Joining me to discuss mental health, as well as, my journey through somatic therapy is my dearest friend, Amy Smith. This isn’t an expert-on-expert episode; instead, it’s two friends talking about a topic from a place of curiosity. 

Here’s some background as to why I wanted to bring you this episode: Last week, Mia Hemstad joined me on the podcast (episode 380). She vulnerably shared the story of her suicidal ideation and major depressive disorder. And, I shared a little bit about my journey too. I wanted to share more of my story, so I decided, this week, to bring you a Conversation About Shit That Matters with Unqualified People. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• My breaking point - what led me to a point of complete anxiety and terror. (7:16)
• About my FaceTime call to Amy, where I opened up about thoughts of suicide ideation. (7:31)
• How having a friend there to listen, comforted me. (17:03)
• Amy’s experience being on the other end of that phone call and how she was able to compartmentalize what was happening. (18:23)
• My somatic therapy journey and how it helped me work through trauma. (26:24)
• Some thoughts about being supportive to a friend going through a mental crisis. (49:14)

http://yourkickasslife.com/381

This week Mia Hemstad, mental health advocate and social justice activist, joins me for a discussion about major depressive disorder, the intersection between mental health and politics, and how women can make themselves a priority by doing one small thing a day. 

Mia and I had recorded this episode several months ago. I was waiting to release it for various reasons (which I share in this episode). Like many, I saw the recent interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, where Meghan shared her story of suicide ideation. During my conversation with Mia, she shared her own story of suicide ideation, as did I. Therefore, I felt it was important to share this episode now. It’s relevant and after the year we’ve experienced, an important one to discuss. I hope this episode is helpful to you. 

• How Mia became a mental health advocate and social justice activist out of necessity. “Mental health and politics are connected.” (6:34)
• How women can make themselves a priority by doing one small thing a day to nourish themselves.  And, a reminder from Mia that, “Healing is not a checklist.” (15:56)
• Mia’s major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation story.(26:48)
• How to handle overwhelming emotions. (46:32)

http://yourkickasslife.com/380

What do henna, legacy, and living unapologetically all have in common? They are just some of the facets that make up Chelsea Stevenson’s work. Chelsea joins me this week for a conversation about the power in legacy. 

Chelsea is a professional henna artist, business strategist, and homeschooling mother of three. During our time together, we discussed a variety of topics including her motivation for building a table rather than taking a seat at an existing one, and honoring your values. She offered poignant takeaways, including this one, “The decisions we make, the actions we take, and the words we say are powerful. And, we have to own how they impact the world around us.”

In this episode you’ll hear:

• A brief history of henna and its use as a medium to create art. (4:47)
• Why Chelsea’s motivation is to build her own table instead of taking a seat at a table that already exists. (7:26)
• The power in the legacy we leave and why it is important. (8:23)
• Living unapologetically and honoring your values. (21:58)
• How Chelsea went from a social worker to a Hennapreneur. (26:56)
• Struggling with negative self-talk and negativity bias. (33:05)
• Steps to stand in your authority and position yourself as the artist/entrepreneur/changemaker you want to be in this world. (36:55)

http://yourkickasslife.com/379

🎉✍ Join Amy Ahlers and I live on Wednesday, March 16th, for a free writing workshop: Top 10 Kick-Ass Tips to Get Your Writing Project Started and Complete.  If you want to write a book, self-publish one, go the traditional route of publishing, or are simply curious about what it takes to launch your next writing project, join us. For all the details and to register, go here. We hope to see you on the 16th! ✍ 🎉 

Speaking of Amy Ahlers, she returns to the show this week to talk about the imposter complex and the inner-critic. Plus, we share some of the ways our inner-mean girl shows up during the creation of our writing projects and some of the strategies we employ to calm her down.

Amy is a Master Women’s Leadership and Life Coach, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. She is on a mission to stop women from self-bullying and being hard on themselves so they can make their greatest possible contribution. Enjoy our conversation! 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How imposter complex shows up for women who want to start something new or complete a big project. (3:56)
• Some ways in which we handle our own imposter complex, including how we change the narrative. (6:39)
• Experiencing upper limit problems and how we deal. (10:13)
• Amy answers the question, “Is writing a book for everyone?” (23:30)
• What we love and do not love about writing. (27:33)

http://yourkickasslife.com/378

Heather Chauvin is back on the show! Our conversation answers the question, “What is worth your time and energy?” Heather is a leadership coach who helps ambitious, overwhelmed women conquer their fears and become leaders at work and home. She is also the author of the book, Dying to Be a Good Mother. 

We examine what is truly worthy of your time, discuss emotional regulation and Heather’s Red/Yellow/Green zone methodology. Finally, we explore the topic of managing your energy and surrendering to guilt.  

“You’ve got to feel the discomfort in order to feel the good stuff.” ~ Heather Chauvin

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Heather’s grandmother inspired her ‘shit or get off the pot’ moment, and led her to write her first book, Dying to Be a Good Mother. (9:52)
• Heather shares her Stage-4 Cancer diagnosis journey. (10:27)
• The “million-dollar minute” concept. “If every sixty seconds of your life is worth one million dollars - are you satisfied with your investment?” (22:23)
• The Red, Yellow, and Green Zones and how they can be used in your life and at work. (28:30)
• Energetic time management is reverse engineering of how you want to feel. (33:31)
• A conversation about guilt: “Who benefits from you feeling guilty?” (36:04)

http://yourkickasslife.com/377