Returning guest, Shannon Kaiser joins me this week on the YKAL podcast. She is the bestselling author of five books on the psychology of happiness and fulfillment, including the #1 bestseller, The Self-Love Experiment and Adventures for Your Soul. Her new book, Joy Seeker: Let Go of What's Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Were Made For, is available this week!  It is always a pleasure to talk to this amazing lady. 

Today we talk about joy, spirituality, and authentic living. As you will hear, the underlying message to our conversation is, giving yourself permission to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. We talk about how women can work to trust and believe in themselves, how to live more authentically and how to speak your truth. As Shannon said so perfectly during our time together, “It all comes back to living your life from a place of integrity, a place of truth, and a place of honesty; that is the true joy.”

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What led Shannon to write Joy Seeker and how her experiences appear throughout it (8:00)
• Ask yourself, “What have you always wanted to do but have not given yourself permission to do?” (9:00)
• How women can work to trust and believe in themselves and how we can follow our hearts and our dreams; plus ask yourself, “What dream keeps coming back to you?” (11:00)
• Being in gratitude and exploring gratitude practices (30:00)
• How losing what you love most can help you find what you need and honoring your grief (34:00)
• Letting go of who you think you're supposed to be so you can be who you’re meant to be (39:00)

http://yourkickasslife.com/305

This week on the podcast I have another coaching episode for you. Long-time YKAL community member and Patron, Corrina joins me. She is a working mom from Toronto who needed help with prioritizing time for her own self-care. Here is what I love about this episode, not only is Corrina a loyal listener of the show, our conversation starts out on one topic and ends up going in a different direction. If you’ve listened to some of my past coaching sessions, you’ve come to learn that’s typically how my sessions go. And I love it. 🙌🙌🙌 

Our conversation went from what seemed like a “simple” struggle (and I use the word simple loosely because nothing is ever simple in self-help) and turned to having (or in this case not having) support or help around the household. We discussed partnerships, having hard conversations and how to ask for what you need from your partner, with compassion and gratitude. 

The health of any relationship rests on the reciprocity of love, trust, and the work it takes to create a household. Corrina and I explore this topic together and come up with a possible solution to her current struggles.  As you will hear, Corrina learns that prioritizing means reaching out for help so she can make more, “Yes” decisions for her own wellbeing. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Corrina’s struggle with prioritizing and making time for self-care (6:01)
• Working through her feeling of shame when it comes to taking care of the home (ie: home not in order or clean) (9:00)
• Realizing that you can’t do all the things, all the time without feeling resentful (9:21)
• Communicating the severity of the lack of support around the household and having hard conversations with a partner (18:37)
• Finding the line between realistic and unrealistic expectations and not trusting your own voice (22:06)
• Acknowledging and leaning into each other’s love languages (33:21)
• Telling your partner what you want and need from your relationship with compassion and gratitude (36:00)

http://yourkickasslife.com/304

💥Special announcement, ass kickers! Amy Smith and I are starting a new podcast that will focus on hilarious stories, PLUS answering your burning questions! You’ll hear more about it in the intro to this episode, and you can ask your questions HERE. 💥

This week I welcome back returning guest, Erin Stutland! Erin is a renowned author and mind-body wellness expert and the host and life-style coach of Z Living’s cable series, Altar’d. I reference her work often and I am thrilled to have her back to talk about her book, Mantras in Motion. 

We live in a culture where we spend a lot of time in our own heads. And while it’s comfortable there, it can hold us back. Today Erin describes how movement in our bodies can lead to inspired action and movement in our lives. We talk about how her work and her book help clear out beliefs holding you back and what it means to move well. 

We also explore the topic of our “own brands of existence,” (aka: the inner critic), and some ways to move away from them. While the whole concept of getting into our bodies, out of our heads, and moving can seem foreign, Erin introduces us to it in such a way that it makes sense and is easy to implement. It’s time to move. 💃

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The catalyst for writing her book, Mantras in Motion, and what readers can expect from it (9:00)
• The purpose for combining movement with mantras and helping people reconnect to their bodies; and what the movement might actually look like (11:27)
• Some ways we can get out of our head and get connected with our bodies (18:00)
• How movement in your body can create movement in your life (24:16)
• What Erin means when she uses the word resistance and some ways to move forward from it (25:13)

http://yourkickasslife.com/303

This week I welcome Chase Chewning to the YKAL podcast. Chase is the creator of the platform Ever Forward and host of the podcast Ever Forward Radio. I’ve been on his podcast twice and y’all, he is an amazing host who is doing phenomenal things in the wellness industry (and wait until you hear his radio voice. Just wait). Today we take on big topics such as mental health, the revolution in masculinity and moving ever forward no matter the circumstance. 

Chase shares openly with me the physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma he experienced following a serious hip injury, which led to being medically discharged from the military and having to learn to walk again. And like many of the conversations I have with my guests, ours shifted to topics I did not expect but am so glad they did. 

We discussed the stories men (and women) sometimes make up about what it means to be a man (as in hiding one’s emotions) and how a revolution in masculinity is flipping those stories on their heads. As Chase so eloquently stated, “Every area of your life will be significantly better once you get honest, look inside, and allow yourself to feel.” Yes,  we got a bit deep, philosophical, and real in this episode. But as you’ll hear at the top of the show, it’s important to be the person you were meant to be. This episode is a perfect example of Chase and I, doing just that. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma Chase experienced following medical discharge from the military due to a hip injury and having to learn to walk again (11:00)
• Internal and external healing: who and what was most helpful to Chase (emotionally and physically) during his journey (19:00)
• Chase on the revolution in masculinity and the importance of women being present with a man while he shares his deepest and darkest fears (27:00)
• Coming to our own conclusions about religion and spirituality (35:00)
• Chase’s mantra, Ever Forward: what it means and why it matters so much to him (47:09)

http://yourkickasslife.com/302

I have such a great episode for you this week with my guest Sonya Renee Taylor. Sonya is an author, poet, spoken word artist, speaker, humanitarian, social justice activist, educator, and founder of The Body is Not An Apology. Today, we are talking all about radical self-love, body empowerment and how both can be a foundational tool for global transformation. 

When it comes to self-love, especially in the personal development space, it can be made to look easy, light, and fluffy. But as you’ll hear in this episode, Sonya believes, “Nothing grows without discomfort.” 100%, yes!  Radical self-love requires us to challenge our deeply held beliefs which are keeping us locked in systems of status quo and latency. True radical self-love can help you see the world in a different way and help you shift it too. 

We also talk about body shaming, meta-shame and even a unique and affirming way to spread body empowerment among friends; which can move mountains y’all! I know I say this often, but I truly am excited to share with you my conversation with Sonya Renee Taylor.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Sonya’s journey and the path that led her to be recognized as a change agent (6:28)
• How radical self-love and body empowerment are foundational tools for social justice and global transformation (9:16)
• Sonya’s definition of radical self-love and why we need it (11:27)
• Body shaming, what it is, who does it and some ways to overcome it; plus one unique and affirming way to spread body empowerment among friends (17:00)
• The body positivity movement: where it started, why Sonya thinks it’s a “nice white lady,” and ways in which it can be harmful (26:00:
• Bad Picture Monday - what it is and how to find it on Instagram (32:00)

http://yourkickasslife.com/301