger. Then who will you be? Because at the core, that's what you really want. Right? It's those feelings. And it's being that person that you're envisioning. Same with success. Why do you want to, to be successful? Like, what will that do for you when you achieve that? Maybe you have more money what is it that you're after? And what will that do for you? Who will you be when you have that? Exploring that is so important because that's ultimately what you want. And so much of the messages that we're taught don't actually lead us there. It's like that carrot on a stick or just constantly going, thinking that, oh, as soon as I have this, then things will be better. But when we let those messages from our society that disconnect us from our body and heart and what we actually want. We are never satisfied. Or fulfilled. And we ended up sacrificing pleasure and so much enjoyment that we could have in the moment. Trying to get something, trying to do things the way we think we should. Instead of the ways that we really need. And so hypnosis is such a cool way of just quieting that conscious mind or like getting past it, getting deeper into in your heart, what you need. And connecting with your own wisdom. It's so cool. What your unconscious mind can offer you and what it has to guide you when you are able to access that. So that has been hugely... it's just a game changer for me, especially as someone who was just so in my head, Having a plan, thinking I knew exactly what I needed to do. And hypnosis was very foreign to me. And it has been really cool seeing that the more that I do it. The more that I'm able to tap into... and if you're hearing about hypnosis and thinking like stage hypnosis comes to mind. Know that you can even do self guided hypnosis. I do it to myself all the time. It's really all about just learning how to tap into that trance-like state where you are able to connect with your unconscious and something that is incredibly empowering. Such a cool tool. So. Yeah, there was a lot of growth. I also for several years I've gone on this journey. Of recovering from burnout as a veterinarian. And, um, when I first went into coaching, I actually wanted to have nothing to do with the veterinary profession. I was so done with it. And I actually was planning on coaching people like my husband, Matt, who often is traveling for work. And so I envisioned like being able to help them while they're traveling to find healthy options and figuring out how to still support their wellbeing even when traveling around and then COVID happened and nobody was traveling. So it's funny how things happen like that. But on my own journey of coaching and learning more about how to connect with what I really needed. Um, And in recovering that helps me to recover from burnout. And last year was when I really realized. That I meant to be doing so much in the veterinary profession. It was kind of like full circle, but in a little bit of a different capacity. And so that led me to creating. Last year. I really wanted to create so many really valuable free resources, because it was so important to me that if someone comes into my space, And is ready for change, that they, number one don't feel alone because that's how I felt when I was burnt out and struggling with health issues that I didn't. Uh, didn't make sense to me. Um, I felt alone in my journey. And. I didn't know what resources, so I want to. I want people who come into my space to feel welcome and to have a resource or program available no matter where you are in life, no matter what your financial situation is. So that was a huge time investment, but I'm so glad that I did that. And so that one of the things that led to was creating the beat the burnout series, which is a four part video series for the veterinary community sharing the key things that I think are so important that every veterinary professional really needs to know. I called it beat the burnout, what we should've learned in vet school, because if I had been able to watch those videos and I had known those things going into vet school, things would have been so different and I'm so passionate about helping to spread that within the community. But I also have like my favorite anti-anxiety tool. It is called faster EFT. It's tapping. I use that all the time and the free resource also shows six powerful ways.... I think it's six. At least six powerful ways that you can use it throughout the day to create positive change. It's really going into like self-directed neuro-plasticity that ability to change your brain changing habits. So that's packed with so much goodness. And then I also have, um, My life boost starter kit. So the life boost BS that you need to balance in order to feel your best or belly, brain, and blood sugar. And so, um, that dives into like having assessments of each of those and, if there's one area you're really wanting to focus on, it introduces you to exactly where to start. So. Those are some of the things that I did last year, and. I mean, there are so many more, but we don't need it. Dive into that. I did finally create a life boost planner. And, um, it was a little bit selfish just because I personally. Like if you're listening to this, you or if you know me. I am so into journaling now. And I also really loved like my Sundays for success. I like writing down my successes every day and at the end of the week reviewing them and I look back and I think, okay, what felt challenging this week? What did I learn from it? And then I look ahead at the next week. I notice how my body reacts. Like, is it excited? Am I feeling drawn towards the week? Or is there something that's causing tension in my body? Am I feeling dread? Is there a sinking feeling? And if there is, if there is. I was like a weird accent right there. Um, then I get curious about what I need in order to support my energy and sanity. Like what is my focus going to be so that that tension is released so that I feel like, okay, I can do this. So, All of that to say, I have a lot of little, little things that I like to do and ways that I wanted my planner to be that I couldn't find in an existing planner. And so I created my own and it's been so great getting feedback from my clients too. They seem to really like it. So that was one of the big things that I had wanted to do for so long. And I finally did it. So. I'm excited about that. If you are, if you do want to get one. You can reach out to me. I can send you a link for that. It's mainly for those who join my programs. I want them to have something that allows them to be documenting and practicing so many of the habits that I teach that really set you up for success. So. More and more, I'm really realizing like, My purpose. Is. To help people to reconnect with your true self. Because that is really where you feel at home. That's where life is about adding pleasure, energy and fulfillment. When you are living life authentically. And. I say body, mind, and heart, like reconnecting with your body, mind, and heart. But. I'm also starting to lean into the like, Body mind and soul. And that's actually been something that I have kind of resisted. Partly worrying. Um, Like not wanting that to deter anybody. And partly because I personally had some resistance to that kind of wording. And this year is just leading me on a whole new journey. So last year though, the other thing, huge thing that I created was all of these great self-paced courses that I'm so proud of. Um, so that with any of my programs. Of course, you get the coaching and there's community support, but there's also self-paced programs. So like 10 to 15 minutes a day, you work through one lesson that really helps to support you in your journey. And, That was a huge undertaking. It was like taking everything in my brain that I wanted to share with people and all the concepts and having to. Organize it and then figuring out, like, what is the important part? How do I explain this? What order should it be so that people can kind of go on the journey that I have. Gone on in order to be living in a way that prioritizes your health but it's something that you want to do. It's not something that you have to do. And it's something that gives you energy instead of drains it. And so I thought that I was all done with that. And I sorta promised myself I wasn't going to create anything new this year. And so I didn't technically create something new, but this year I did go down an unexpected rabbit hole where the game changer program is a lot about trauma responses and I'm really starting to connect with who you truly are. And as I was reviewing it, I was just like, ya know.. I really love the game changer program, but I wanted more for like the trauma response section. And so I really dove down a rabbit hole. And I'm so glad I did because it's been hugely helpful for me. And I just totally updated that section of the game changer, it's like completely different and I'm so in love with it. And one thing that's led me down that path was I was introduced to something called the polyvagal theory. And I think it's just hugely helpful. I feel like everybody should know about it because it's helpful for just understanding the sensations you're feeling and being able to identify where you are in a stress response, basically, it just helps you to understand yourself so much better. And so I'll give you like a little glimpse of it. So I'm not going to go even into like, why it's called the polyvagal theory. I'm going to try to be concise with this. But there are basically three stress states that you can be in. And that people go in and out of throughout the day. There is a safe and social. There's the sympathetic fight or flight. And then there is shutdown. So let's go through the signs so in safe and social. That is where you are just feeling connected, content, playful, laughing cozy, like life is good in this safe and social. This is when we are connecting with other people. And it's feeling fun. We feel warm. And that is where we're intended to spend most of our time. Our body is probably going to feel relaxed. Our heart is just at a normal rhythm. We can breathe normally. Our body is in a state that's optimal for healing and recovering. And then there's the sympathetic state. So that's fight or flight. That is where your nervous system and brain has perceived a threat and it's like,"okay. Ready for action. We need oxygen. We need energy to get our muscles ready so that we can either fight or run away." And so your heart rate starts beating faster. Your blood pressure increases your breathing rate increases and your muscles become really tense because the goal is to be prepared to do one of those things to take action. And so things that you notice in your body would be muscle tension, headaches, maybe your jaws, back pain and then you can also see GI signs because digesting is not a priority. And so it may be something like constipation because in a stressed out state, when you're needing to run, who cares if you're digesting your food, that your body only cares about energy. And then the other state would be shut down. So what happens is that if you are in a scenario where there is a perceived threat, Your body initially goes into this sympathetic state because it's like, okay, I'm going to run from this perceived threat. But if you're not able to, then the next option is to fight. But say you're in a situation where you're not able to do either of those. And that's actually kind of common in our world, because if you are... you know, you're probably not being chased by a lion. But there probably are a million different little stressful things throughout your day that are keeping you in a sympathetic state, you probably can relate to that feeling of like tension or maybe you're feeling irritable, or maybe you're having a hard time slowing down. And you just feel like this anxiety or nervous energy. But if there's not a way to escape from that, and you're not prioritizing ways of helping your body to complete the stress response. So way of like releasing that nervous energy and helping you to return back to that safe and social state. Then there is another level. That's when your body is like,"okay, our final attempt at keeping you safe is shut down." And so that is like an emergency brake. That is where your body instead of being mobilized for action, it's all about like, how can we minimize pain. How can we kind of dissociate you? And so this is where like the body may even become limp. It's where you may have really low energy, where you may have brain fog. You might feel lazy. You just have no motivation. You might feel kind of disconnected from your emotions. It's your body's way of kind of playing possum. If you were in the wild and so the reason I think this polyvagal theory is so important is because I think so many people can relate to that shutdown mode and certainly the sympathetic mode too. And, in that shut down, there's just this huge dip in energy and in your mood. And so that's also where you may noticing signs of depression. And our world is so quick to be pathologizing those feelings, either that laziness or depression or low energy and all of that judgment and making it a problem and then our tendency to, think, oh, you just need to like, have more discipline and willpower. All that does is keeps you more stuck. In that already very overwhelmed place. And it's very hard to get out if you are not having that compassion and curiosity and awareness that your body is just feeling overwhelmed. That your nervous system is actually doing exactly what it was designed to do. Your body is trying to keep you safe in the only way that it knows how. And what it needs is signs of safety in order to shift back out. And the other really interesting thing is that in order to shift out of that state, you're going back into that sympathetic state. And so you may go from kind of feeling totally disconnected from your feelings, emotions.. To suddenly having sensations that you may think are a problem. Like, maybe you're suddenly feeling anxiety. Maybe your heart starts increasing more. Maybe you are feeling angry or you're feeling sad. And you're having all these emotions that you feel like you shouldn't have. If you aren't recognizing that that's a part of the healing process and a necessary step in order to return to a safe and social space, then it might scare you and make you feel like that's a problem and it might then shift you back into that shutdown state. And so I think so many of us get stuck in between that sympathetic and shut down state. Not knowing how to return to that safe and social state simply because we aren't recognizing that those signs aren't problems, they are wisdom from our body and signs and messages from our body letting us know exactly how it's feeling.'cause one really important thing to know is that your conscious mind? Doesn't get to decide what's stressful or not. That happens at an unconscious level. And the really interesting thing is that your unconscious mind it's constantly surveying not only your external environment for perceived threats. But also your internal environment. And so when you think about external environment, There may be things that you don't logically or consciously think are scary but your unconscious mind may based on things that have happened in the past. And so if you ever, if you can relate to, for example, people pleasing. That fawning. That is your unconscious mind perceiving someone asking you to do something that you don't want to do as a threat. You know, like that's, that's not actually unsafe or dangerous to your life. But your nervous system is acting like it is. And so that's just one little example. But your body's also surveying internally for signs of threats. And how normal is it in our society to be ignoring basic necessities. Or even purposefully restricting them. So if you, from your body's perspective, maybe you're not getting water. Maybe you're not getting enough rest. Maybe you aren't getting enough nourishing food. And that could be for a lot of reasons, either if you're eating a lot of ultra processed foods, then from your body's perspective, it is getting deprived of all of the nutrients that it needs. And so that can make it go into shutdown because it's in an environment where it's not living in abundance of nutrients, but it can also be with our diet culture and how there's like this message that in order to be losing weight, people should be having like 1200 calories, which is absurd. And if that is necessary in order to be losing weight, then the body is going into shut down and it's slowing its metabolism because it doesn't feel like it's an environment where it is safe to shed unnecessary weight. And so they're all of these internal and external things that can be making your body think that it's stressed, even if your conscious brain is like, I shouldn't be tired. I don't know why I'm tired. I don't know why I'm stressed. I don't know why I don't have motivation for this. But I guarantee, any time someone tells me that they are not feeling motivated or they don't have good energy or they're feeling kind of depressed. And they're like, I don't know why I'm feeling this way. When we stop and get curious about what's been going on. It is always totally understandable that they are experiencing that. And the super empowering thing is that once you know where you are in this spectrum of a stress response. Now, you know what you need to start to return to safety to that safe and social state. And so that's a little glimpse of what I really dive into now in the game changer program. All about really understanding and starting to collect data from your body about what are the signs when you are in each of those three states and how can you start noticing each day what you need in order to support your body so that you can return to that safe and social place. Especially, because that is where your body can heal. And when we look at how normal it is to be experiencing chronic diseases. I think that that's such a powerful thing. More on that in a minute. So, The game changer also dives deep into the trauma responses like flight mode. You know, you just go, go, go high achiever, have a hard time resting. Rest feels uncomfortable. Never feel like you have time to rest. Fawn if you're a people pleaser, you just always say yes, even though you want to say, no, you have trouble with boundaries. Fight mode if everything is just really irritating you and you tend to maybe overreact and then in retrospect, you're like, Ooh, I wish I hadn't done that. Or freeze, you just wish you could just chill on the couch forever and not be around humans. We dive into all of those really understanding why that happened and how to break free. So in doing that, I realized that, um, the game changer needed to be a longer program. So it is now a three month program. And there's weekly group coaching calls. And a community forum where you can post questions, connect with others. And then really, if you can commit 10 to 15 minutes Each day to do one lesson or exercise or just to post in the community forum, you will experience huge change. And I'm so confident that my programs either my game changer program or my six month life boost mentorship will totally change the way that you experience life and the most like liberating and exciting way, that I have a satisfaction guaranteed now, which I'm really excited about. So, if you can commit to doing the 10 to 15 minutes per day, and you can even pull it up on your phone, there's an app that you can get so that even if you are waiting in line somewhere or, you know, anywhere- instead of 10 minutes on social media.... just think about how that's making you feel. If you spent 10 to 15 minutes connecting with yourself and starting an amazing journey of adding more energy, pleasure and fulfillment to your life. If you can commit to that and at the end of the program, you don't feel like it was worth the investment, then I'll refund everything. That's how confident I am, that it will change your life. So I'm happy about that update. So. That is one thing that I did this year, went down that crazy rabbit hole. But there are more rabbit holes that I've been through and. Um, This year has actually been really hard. Um, Like incredibly stressful and so it was interesting that while learning about the trauma responses I was going through a period that was feeling really overwhelming and it was helpful for me. My own journey is always what helps to lead me and to have clarity on what I can share with others that will help on your healing journey too. So it started towards the end of last year. Maybe November-ish, I was just noticing some weird signs in my body. And, at first, I just was hoping they would go away and then they didn't. And, um, you know, then with my veterinary doctor brain, I started thinking about, okay, well, what are some differentials that could be contributing to this. And I didn't love where my mind was going with those differentials. And so I decided that I needed to visit with a doctor. And. Since then, long story short, I still don't have answers. I have to wait like five weeks in order to get some test results back that may help to shed light on exactly what's going on. Um, but what was happening is that each doctor's visit and each test that I had it um, further confirmed that, you know, they were saying things like, yes, that's concerning. And the differentials that I had been worried about, it was kind of confirmed that. Yeah, that's probably what is going on. And yet, it was going to like different specialists and it's really hard, I had, I went through so many different emotions and thoughts and a huge part of me was just like, why is this happening? Why when I have devoted so much. Time and gone on this journey and felt so good about the way that I treat my body. Like it is easy nourishing my body with good food. And I've learned what foods work for it. It is easy for me and natural to be working out. Let's easier to work out than to not work out for me. I had even been adding stillness and learning how to actually pause and for example, not doing podcast episodes, because I was trying to be very purposeful with My energy. And focusing on one thing at a time. And yet it felt like my body was. Sending me a clear message that something wasn't working. And so there is this feeling of. Of like of why. Really, and also, a part that was really scared. Because I love my life. It even made me go down some like really scary places, just imagining, like, if I. You know, I don't think. I mean, I don't, I don't think that this is what will happen, but you know, it made me even reflect like, wow, if. I don't get to live the long life, you know, I have these plans of being this a hundred plus year old, feisty active old lady. And what if that dream doesn't get to come true? Um, And in some ways it was a really helpful reflection because I realized that even if, if my life ended today, I don't have regrets. I feel like I have fully lived. And gone down the path that I want to. Am I done with that journey? Absolutely not like. There are so many things I want to do, and I'm so excited for, but I don't feel like I have been postponing things or pushing things off. Like I used to. When I was burnt out, there were so many things that I just was postponing for when I was retired. And, I am so glad that I'm not living that life anymore. Like even if it scares me, I do it. And honestly, there's something hugely comforting to me about the fact that I have been able to create the courses that I have, because I was able to get all these thoughts and this path and these perspectives that I feel like are very unique to the journey that I've been on. I've been able to put it down onto paper so that even when I'm no longer here, People can go on this journey and, and they can get to see some of the wisdom that I feel like I have gained on my journey and that is hugely comforting. So. Um, I'm still trying. I'm still. Exploring how much of my health stuff that I want to share, but. Even just this week, a lot happened in that on Monday, I had the visit with a referral, a specialist, and I'm very grateful that it was a doctor who just really listened. He asked lots of great questions and he's running lots of tests that will hopefully get some answers. But I. Um, it's like hard to describe. It just was like one of those times where just like. I can't believe that I'm here. You know, it was in like a hospital setting and there were a lot of very sick people and he was talking to me about pretty big side effects with medications, even though we hadn't, we didn't know what it was and, all of that was just a lot. On top of still not really having answers. But, after that. I was able to start reflecting about what he said. And one thing that I am finding comforting is I think that whatever is going on right now, it has probably been going on even way longer than I think that it has. And I think that the lifestyle that I live and the food that I eat. I think that this, whatever this is, It has kind of pushed me to understanding my body and has actually kind of like masked or kept at bay some of the signs. And so that is just such an interesting thing and interesting perspective. And, it will be interesting to see if, if there is a diagnosis if that helps me to put some pieces of the puzzle together. So early this week, I let myself just feel the feels. All of the emotions that I was having. But I also didn't want to stay stuck in them. And I know that my body has done lots of weird things before I've shared that that's really what led me to coaching. And so that is the biggest thing is that my body always has lessons that changed my life in the most amazing ways. Like I never would have gone down this path if I hadn't been experiencing weird crippling stomach aches and just feeling so weird, that's how I started getting curious and learning about how much food impacts the way that you feel. And then I started realizing the impact that stress has and just how everything is so connected. And that led me to coaching, which I never thought was something that was going to do, but I love it more than anything. And so I know that whatever I'm experiencing right now is just going to take me on a new chapter. And the interesting thing is that at the start of this year, I already knew I had just this deep knowing that things are going to be changing, that I was just turning a new page and starting a new chapter. And now I'm just seeing how true that really is. So even I did my Sundays for success this morning and I was like, oh my gosh. Just looking at what happened on Monday when my appointment was to today, I feel like I have changed and evolved so much. So a couple of big events that happened.. In one day I had two cool experiences. One was a hypnopsychedelic experience. So, my hypnosis instructor is doing such cool research on how to create psychedelic states without the psychedelics through hypnosis. And so a fellow coach who did the same program that I did, she did an additional training with my instructor, Melissa Tiers, and she was wanting some people to play with and to do some research with. And so I was like, well, I'm totally down. And that was a really neat experience where my unconscious offered some really great wisdom. But then after that I had a Reiki treatment, which was totally new to me and something that I've been just skeptical of, I guess, But trying to remind myself that truly everything that I've been really resistant to has actually been the thing that I needed the most, like yoga, meditating, journaling. Um, Slowing down. Learning how to rest. So. You know, I like to have an open mind. But there was just in, especially dealing with all this health stuff. I just had this little voice that just kept being like, just try Reiki. You know, because more and more what I learn, it really does all come down to energy. And Reiki is all about noticing where there are blocks in your energy. And it was during a walk and I go for a walk almost every morning usually when the sun is coming up. And it was just like a very peaceful moment in my day, that's just really special. And as I was walking, I just have this feeling of like, you just need a schedule Reiki. So I started just like looking on my phone at people nearby and. As I was looking at one. One in particular. I suddenly just felt this huge emotional release and started crying. And I was like, well, I guess I should try that.'cause that was weird. That's so unlike me. Um, and so I was so curious what would happen. And so I just had the Reiki session this week, and it really blew my mind. This Reiki instructor also was like kind of a medium and she was very intuitive and was able to give me information about areas in my body that are blocked. And it blew my mind, because she said things that I was aware of. Like I could feel in my body, things that I felt for a really long time, and I might share more in another episode, um, And she told me where it originated. And it was from something that happened in childhood that I never connected with any of this, but now it makes so much sense. And even related to like my burnout as a vet, it's, really crazy. But that has really helped me and seeing that with health and where there's this energy block it's really leading me down this really fun path and just, um, you know, I mentioned how I have had resistance to saying, like body, mind and heart versus body, mind, and soul. I do feel like I am now going on a little bit more of a journey of like really connecting with that and healing on such a deep, deep layer and level. And it's just so cool with a health journey. Like you are never done which is a good thing. It's really exciting because, your body first, it needs those basic things, right? Like if you're not getting the nourishing food or the movement or the rest that you need, or if you're stuck in fight or flight or shut down, you can't start connecting with like your deeper self until you do those things. And so I often say it's like an onion, but I was talking to my mom this morning and she was like, it's like a flower. That's just Blooming and like these new layers, which I like thinking about that expansion and beauty versus like going down to the core of an onion. I'm just beginning it, but I'm just starting this really exciting journey of really listening to my body and, and not seeing these health things As a problem, seeing it as such a special message from my body about this new chapter and direction that I need to go. And I'm really excited for where it's going to take me. And one super interesting thing is that with the Reiki and all the messages that I got, it aligned so much to the human design reading that I had last year, which was hugely helpful and life-changing for me. And if you're not familiar with human design or you're curious about what my reading was like, I Talk all about it in episode 63. So check that out. So interested in human design and exploring that even more and just energy as well, and really connecting to the truest version of ourselves. And another message was that I just really need to be totally authentic and totally me. And so there is a part of me that has always been interested in that human design kind of thing or Reiki. And so that is something that I'm going to be exploring this year, it's a rabbit hole I want to go down because even just this week, I'm on there have been other experiences that I'm not diving into right now, um, that have. I just feel. Like I am moving forward so much in such an exciting way. And I feel this healing. And so much so that I now. Something that I was just really distraught over even less than a week ago. As I was journaling, I was like, I'm truly grateful for this because I'm not sure that I would have done some of the things that I did this week, if I hadn't had that Scare and that push and that desire to try to figure out what was contributing. And so I'm so grateful to be in this place and to be at peace because waiting is really hard. Waiting for answers is hard. But I think that ultimately, even if I do have a diagnosis, The traditional healthcare system is not very in tune with energies and taking a holistic perspective and so I am really interested in where this journey is going to take me. So that is a little life update and I interviewed an incredible veterinarian and human, stacey from the whole veterinarian. So. I'm really excited to be having new guests on here. I'm excited to introduce you to her soon, we had a great conversation about her experience with burnout and things that have helped her to recover. I also have a new project called the unicorn veterinary hospital list. Really excited for that. I'm doing some wellbeing veterinary survey is basically where I am empowering veterinary hospitals. It's a wellbeing assessment where they can Give it to every employee in the hospital and it provides a safe and confidential space where veterinary employees can give honest feedback and it's very holistic so that I can then let a vet hospital know how they can really be supporting the physical and mental wellbeing, but also ultimately the energy of their entire team. And so if you're interested in that, let me know the unicorn veterinary hospital list, I'm basically putting together a list of that hospitals that are doing it right. They're the ones where their employees feel respected supported. They are genuinely happy going into work. And at the end of the day, they still have energy left to be a human and they feel grateful to work where they do, and they're able to provide the level of care that they want to because they're in an environment that makes it convenient to thrive. And so I am putting together a list of that, so that vets and vet techs and anyone in the vet profession looking for a change is able to connect with vet hospitals that are doing it right, and who are hiring. And also to just give that recognition to vet hospitals who are doing it right. And with this assessment, really either you are a unicorn hospital already, or you are going to be because, I will give you the guidance and recommendations on what you can do in order to one doable step at a time support your veterinary team. So. Excited for that. All I know is that this is going to be one hell of a year. I knew that even before this, like all these weird health things were happening, especially if you live in the U S you know, we have election's coming and I think in order to stay sane for whatever's to come this year knowing how to regulate your nervous system is key. So if you thought that was interesting when I was talking about for polyvagal theory, If that really spoke to you, then I would love to have you come hang out and start your amazing journey with the game changer. So send me a message at amelia@lifeboost.today or you can always find me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, anywhere. All the details are in the show notes. Thanks so much for being here. Have an amazing day.