I’ve been home for a few months. After my India trip didn’t happen, I just enjoyed being in Boise. I had the chance to travel to Las Vegas to see Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play against the Las Vegas Aces, the reigning Women’s National Basketball Champion team! It was a gift from my Uncle Rick (see picture of us enjoying the game). We’ve both been following Caitlin on her journey as an Iowa Hawkeye (Go Hawks) and now as an Indiana Fever player. I left on May 23rd since the game was on May 25th. It was an amazing time—not because I saw Caitlin play and I met Jan Jensen (new Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Basketball head coach), although that was awesome—but because I just enjoyed being a human living on this amazing planet.
And the drive time was something I was craving. It’s a 10-hour drive
to Las Vegas. It’s cathartic for me. I turn on the tunes and listen to music. Typically, not podcasts. Music holds a special place in my soul. It always has. And the sense of peace it brings. Nature does that, too. So, driving and traveling to other places in the US and the world has always provided that for me.
Not quite a year ago, in October 2023, I started the Bold & Visible Breakthrough program. My soul sister, Tracy, had gone through it a few months before me. And after participating in the Unleash Your Voice Workshop Experience, I was hooked! And then, in February 2024, I continued with the Bold & Visible VIP program. I mentioned in a previous blog that I would tell you more about it. Today is my 55th birthday, and there is no better time to tell you a little about it.
The program consists of (this is a very high-level explanation) lots of inner work, releasing old patterns, finding your voice through Somatics, and speaking your truth on a TED-talk-like stage. The amazing Callie B Elwayns (link to her site Bold and Visible) has built this body of work to help women stop dumbing down and become Bold & Visible. So, what have I uncovered? A lot!! What I now know is that I have FREEDOM! Some may see it as courage or bravery. It may be that, but it’s that I realize that I have the power within me to do whatever I want! And sitting in awareness and curiosity about that freedom. It may seem weird, but I never realized that before. I never permitted myself to see the freedom I have.
One of my all-time favorite songs is Watershed by the Indigo Girls, from the olden days, back in the 80s and 90s 😊 My drive from Las Vegas to Chicago was 29 hours of driving over 3 days and nine states. I didn’t listen to the Indigo Girls until Kansas on the second day. Side note: Drivers in Kansas City need some driving lessons? I have listened to that song hundreds of times. Belting out the lyrics. However, it was right after I left Kansas City that I really heard these lyrics:
Thought I knew my mind
Like the back of my hand
The gold and the rainbow
But nothing panned out as I planned
And they say only milk and honey’s
Gonna make your soul satisfied
Well I better learn to swim
‘Cause the crossing is chilly and wide
And then the chorus –
Up on the watershed
Standing at the fork in the road
You can stand there and agonize
‘Til your agony’s your heaviest load
You’ll never fly as the crow flies
Get used to a country mile
When you’re learning to face
The path at your pace
Every choice is worth your while
It has been my Bold & Visible work that has finally released my “heavy load.” And I’m not worrying about doing things right or wrong or taking chances. I can worry about things and choose one thing over another (after all, life is a bunch of choices) or stand there. This song and B&V are speaking to me and have moved and shifted me to a new place. I’ve made choices at my own pace because they are what I want. And every single choice has been worth my while. Even the ones where I failed, or I said the wrong thing! Because I am ME! Authentic. Unapologetically, ME!! Now that I’ve been on this Gap Year for 14 months (whoops, it’s over a year, and I need a new name), I realize this journey is bringing me back to the most amazing awakening of who I am. And I LOVE ME!! It’s the happiest time. I feel genuine happiness about myself, life, and my path. The work brought me here, back to ME! I’ve found ME. Maybe some parts not yet, but I can’t wait for what is next!
I will speak in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Friday, October 4th. You can hear my story (whether you attend in person or via the streaming link), and I am excited to share more of ME with you!
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