Two weeks ago I posted a personal story of mine that walked you through the decade of my 20’s. 

What I want to talk about specifically in this post is the topic of personal responsibility. I mentioned it in that post and also wrote a more specific post about that a few weeks prior.

There's a common misconception around personal responsibility and that is that taking responsibility for one's actions and mistakes equals self-blame. That in order to take responsibility, we must blame ourselves for the behaviors and actions we have taken that we're not proud of and subsequently feel like shit.

Bottom line: this is not true. It doesn’t have to be black or white.

Hey Ass kickers!

Welcome to episode 73 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! My friend, fellow life coach and therapist Dr. Eris is here with us today. Some of you may recognize her, she’s been featured with Dr. Drew, Nancy Grace, NPR, Entertainment Tonight, and she’s also a star of Bravo's LA Shrinks television show. She’s also the author of Emergency Break-up.

On this edition of the show we talk about real sh*t that matters! Dr. Eris gets real about what her relationships were like before her marriage, why rock bottom is a great place to start, and how to keep the sexy in your marriage even with young kids around.

Preface: I got this email awhile back from an ass kicker:

“The first podcast I heard from you, you seemed like a perky, outgoing blonde – and these are all great things, but I must admit, when looking at you, we might think “oh, she’s never been through anything. Yeah, she has great things to say, but does she know what this is like?” ….and then upon listening further, I learned your earlier life actually very much mirrors my own. It was not only comforting but also a lesson learned about first impressions.” -YKAL blog reader

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I’ve been sitting on this blog post/podcast episode for months now, unpublished. It’s a huge part of my story, what went on in my 20′s emotionally that led me to my big breakdown/breakthrough in 2006. I’ve hesitated to take the leap and publish it because it’s long, it’s probably the most imperfect piece of writing I’ve ever written, but mostly because every time I take a giant leap into vulnerability I still hear the voice of “OMG what will people think of you?”

But, the truth is (and I know this from experience…and science) is that we all have a painful story. And the more we abandon it and keep it locked up the more painful it is and it helps no one. And really, that’s just shitty.

What I know for sure is that we can’t bury our stories alive and expect them to die. They don’t. Trust me, I’ve tried.

I feel lucky to get to share my stories here. Sometimes scared, but still lucky. Thank you for allowing me to do so.

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Hey Ass kickers!

Welcome to episode 71 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! Our amazing guest for this show is Jen Sincero, a New York Times best-selling author, renowned speaker and success coach.

From helping people find their soulmate to negotiating million dollar deals to writing best-selling books of their own, she’s helped people around the world transform their personal and professional lives.

On today’s edition we talk about the power of surrender, why creativity isn’t limited to just art, and powerful exercises to get clear on who you are and why you’re here.