Coffee in the Corral

This week I have a special guest, Adrienne Weston, join me today on Coffee in the Corral!!  Be ready to be inspired and amazed at the bravery of this woman as she talks about the trauma she experienced growing up and how she has taken her freedom. *Trigger Warning: Childhood sexual abuse* Adrienne shares about her job and why she loves it so much. Her passion is almost palpable as she explains how meaningful it is. We hear about her best friend, her painful childhood, the dysfunctional family dynamics, and how it all turned into her being responsible for whether her dad went to prison or not. It’s a heart-wrenching story but I know there are many of us who can relate in some way. Then we get to hear about how Adrienne started taking her power back and finally deciding to say “Fuck No!” It’s so inspiring to hear how she is actively seeking healing and rewriting the story for her own kids. It’s a difficult listen sometimes but I promise you, it’s worth it. This lady is a shining example that nobody has to ever stay stuck in a toxic way of living when they decide they are done with it. Adrienne is one badass woman with a vital message for the world. She is honest, brave, relatable, engaging and vibrant! She is an unstoppable force using her power to do great things for those in her life path. A huge thank you again to her for being so brave to share her life story with all of us!

Today I share my exciting, new opportunity, “Movement Coaching”, that I am adding to my Freedom For The Taking organization.  But I am not perfect. I struggle. I have so many toxic thoughts about my body.  Today I read a letter that I wrote to my body after a frustrating experience. It is raw, honest, and covers the full range of emotions.  This episode reminds us how important it is to integrate all the parts of ourselves. Our bodies work so hard for us. I am learning to love mine and take better care of her. I hope this episode encourages you to dig deep. Your body deserves all the love and care you can give it. *hugs*

Today it was my delight and honor to interview the lovely Kristi Spencer and learn about her and her etiquette business The Polite Company! Kristi talks about: Her life story and how she ended up changing her whole career during Covid to pursue a dream on her bucket list Her passion for teaching etiquette and the value that her company offers The misconceptions people often have when they hear about etiquette Why she can’t just run to the grocery store in her comfy clothes sometimes Her favorite ways to care for herself The message she would tell the world. She shares this at the end. It’s simple but profound and important. Don’t miss it! I highly recommend everyone head right over to Kristi’s social media and check out all the value she has to offer!! Find and connect with Kristi Spencer on Facebook and Instagram @thepolitecompanykristi Linkedin at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-spencer  Also, be sure to stop by and visit her website Thepolitecompany.com Kristi says she loves hearing from people about their etiquette dilemmas and social snafus!  You can email her with your questions at thepolitecompany@gmail.com

"Rebuilding isn't the hard part; The tearing out, getting rid of the old, that's the hard part." - Abigail Hobbs - Story of doing a big siding job with Nate and how I was shocked to learn that it's the dismantling of the job that's the most difficult part. - Story of my second job with Nate replacing rotten facia board and how I learned it takes a team to keep each other protected and safe. - Story of how my "simple" recycling project turned into two days, a lot of work, and a lesson about why it's hard to rewire our minds. - The negative messaging that I am working on deconstructing right now. Here are some of the takeaways from today's episode: It takes a lot of time and effort to dismantle the old patterns and beliefs we have had our whole life. Our brains are designed for continual upkeep. Sometimes we need a professional to help us through really dangerous spaces. "Deconstructing always happens before improvement." - Abigail Hobbs

Oh, my goodness get ready for another fantastic interview on today's episode! - My daughter Tanaya joins me to talk about her life experiences growing up and how things have changed in her world. Hear about: - The story of how Tanaya found and bought her first horse Rae-Ana - Village life as a 7-year-old - Moving away from all her friends and trying to adjust to Colorado - The "Bapatised" story ;) - The difference between how she was as a "good Christian kid" versus having the freedom to learn how to prioritize herself, use her voice, and listen to her body - Allowing herself the space to process and have feelings in a way that feels right to her - The challenge of being in a space of self-discovery - Why do we picture our path through life to be straight???? - Why Tanaya's favorite change in our family is the freedom to be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and how a simple trip to the Dollar Store turned into Tanaya allowing herself to be disappointed and discovering that she likes weird things! - Listen to the end to hear Tanaya's message to the world. It isn't about being optimistic. You might be surprised to hear her take on optimism and what she has learned about it in her own personal experience. :) Don't forget to subscribe and share this with your friends!! Thank you for being so supportive!!

- A VERY SPECIAL TREAT TODAY! - Join me as I chat with my daughter this morning and she shares her valuable insight with us! - Ava talks about how she used to view life and how the changes our family has made in the past 4 years have changed the way she now sees the world. - Ava talks about her cat, shares some of her past fears, and even tells some personal stories of how she has learned to accept her big feelings. - Her candidness, honesty, wisdom, and humor make this episode absolutely DELIGHTFUL! Here is the song that Ava recommends everyone listens to this week: "The Fun in Life" - by Elton Castee, Pierre Bouvier, Scotty Sire This episode is confirmation that kids have way more insight than we usually give them credit for :). Help us share the goodness by sharing this podcast with your friends and family! Even kids will benefit from listening to today's episode!

- Today I bring to you an absolutely delightful conversation with Jennifer! - How it feels to be half a century old :) - What Jennifer would say to her 25-year-old self - Getting stuck in guilt and how to combat the negative messages we tell ourselves - What her therapist said to her about "second chances" - How Jennifer fits into the LGBTQIA+ community and why she feels honored to belong to it - Internal and external goals moving forward into this new and beautiful stage of life! Jennifer's Bio: Born and raised in California, Jennifer is a beach girl all the way. She moved to MO to attend Ozark Christian College where she got her degree in Biblical Literature and Psychology. She married young and after years of infertility, she and her husband adopted 3 children, one with special needs. Besides raising children, she also taught foster parenting and adoption classes and worked for Rapha House as International Director of Client Services including living in Cambodia for 2 years. After almost 25 years of marriage, Jennifer began to realize she was in an abusive situation and did not want to spend the rest of her life trapped and unhappy. Through a strange turn of events, Jennifer discovered her queerness when she met and fell in love with Abigail. This was the beginning of Jennifer finding herself, and building a life she loved. Jennifer offers life coaching to individuals struggling in their lives and needing someone to walk alongside them. She is a gem. Her life experiences give her the ability to understand the struggle but she also helps people discover their value and can empower them to pursue a life they desire. You can contact her by email at talk2jenniferg@gmail.com

- Jaden's unique experience growing up in the village - The exciting but lonely move to CO. - Struggling in his junior year of homeschool - The decision to go to public school for his senior year and what it was like for him - The college Jaden plans to attend and why - What starting to "adult" feels like for this graduated 17-year-old and how parents might help their young adults transition ;) - How Jaden's view of what he wants to do has expanded since his parents are no longer religious - Advice to teenagers!

- Update on Dayo and the things we take for granted... like couches - Today I read my latest blog post which is a story of how turtles are teaching me to be a better mom. The blog is coming out on 5-23-23 and has my thoughts and feelings about my son graduating the day after I wrote it. Check out biketotype.com to read it for yourself or to share it with a mom who may be able to relate! - It's hard letting go of our kids sometimes and trusting that they are ready to go adult on their own. This week I am realizing that my son is about to spread his wings and will be off to college in Illinois this fall. It's scary and I'll miss him like crazy. But it's time. - This podcast episode is a vulnerable look into my heart as I reflect on the past 12 years and struggle to let my son go make his way in the world. - FYI - I won't be back for two weeks due to taking my son on a graduation trip. If you miss me too bad, go back and listen to your favorite episode while I'm gone. 😊 Or email me with an idea of what you would like me to podcast about at zebracoach@freedomforthetaking.org

- Why Mother's Day is both hard and good for me - The message I was raised with about the most important job in the world - My first pregnancy and the truths I could never tell anyone for a very long time - The conversations that I have with my kids now... - You're never too old to pursue the things you love - Why I do NOT think mothers are the most amazing people in the world

- This morning all my horses came over right away to check in and say hello:) - I am tired of saying "It's been a week." - Realizing I needed to stop and figure out where I had lost myself. - "As different seasons come, the need to re-calibrate comes." - The signs that it's time to relook, reaccess, and reset. - "How can I keep doing all the things I love and not burn out?" - Recognizing I had given my piece of the pie away... - Story of trying to train for a half marathon and bring all of my life along with me ;) - How my chickens are teaching me to look for another option

- Learning to find gratitude in the middle of all the shit that life throws my way - I read the lyrics to one of my favorite songs in the history of songs - Dance recital last weekend and some observations that Nate and I made - Why I love this song and how it is helping me live my life in a way that makes me feel alive - Finding the little things that I can do in my daily life that are honoring to who I am and who I want to be and the life I want to live Now, everyone's homework is to go immediately and listen to the song "Chasing the Sun" by Sara Bareilles. Play it loud. Feel it in your bones. And if you dare...dance to it.

Today's episode kind of surprised me and brought out some emotions. But it is an important part of my healing journey and I am learning to allow myself permission to feel :). - How I plan to answer when someone says "So tell me about you..." - Learning to separate "who" I am from "what" I do - Digging into why I feel so driven always to accomplish - The mean voice in my head that is scared of being lazy - Learning to give love to myself as I struggle to make new pathways - Listen to the end to find out what my tea bag is teaching me...

- Change of plans due to Zelle having a swollen eye - Come alongside me as I groom Zelle and explain the use of each brush and how to properly use them - Why you should groom your horse often and the benefits of it - Finding ways to give back to our horses and how Zelle tells me she loves it - Rewiring Zelle's brain about the mounting block and how I am teaching her that it's a good place to be - A short lesson on desensitizing a horse using my training flag - Story of the camouflaged bird - How nature is teaching me to keep looking for the answers :) - Last random thoughts about why I love nature and what a flock of crows is called...

- I discuss why it's a good idea to take small risks every day and how it can benefit you - My frustration with learning to juggle online finances, moving money around, and keeping track of different accounts. - Why I think it's healthy for us to push ourselves outside our comfort zones and be willing to learn something we suck at :) - How being nonmonogamous has made me a better human and why I love it so much! - You have the ability to not only change your life, but you can also literally change who you are. Never settle for a boring, dull, stagnant life.

- Zelle is very engaged with me for this episode and keeps coming back to be a part of it in her own, big toddler kind of way. You gotta watch the YouTube video to get the full experience and see her in all her glory:)! - Why I am sitting on a huge stuffed brown bear to record this episode... - The new way to respond to someone sneezing... (you must listen to the #weneedtolaughpodcast to fully understand this story:) - Healing update - the ups and downs - So many things that I juggle in life and how yoga got me thinking about how I can not lose my balance so much - Our motto for this week is "Drink some coffee, put on some gangster rap, and handle it."

- More frustrating health issues that are almost driving me crazy - It doesn't seem to matter how hard I try... - The messy middle and feelings of hopelessness - RaeAna attempts to dominate all the hay ;) - A special visit with my pony Fay and her backstory - Fay teaches me about why some people don't like people in their face and space - Learning to love others in a way that feels loving to them - Trying to not fuck it up with those I love

- Update on my ingrown toenail and the story of how I ended up at the doctor for it twice in one week - My realization that I suck at valuing myself enough to ask for what I need - Working through angry feelings at myself with the advice of my 10-year-old - Struggling to understand myself - Lessons from my toes about not taking small things for granted ;) Learn more about me on my social media! freedomforthetaking.org biketotype.com https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087793158579&mibextid=LQQJ4d Contact me! freedomforthetaking@gmail.com

- Strange TMI intro about my ingrown toenail - Jennifer talks about why she was too afraid to value herself enough to have boundaries for most of her life and her journey to how she now listens to her body and is learning to love herself enough to have them. - We discussed why boundaries can be so difficult and some of the wiring we had to unlearn. - My bizarre "Jump in the River" story - Zelle joins us a couple of times to try out our tea and remind us that she too needs boundaries ;). - Our experiences of how our bodies tell us when we need to have boundaries or when someone has bumped up against them. - I believe that family is not the most important, but YOU are.

- Today you get a unique experience! This podcast was recorded while training my horse Zelle in the round pen :). - Learn how I train my horses and why I do it the way I do. - I start simple and small. I want Zelle to move out of confidence, not fear. - Less is more. - Learn the importance of feel, release, and softness. - Today I introduce a little bit of round penning at liberty and the meaning of why I do it. - Don't forget to check out the video of today's session on YouTube at freedomzebracoach