A Wild and Precious Life

Nothing is more devastating in a relationship than the realization that your partner isn’t just difficult, but he is in fact a narcissist. To further complicate things, it isn’t just the two of you in the relationship. Somewhere along the way, you ended up having children. If leaving a narcissist wasn’t difficult already, children mean that you will be tied to your ex until the children are 18 and sometimes longer.“If you leave, you and the children will suffer.”I can’t tell you the number of women who have told me a version of that line. And in true narcissistic form, their narcissist made good on that threat-time and time again. I have interviewed women who have spent millions on legal battles, gave up custody, and worked two or three jobs when the narcissist refused to pay child support.The emotional pain and turmoil inflicted by a narcissist is criminal not only to the former spouse but to the children as wellSadly, the narcissist doesn’t care. He is only concerned with “winning.” Never mind the sex addiction, alcoholism, cheating, overspending, and abusive control that proceeded your ultimate decision to leave-those were your fault anyway in his mind.However, this post isn’t about the narcissist. Instead, it is about how you can keep yourself sane while the narcissist and his flying monkeys circle around trying to prove you otherwise. It’s a reminder that you are more powerful than you think.You left. You took back control of your life. You protected your children from a toxic environment and reduced their exposure to a malignant person. Sadly, the best way to coparent with a narcissist is- DON’T. But that isn’t an option for many. With that in mind, I wanted to share some facts to help you remember you aren’t alone, you aren’t crazy, and you are the parent your children need.Join me as I interview Alana Sharps about ways to protect yourself from narcissistic abuse!Alana Sharps is a Certified High Conflict Divorce and Child Custody Consultant focusing on helping women get through the battle of post-separation abuse. Battling a narcissist in family court is not an easy task and requires a unique skill set. Alana effectively prepares her clients for their tense legal battles with individuals who refuse to negotiate or collaborate. She does this by coaching through the four pillars of mindset growth, self-care, communication strategies, and evidentiary documentation techniques.Alana’s journey from victim to survivor inspired her to make this type of support her life’s work. She has courageously captured her story of survival and resilience in her life-changing book Was It My Fault?. Her hope is that her clients and others will survive and thrive beyond their expectations.Alana's Contact Information:www.surthriveteibe.comInstagram: @surthrivetribe  @alanasharpsTwitter: @alanasharpsTo learn more about Jen or read more of her articles, go to her website-https://jencrosscreative.coInstagram: @jencrosscreativeIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

With a war waging and finding herself a refugee from her home country of Ukraine, Anastasia still found ways to be grateful.  She had her husband, her savings, and friends to give her shelter. However, many of her girlfriends weren't as lucky.  When she learned of them stranded across Europe, she jumped to action and created a network to help them find jobs, homes, and safety.  Listen now to learn how you can help Anastasia and her fellow refugees.Two weeks ago, Anastasia's bio read like this:  Anastasia Vladychynska [vladychynska.com]is a Certified Customer Experience Consultant, founder of Vladychynska Consulting [vladychynska.com], and professor at Kyiv Mohyla Business School. She helps top tier brands keep their customers through reinventing their employee and customer experience so that they can disrupt their industries.Anastasia has worked with McDonald's, MaxMara, KENZO, BNP Paribas bank, Jabil (Fortune 500) and others with her simple system to revolutionize their company’s customer and employee experience. Her methodology covers everything from strategy to culture to help them through their company Service Transformations. Anastasia’s customers generate an average of 20-30% more profitToday is read like this: Anastasia is helping her 100 girlfriends who had to flee Ukraine and are stranded now in Europe with accommodation, jobs and support.To help connect with Anastasia or register for a webinar with a price of your choice...all proceeds will go to her cause.Handles:https://vladychynska.com/en [vladychynska.com] Facebook [facebook.com] YouTube [youtube.com]  Webinars: March, 9: How to attract, hire and retain employees with service DNA (recorded)March,16: How to create customer service standards for your businessMarch, 23: How to create WOW Experience for your clients and employees March, 30: How to work with unsatisfied clients online and offline April, 6: How to get organic referrals with highly satisfied clients and what to avoid if you want to keep clients for life  Link to register and pay here. You can decrease or increase the price manually.  To learn more about Jen, read her articles or listen to podcast episodes from her website visit https://jencrosscreative.co/wppodInstagram:https://instagram.com/jencrosscreativeIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Today is a very special episode!  Jen is interviewing Charmaine Hammond and Michael Mankowski from the award winning movie, Back Home Again!  After a large wildfire ravaged Michael’s hometown of Fort MacMurray, he took it on as a personal project to interview the citizens about their experiences in rebuilding their lives and the toll the fire took on them.  This project became a larger endeavor as he discovered that many of the stories shared a common them-one of hope.  Michael went all in on bringing this story to the big screen including getting help from some very special friends including Charmaine who came on as executive producer.  Their story is so inspirational that it could be a movie itself!Back Home Again is coming out soon!  But don’t wait-watch the trailer and listen for some very familiar voices who lent their talent to this amazing project! Watch the Trailer Here: https://youtu.be/Gz-QJhm5uKIMichael Mankowski BioMichael Mankowski was born and raised in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and is the screenwriter/director of the award-winning animated movie, Back Home Again. Michael is owner and operator of Alien Kow formerly known as Wood Buffalo Productions, an Alberta, based award winning production house. Michael is a graduate of University of Lethbridge Bachelor of Management, and, Vancouver Film School 3D & Animation Program.In 2017 Michael won an award for Excellence in The Arts by the RMWB and Arts Council Wood Buffalo. In 2016 his company won a Leadership Award by RMWB and YYM Magazine. Michael has also produced passion projects, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the winner of the Best Short Film award at the Alberta Film and Television Awards in 2016.  To Learn More about Michael go tohttps://instagram.com/backhomeagainmovie Charmaine Hammond BioCharmaine Hammond, Professional Speaker and best selling author is a highly sought-after business keynote and workshop speaker, business owner, author and educator who teaches and advocates the importance of collaboration, mental health, and healthy relationships. She has helped clients in many industries build resilient and engaged workplaces, and solve workplace issues and conflict that gets in the way of. She also Executive Producer of the Back Home Again movie, working closely with Michael (Screenwriter/director) almost since the beginning of this project.  Responsible for heading up the collaborations, partnerships and sponsorship, and the marketing and events for the project, she is passionate about this film because Fort McMurray was her home for 15 years. She didn’t live there at the time of the fires however returned on contacts with the social profit organizations and school boards to work with the community on the recovery and resilience initiatives.Charmaine can be found atHttps://instagram.com/charmaine_hammondHttps://instagram.com/raiseadreamBack Home Again AwardsThe movie Back Home Again won the Jury Award for Best Animation Short (Alberta) and the Audience Choice Award (Dramatic Short) at the October 2021 Edmonton International Film Festival, and an Award of Excellence at the Canada Shorts Film Festival. To learn more about Jen from the podcast to reading her articles that inspire the episodes-go to www.jencrosscreative.co Intro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Why do we say yes when we want to say no?  What do we volunteer, run ourselves ragged, and overextend our already overextended bodies?Because we want to fit in, we want to belong, and we are terrified of being left out.  It doesn't have to be this way-we can learn to stop the madness.   Join Jen and Stephanie Costello as they discuss how they battled their own internal struggles with people-pleasing, boundary setting, and serving themselves first.My guest this week is Stephanie Costello!  She is an all-around amazing trauma survivor, wife, mom, and extreme mountain climber.  She won't be a one-hit wonder, but we already have another episode planned!  Here is a little more about her and her links:Stephanie has over 10 years of experience in the Mental Health Field working with individuals ranging from 6 years to 50 years old. Attending school for Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Psychology, Stephanie has learned the essential skills to relationship building.  Becoming a mom of three beautiful children and being diagnosed with PTSD, the struggle of working through these life changes has propelled her ability to support people. Receiving the diagnosis and going through labor was the easy part. Finding the inspiration and belief in herself was the real challenge. This is why men and women alike, turn to Stephanie when they want to find safety in freedom through embracing themselves, owning their power and breaking free of toxic patterns.Stephanie has beaten all statistical odds. Her life journey has fueled her fire to help people take action and fight through the resistance. Relationships are all about compromise and collaboration. Giving and receiving energy. If you are ready to take action and build a healthy relationship both with yourself and the individuals in your life, Stephanie is the one for you. Links for Stephanie:https://www.safetyinfreedom.comTo Learn More about and Contact Jen: https://linktr.ee/JenCrossCreativeIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

How do you handle rejection? Why do we take it so hard when someone or something doesn't work out for us?Is it possible that rejection can be a gift?Join Jen as she reads from her article, Writing Rejection Sucks..But Only For a Minute, and then invites Codi Chen on to discuss writing, rejection, and how life has a way of always working out!  To Learn More about Jen, her writing, and follow her on Social:https://linktr.ee/JenCrossCreativeCodi Chen is the co-creator of HeartWorks Writing!. She provides services such as book & content coaching, copywriting, editing, and ghostwriting. She also leads different group writing series throughout the year, the most current one being their Memoir Mindset series. Codi's passion is helping creators and entrepreneurs find their voice, get excited about their ideas, and organize a plan to make it all come to life. You can check out the HeartWorks Writing website at www.heartworksw.com, and you can find her on Instagram @ codielizabeth and @ heartworkswriting .Codi's new course mentioned:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMHb0zNmoFEIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Has Tik Tok become the main conversation topic in your house? Have you limited social media for your own kids only to have their friends share things with them? Join Jen as she reads from her article, Raising Tweens in a Tik Tok World, and welcomes Dr. Bob Saul to discuss how we as parents can stay connected to our kids in this age of social media.Dr. Bob Saul has been guiding the physical, behavioral, and mental care of children for over 40 years. His Parental Awareness Threshold is a simple framework to actively parent with self-awareness, empathy, and compassion where children learn to build nurturing relationships as well as exhibit love and respect for others.Jen also shares news of her newest book, Stella Daniels and the Guardians of Light, dropping for FREE in podcast form on January 26th. Link to apple podcasts above, but it is available on all major streaming services!  To find out more about Jen, follow her socials, or contact about being a guest on the podcast, check out the link below: https://linktr.ee/JenCrossCreativeTo learn more about Dr. Bob Saul: Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/mychildrenschildren; http://www.facebook.com/allaboutchildren2017; http://www.facebook.com/consciousparentingPATTwitter – www.twitter.com/@saul1robertLinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/robertasaulInstagram – www.instagram.com/rsaulYouTube – www.youtube.com/robertsaulmdIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Are The Ghosts of Bullies Past Inside Your Head? How Do We Banish Negative Self Talk For Good?"When you grow up in a home where the criticism and judgment are constant, your inner critic is a ruthless companion that never really leaves." Jen CrossJen is joined by Paul Levitin, host of the Healthy Happy Human Podcast where they discuss the effect positive affirmations have had on both of their lives and the importance of letting go of negative self-talk that doesn't serve you.Learn more about Jen from articles to projects:https://linktr.ee/JenCrossCreativeLearn more about Paul's Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/paul-levitinHealthy Happy Human Academy grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/hhhacademy/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/paullevitin/Intro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Is it ever too late to hit the pause, rewind, or eject button?  What happens when you find yourself on a path that makes you miserable? Jen says: Your best life isn’t a destination but a journey. I remind myself that the best is yet to come. Even when things are going well in my life, and I can’t imagine something better, I say to myself- “Just wait."After reading from her article, 5 Essentials to Crafting Your Best Life, Jen is joined by Cathlyn Melvin.  Jen and Cathlyn discuss all things quitting.  Cathlyn like Jen is a fellow writer who once thought law school was the best option on earth. However, when she looked at what she really wanted out of her best life, lady law wasn't in the cards.  Cathlyn challenged herself to find her best life and ended up on the TEDX stage.  This is not an episode to miss if you have ever wondered if you were on the right path.A degree in theatre performance. A minor in writing. 10+ years as an educator, professional actor, and entrepreneur. Drawing on her diverse experiences, copywriter Cathlyn Melvin uses her skills to lift the voices of mission-driven coaches and platform leaders, growing their reach, revenue, and impact.Cathlyn’s expertise has been featured via TEDx, Thrive Global, Much More Media, Captivate + Convert, Think Courageously, and other outlets. As a speaker and writer, Cathlyn seeks to shape our collective understanding of what it means to be mission-driven—and why values and impact are the ultimate personal and business compass.To find ,ore of Jen's Articles, follow her on social media or contact her about a guest spot on the show: Jen's LinktreeTo learn more about Cathlyn, find her here:  www.rightcatcreative.comIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

 Have you ever found yourself drunk at an airport wondering how you got there? Has the question, "Am I an alcoholic" ever crossed your mind? Do you find yourself looking forward to that glass of wine or beer at the end of the day more than you used to?From  Jen's article "Sobriety is the New Chic:""People can choose their habits, but some habits will choose them if they allow it. Alcohol or anything that alters your brain chemistry is one such thing."-Jen CrossAlex Grimm is an instructor at Uptown Yoga in Dallas, TX, and an all-around badass woman.  Alex had a wake-up call with her relationship to alcohol when she found herself back at a Dallas airport after leaving her best friend in New Orleans.  She had no recollection of how she got there. From that day forward, she knew she needed a change.Join Jen and Alex as they have a frank discussion about drinking, mommy wine culture, and finding a more sober life with like-minded people in their yoga community.To read more of Jen's articles, follow her on social media, or contact her regarding episodes click here:https://linktr.ee/JenCrossCreativeTo follow Alex and Uptown Yoga see the links belowAlex's InstagramUptown Yoga's InstagramIntro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Isn't it amazing how a small group of like-minded women can come together and make a change?  What happens though when you build a community of these women?  Amy and Nancy Harrington decided to find out! Join us for a very special guest episode featuring The Passionistas Project, a female empowerment movement led by sisters, Amy and Nancy Harrington!  Learn how they got started, what they have learned along the way, and how you can be a part of their community! To Follow Jen and Read More of Jen’s Articles:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jencrosscreative/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenCross3 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jencrosscreativeMedium: https://cjencross.medium.comJen’s Podcast for Kids: (dropping January 26th)https://stelladanielspodcast.buzzsprout.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stelladanielspodcastforkids/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/StellaDanielspodcast The Passionistas Project Can Be Found:Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thepassionistasproject/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePassionistasProject/Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PassionsProjLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepassionstasproject/Website:  www.thepassionistasproject.com    Intro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Have you ever met someone determined to be unhappy?  Have you ever felt trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts?   How does mindset really affect our happiness and success?  In this episode, Jen reads from her article:Want a Beautiful Life? Change Your MindsetThen, Jen is joined by her guest, Denise Drinkwalter.  Denise is an Empowerment Life Coach fulfilling extraordinary work with women in their midlife years.   She has an intuitive gift that affords her the ability to assist women in gaining clarity, perspective, and strength from within. Jen and Denise discuss all things from avoiding the trap of toxic conversations to setting goals that change your life and mindset. If you have ever wondered how to stay positive in an increasingly negative world, don't miss this episode! To Follow Jen and Read More of Jen’s Articles:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jencrosscreative/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenCross3Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jencrosscreativeMedium: https://cjencross.medium.comJen’s Podcast for Kids: (dropping January 26, 2022)https://stelladanielspodcast.buzzsprout.comDenise Drinkwalkter Can Be Found:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denisedrinkwalter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denise.drinkwalterLinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisedrinkwalter/Website: https://www.denisedrinkwalter.com/   Intro Trailer to Wild and Precious Life

Have you figured out how to be two places at once?  Me neither!Jen welcomes Cara Tyrell of Core4Parenting to discuss the ins and outs of crazy mornings and the importance of good communication with your kids at any age. Jen shares how she handled her own manic morning with her youngest recently, and Cara weighs in on the importance of intentional parenting in stressful times.To Follow Jen and Read More of Jen’s Articles:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jencrosscreative/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenCross3Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jencrosscreative Medium: https://cjencross.medium.comJen’s Podcast for Kids:https://stelladanielspodcast.buzzsprout.com Cara Tyrell Can Be Found:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/core4parentingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/core4parentingWebsite: https://www.core4parenting.com   

Nothing says, "Ho, Ho, Ho" like when your brother accuses you of being one on Christmas Eve. Ok, to be fair, he didn't say, "Ho" it more like gold-digging tramp...but that's all in the story.  Listen to Jen read her article about how she dealt with her own toxic family and stick around for her discussion with EMDR expert and psychotherapist, Suzanne McColl, to learn tips and tricks for navigating your own family holidays.  Be sure to listen to the full episode for some exciting news on future guests!Link to full Medium article:https://medium.com/being-known/i-wont-be-home-for-christmas-ever-again-4d70fbf3113cPay for Jen's Coffee-Link to her Medium Membership Referral Page:https://cjencross.medium.com/membershipInstagram Handle-@jencrosscreativeInformation on finding Suzanne:www.suzannemccollllc.comInstagram: @suzannemccollllc.com

This week, Jen shares her experiences that led her to pursuing her writing career more fully. Sometimes the things that let you down are the things that give you strength.Article Link:https://cjencross.medium.com/thanks-for-not-supporting-me-deb5f080fae3Link to Jen's Writing On Medium:https://cjencross.medium.com

The F*uck You Forties are a wild ride, but we as woman can ride the wave together.  Jen will read her article, Five Things Every 40-Something Woman Should Have If She Wants to Be Happy, and then she will be joined by Crystal Steers, Founder of Chasing Happiness. They will discuss self care and what that means, finding connection and embracing all life in your forties have to offer.  Practical tips from how to carve out self care in five minutes today and how to practice gratitude are all part of this episode. Jen is a published author who writes on Medium, and she can be found at: http://cjencross.medium.com https://www.jencrosscreative.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jencrosscreativeCrystal Steers can be found at:https://www.instagram.com/chasinghappiness.cahttp://www.chasinghappiness.ca

Today's episode is inspired by my Medium Article of the same name!https://cjencross.medium.com/are-you-brave-enough-to-quit-fd87e9057fe1I am interviewing Chaya Lev, an American ex pat and cancer survivor who after healing shed all the expectations of others to live her one wild and precious life  in Israel while realizing a life long dream of teaching dance to others. You can follow Chaya's journey on Instagram @iamchayalev and at https://www.chayalev.comAnother mention, I made in the podcast was Kathrin Zenkina of Manifestation Babe found here:https://manifestationbabe.comPlease consider supporting me by joining Medium with my affiliate link:https://cjencross.medium.com/membershipThank you for listening!  Don't forget to rate and review!

An introduction to a Wild and Precious Life.