Wrapping Up 2020: The Most Important Life Lessons and Takeaways with Tessa Tovar

The year 2020 has brought to the surface invaluable truths that we would not have otherwise discovered. By turning our lives upside down, the pandemic taught us the value of what we take for granted and highlighted what is truly important.

Tess joins me in this special year-end episode to reflect on the year that has passed. We each share our top three lessons from 2020. We also discuss how to discern from a place of wisdom and become aware of our ego. 

If you want to learn useful insights to help you face the year ahead, tune in to the full episode.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Discover our top three lessons from 2020.
2. Learn how to slip into a place of discernment.
3. Recognize the importance of becoming aware of your ego and owning up to uncomfortable feelings. 

Resources:

• Episode 269 with Jess Devenport of Paintillio
• Learn more about Paintillio
• The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo

Episode Highlights

Holiday Insights

• Although Christmas might be different this year, it’s still possible to create that spirit of community and giving.
• Don’t forget to give yourself a present this year, too.
• Rosie’s gift to herself is disconnecting from technology.
• Tess recalls fond childhood memories of Christmas and reflects how she can recreate that atmosphere this year.

Meditative Practices

• For Rosie, painting by the numbers is a meditative practice.
• On her part, Tess slips into meditation by writing poetry and knitting.
• A passage from Mark Nepo’s book highlights the significance of remembering and forgetting, emphasizing the importance of stillness and surrender.

Tess’ Biggest Lessons

• Tess realized that instead of running around and trying her hardest to tick her to-do-lists, sitting still was more productive.
• Even though she doesn’t chase after opportunities, they come her way regardless.
• Tess also discovered that she didn’t like sharing her food.
• Tess continues to explore different eating modalities as she learns more about her body.

Rosie’s Biggest Lessons

• On her part, Rosie discovered that she could work from home effectively by creating a schedule and sticking to it.
• Second, she learned that you can still make mistakes even if you’re working on improving yourself.
• Instead of ignoring her flaws, she is slowly learning to accept them.
• Any sort of change and transformation is highly uncomfortable.
• Even as Rosie tries her best to get pregnant, she is still probing the motivations behind her desire to be a mother. She’s learning to surrender her attachment to what she believes her life ought to be.

Catching Yourself

• Your mental state affects your ability to practice mindfulness, and falling victim to that reactionary impulse.
• There are three voices in your head. The first is impulsive, the second voice calls for restraint, and the third is the voice of wisdom.
• For Rosie, it’s not a matter of right or wrong but learning to observe the situation from a place of discernment.
• Since we are egocentric beings, it can be hard to find and listen to that third voice.
• Rosie admits that she occasionally catches herself listening to the first and second voices. However, she knows what to do to pull herself out of a negative spiral.

Taming The Ego

• Your ego is the primary source of your emotional upheaval.
• Learn to discern when it’s the right time to speak up and use your voice.
• Your emotional distress may not be evident to your partner. Find a healthy way to express that energy. Otherwise, those feelings will fester and affect your relationship.
• Although becoming aware of your ego can be uncomfortable, it is also a humbling experience.

5 Powerful Quotes

[TESS] 16:46

“I realized that all the things that I was running around doing, kind of the frenetic to-do list wasn't as necessary as I thought it was. As I stopped driving back and forth in town like a ping pong ball and sat a little bit more still and just, you know, stayed home more, I realized that was enough.”

[TESS]17:33

“I do believe that the universe is on my side. And that if there's something that I need to come to me, it will. So that's one thing that 2020 has taught me.”

[ROSIE] 23:17

“By no way do I have things figured out. And I often see my defects of character. And I always strive to work on the things that aren't serving my highest good, but I learned to actually accept that this year as opposed to just bypassing it.”

[ROSIE] 29:24

“So it's not a choice of doing what's right or doing what's wrong. It's really a matter of how can you observe the situation from a wise place, from a place of wisdom and truly a place of discerning.”

[ROSIE] 33:35

“That energy needs to be expressed one way or another. Our emotions need to be fully realized in order for them to have a complete cycle, or they're going to live inside your body.”

About Tess

Tessa Tovar is a yoga instructor with over 500 hours of Yoga Teacher Training through 5-Star Yoga Alliance Rated YogaWorks Programs. Tess also has a certification in Health Coaching from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She is Level I & II Reiki Certified and is a Living Yoga Trauma-Informed Certified Teacher. Tess is also a lead trainer of Radically Loved workshops and training programs.

If you want to reach out to Tess, you can visit her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Enjoy The Podcast?

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To feeling radically loved,

Rosie

Noteworthy Predictions for 2021 with Maren Altman

The vastness of the universe tells us that there's so much left to be discovered. While some may look at society as a dog-eat-dog world, spiritual people see people's lives as sacred, meaningful, and interconnected. Even if you don't believe in miracles or horoscopes, you can't deny that they can be right and may even predict how a country will change over the next several years. What about you — do you have any predictions for 2021?

In today's episode, Maren Altman joins us to share her journey to becoming an astrologer and how her life changed when she predicted the results of the 2020 Elections. She also talks about Stoic philosophy, what we can look forward to in the next two years, and noteworthy predictions for 2021  — including the future status of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you're into chart readings or are just very curious about it, this episode is perfect for you.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Learn how Maren's 2020 Presidential Election predictions changed her life immensely.
2. Gain valuable insights from Maren's spiritual journey.
3. Maren will talk about the things we can look forward to and her predictions in the year 2021!

Resources

• Learn astrology on Maren’s website.
• Follow Maren: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
• Check out Maren’s Linktree to see more of her work!
• Create a daily meditation ritual in just seven days! Download BUILD YOUR DAILY MEDITATION RITUAL and other freebies at com!

Episode Highlights

Maren's Spiritual Journey

• At two years old, Maren already started reading. By six, she had started researching astrology online.
• Although she grew up in a Judeo-Christian environment, she kept her interest in astrology and used it for her entrepreneurial ventures when she was young. She knew early on that her knowledge of astrology can be a business one day.
• At the age of 15, she found recent translation projects of astrology. Her passion quickly turned from new-age psychological astrology to more world predictions and philosophy.
• Maren experienced her spiritual awakening, or what she called “death of past self,” while studying a course on philosophy at NYU.

On TikTok and Dealing with the Aftermath of Her 2020 Elections Prediction

• Social media wasn't picking up for her until TikTok blew up.
• Maren wasn't surprised at being right about the elections because she already expected its outcome. She was most surprised by the attention it brought her.
• For her, dealing with her career's rapid growth has been the most difficult mental health journey by far in her lifetime. Her predictions made her a target of conservative pundits during the election season — even receiving death threats from them.
• Maren uses spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation to adjust to her new reality. Her yogi path keeps her going despite the struggles.
• She opts to put her energy into her career when she has problems instead of talking about them.

Maren's Motivation to Continue

• For Maren, astrology is like an endless game of Sims — you don't know what is coming, and you only have to look forward to it.
• She is deeply passionate about identifying astrological patterns.
• She feels fulfilled helping others. With her knowledge of astrology, Maren provides sharpness, intensity, and analytical aspects to serve people as they lead their spiritual paths.

Encountering Doubts and Living in Stoic Philosophy

• Maren immediately notices when someone is timid or conscious in some regions of chart reading. But if someone is trying to speak with her, they probably wouldn't invest time and money if they were concerned.
• It can be difficult to approach astrology if you cling too deeply to the concept of good and evil or "I die or live" kind of things. For Maren, she sees and accepts things as they are and doesn't necessarily ascribe inherent meaning to them.
• Stoic philosophy is an ancient Greek philosophy that looks at life and what is to come as something to be accepted and meditated upon.
• In Stoic philosophy, the true optimal state in life is not ecstatic happiness but peaceful meditation where you don't see things as good or bad — only preferable or not preferable.
• Maren doesn't want to be happy. Instead, she wants to be peaceful, accepting, and present.

Life's Predictions and What She Looks Forward to in 2021

• She already saw that at a very young age, within the age of 20 to 22, she would go through a complete death and rebirth in her identity.
• In 2021, Maren looks forward to being more at peace with her life.
• Maren wants to focus on her business and finance interests for the next few years.

Noteworthy Predictions for 2021

• According to Maren, 2021 would be a mixed bag than 2020. Next year's alignment of Saturn and Uranus coincided throughout history with the liberation of oppressed peoples, which indicates struggles.
• She sees 2021 as the year when inclusive, progressive legislation would be passed.
• May to July of 2021 will be a preview of 2022.
• June will hypothetically be when most people get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Listen to the full episode to hear Maren’s predictions for the next two years and her insights into the signs and elements for 2021.

5 Powerful Quotes from this Episode

[07:32] “I use the word bandwidth a lot myself as well because I always knew that I wanted to change the world and do it big.”

[10:12] “The way that I've been dealing with it is prioritizing my spiritual practices like yoga and meditation. And knowing that I don't have it figured out, I don't have this solved; I'm like in the middle still of this battle right now. And I feel like I'm adjusting in a way like you get used to the turbulence, and this is your new reality.”

[15:10] “I feel really fulfilled when I know that I can provide some of the sharpness, or the intensity, and like the analytical aspect into people that can use that to better serve them when they're going to lead their spiritual path in life.”

[18:00] “I don't want to be happy, I want to be peaceful. Not that I don't want to be happy, but I just want to ride things out.”

[34:13] “I feel radically loved when I take time to feel radically loved and don't run away from the present moment.”

About Maren

Maren Altman is an astrologer, author, and current philosophy graduate student. She makes informative content that centers around astrology, witchcraft, spirituality, and veganism.

If you want to connect with Maren and see more of her work, you can visit her Linktree for more information.

This episode is brought to you by

Ritual.com/LOVED

Enjoy the Podcast?

If you felt radically loved from listening to this podcast, subscribe and share it with the people you love!

Love to give us 5 stars? If you do, we'd love a review from you. Help us reach more people and make them feel loved.

Do you want to help people be excited and prepared for 2021? A simple way is to share what you've learned today on social media.

Don't forget to follow and message us on these platforms!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosieacosta

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To feeling radically loved,

Rosie

Why Women’s Success Starts with Wellness with Fredi’s Chelsea and Mitch Glaser

In this fast-paced world, those who hustle often get rewarded. But does women's success have to put their health in jeopardy? Can we trade a fulfilling and healthy life for our jobs and financial security? As we’re going through a global pandemic, it may be the right time to ponder on this question.

This week, siblings Chelsea and Mitch Glaser introduce us to their company, Fredi, and how it aims to help women prioritize their wellness. They also discuss their journey toward self-care, the value of nootropics, and their advice for people having a hard time amid today’s global crisis.

If you want to know why wellness is central to women’s success, this episode is for you.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Discover how you can be your best self by taking care of your health first.
2. Learn how nootropics help improve the chances of women's success.
3. What is Chelsea and Mitch’s definition of true happiness? Find out in the full episode. 

Resources

• The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living by Dr. Russ Harris
• Fredi’s website
• Fredi on Instagram

Episode Highlights

Chelsea and Mitch’s Journey Before Fredi

• Fredi started when Mitch had a health scare due to working rigorous hours in Wall Street.
• He admits he neglected himself because he was scared of disappointing people. His wellness journey started once he became aware that he needed a drastic change to achieve true fulfillment.
• On the other hand, Chelsea started working for herself right out of college, pursuing several passion projects. She has a branding agency called Launch It Girl, which allowed her to work with ambitious women and launch their businesses.
• She experienced anxiety, panic attacks, and burnout due to her unrealistic expectations of career fulfillment.

How Fredi Came Together

• Chelsea encouraged Mitch to leave the industry that was sucking his soul and join her on the path of entrepreneurship.
• The brands that offer nootropics portray it as a masculine product. They want the calming effect and limitless feeling of nootropics to appeal to women, not just to men.
• Fredi aims to make a brand for women going through different dynamics and competing priorities.

Chelsea and Mitch’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

• Mitch decided to become an entrepreneur when he felt that he limits his potential to be fully creative. He wants to take control of his career.
• He also wants others to learn the wellness techniques he utilized to make his work manageable.
• Chelsea has always been an entrepreneur. Thus, she felt she had nothing to lose in pushing his brother's idea.
• Entrepreneurship allows Chelsea to avoid living in a rigid structure where she feels trapped and claustrophobic. She wants to live an authentic life that promotes her creative wave.
• For Chelsea, work shouldn't meddle with the most important people in your life: yourself, relationships, and family.

What Is Nootropics?

• Nootropic supplements are coffee and prescription medications that affect cognition, giving you more energy or focus.
• They contain all-natural ingredients such as herbs, mushrooms, and amino acids.
• They also have a calming effect and give a subtle boost to your day, helping you feel better and move forward more consistently toward your goals.

Managing Expectations Better

• At first, Chelsea struggles with meeting the unrealistic expectations she set for herself. Now she’s learned how to balance the mundane tasks by seeking help from others.
• Wellness taught Chelsea how to find fulfillment instead of expecting perfection. Moments of discomfort are normal, and a long-term scale of fulfillment is what's important.
• People often do not appreciate day-to-day fulfillment. It's all about sustainable joy.
• Your struggles will get worse for them to get your admission and attention. They will reach a tipping point, but they have always been there.

Why We’re Hard on Ourselves

• We don’t give ourselves the same compassion we give to others because we tend to second-guess and get stuck in our cycles.
• Taking care of yourself unleashes your best self, whether it's in your professional or personal life. You lose productivity when you let your health deteriorate.
• Sustainable self-care is crucial because you get a better sense of your feelings and better trust in your intuition. You’ll know how to get yourself back when you get into good practice.

5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode

[08:53] “And what I ended up doing was just really spinning my wheels for so long that I brought myself to this point of burnout just because I wasn't finding that thing that was truly fulfilling.”

[15:25] “Okay, I'm feeling good, I'm happy on a day to day basis, but am I really fulfilling a bigger potential? And am I doing something where I feel like, I'm being creative and really like doing something that is me, not just sort of doing a defined job and doing it better than the next person?”

[16:59] “You prioritize certain things with work, but it really shouldn't be more important than your life, and your relationships, and family.”

[23:51] “It's really not about constant happiness and constant overwhelming joy every day. What it is is a longer-term scale of fulfillment.”

[33:00] “When you take that time for yourself, you come back and you do work at its best level. And you show up as your best self.”

About Chelsea & Mitch

Chelsea and Mitch Glaser are the sister and brother co-founders of Fredi. It is a wellness brand helping women achieve career success by putting their wellness first.

Chelsea is a brand strategist and serial entrepreneur. She's also a co-founder of Launch It Girl, a brand and web design firm for ambitious women.

Mitch is a former Wall Street investment banker. The extreme stress and long work hours led him to a serious health scare, encouraging him to practice holistic wellness.

They joined forces to build Fredi to make it simpler for goal-oriented women to prioritize their wellness and help them feel and perform their best at work.

If you want to know more about Fredi, you may visit their website and Instagram.

This episode is brought to you by

Ritual.com/LOVED

Enjoy the Podcast?

If you felt radically loved from listening to this podcast, subscribe and share it with the people you love!

Love to give us 5 stars? If you do, we'd love a review from you. Help us reach more people and make them feel loved.

Do you want to help promote holistic wellness for women’s success? A simple way is to share what you've learned today on social media.

Don't forget to follow and message us on these platforms!

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To feeling radically loved,

Rosie

Rewriting the Stories of People with Disability with Rebekah Taussig

Stories are how we make sense of the world. However, some stories fail to do justice to the complexity of the human experience. Nowhere is this perhaps more evident than in the stories of people with disability.

In this episode, Rebekah Taussig, author of Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, explains how stories influence policy decisions and shape the experiences of people with disabilities. Discrimination may be less overt, but it remains in the assumptions we have about people we perceive to be different. She shares how to tell more inclusive stories that reflect the breadth of their experience and knowledge.

Tune in to find out how to change the prevailing narrative of ableism through counterstories.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Find out how stories shape cultural narratives and policy decisions around people with disability.
2. Rebekah explains why she thinks ideal body standards are fictional.
3. How does Rebekah feel radically loved? Find out toward the end of the episode.

Resources

• Read all about Rebekah’s inspirational story in her book, Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body.
• Radically Loved Episode 318: Parenting & Evolving with Your Transgender Child with Paria Hassouri

Episode Highlights

Writing Sitting Pretty

• In 1989, Rebekah was diagnosed with cancer, and the treatment left her paralyzed at an early age.
• In her late 20s, she started challenging beliefs about her identity as a person with disability.
• She read critical theories that explained the relationship between her body and the environment.
• She started an Instagram account, where she documented her day-to-day life and experiences.
• Her book builds on this work and prompts people to ask questions and examine their beliefs about their bodies.

Living in a World of Difference and Disconnection

• Rebekah remains stubbornly hopeful about the current world situation.
• She chooses to believe in the good side of humanity.
• At the same time, she acknowledges that there are backward beliefs threatening all this progress.
• Despite the polarizing environment and compelling evidence from both sides, Rebekah clings to hope and remains optimistic.

The Most Difficult Hurdle

• For Rebekah, the hardest part is the assumptions people make about her as soon as she enters a room.
• These assumptions become the basis of decisions and stories around people with disability.
• But these stories are not representative. They are neither nuanced nor flexible, but they continue to shape our worldviews.
• Inclusive storytelling is the answer, whether it’s through literature, film, or other media.
• If we can change the narrative, it’s possible to achieve real, tangible change.

Why Your Body Is Not Broken

• The conversations and beliefs we have around our bodies are too limiting.
• Unrealistic body standards are fictional since they don’t acknowledge the complexities of women’s bodies.
• It’s a system that punishes everyone. There are no winners in this “body competition.”

How to Create Awareness and Connection

• The act of storytelling helps people move past their biases and prejudices.
• Human-centered stories compel people to explore perspectives other than their own.
• To rewrite prevailing narratives, we need counterstories that reflect the diversity of our perspectives.

Rebekah’s Top 3 Lessons

• Rebekah emphasizes that trying to meet the “ideal” body is a punishing exercise.
• When we bring the entire spectrum of the disability to the light, everyone is better off. There’s a space for everyone at the table.
• Instead of being afraid of changes in your body, embrace that discomfort.
• Accept your body for whatever it is in the moment and whatever it’s going to be next.

5 Powerful Quotes From This Episode

[08:32] “Even when it looks like everything's falling apart, there's something stronger underneath and deeper within humans that we do have a desire to connect, and we want connection and beauty and care and creativity. I have to believe that that's ultimately what we are striving for.”

[25:14] “There's something about stories, human stories, personal stories. They're like the sneak attack. They go underneath that. They're like, taking you off guard by you feeling something you didn't anticipate feeling. And I think that that is how you start to see things differently.”

[26:35] “I think this notion of a normal, ideal body is a fiction. I think it's a punishing fiction. And continuing to strive for or hold that up as somehow the ultimate goal is a punishing exercise.”

[28:26] “When we bring all the disabled bodies to the center, I think that benefits everyone. I think that is the move that creates a more sustainable, flexible, caring, connected world.”

[29:57] “Any sort of transition in a body is, like, a frightening thing for a lot of people, I think. And I would challenge and encourage and hopefully empower us to lean into that.” 

About Rebekah

Rebekah Taussig is a writer and author from Kansas City who believes stories can change the world. For Rebekah, the words we use and the stories we tell shape the narratives and opportunities available to people in the fringes. When we tell better stories, we can make room for the diversity of our experiences.

Rebekah earned her Ph.D. in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies from the University of Kansas. Visit her website or connect with her on Instagram.

This episode is brought to you by

Ritual.com/LOVED

This episode is brought to you by Headspace.

Enjoy the Podcast?

If you felt radically loved from listening to this podcast, subscribe and share it with the people you love!

Love to give us 5 stars? If you do, we'd love a review from you. Help us reach more people and make them feel loved.

Do you want to help rewrite the stories of disability? A simple way is to share what you've learned today on social media.

Don't forget to follow and message us on these platforms!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosieacosta

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosieacosta

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radicallylovedrosie

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrosieacosta 

To feeling radically loved,

Rosie