​Last week we had the first full moon of the calendar year 2022.  I didn’t celebrate it in any way, I didn’t perform any ritual, I wasn’t in ceremony, but I did put out filtered water to be charged by lunar energy.
 
I was however, in thought and in feeling.  I was in my Shadow and in my Light, curious about what I was ready to release not only during the full moon, but over the course of the next few months leading up to my 55th birthday.  Well, I guess one could say I was in a ritual of sorts.
 
Do you work with the cycles of the moon?  Are you the kind of person who sets intentions during the darkness of the new moon and finds release during the brilliance of the full moon?  Yeah, me too.
 
In my practices of curiosity and introspection, it became abundantly clear what I am truly ready to let go of.  Finally, and fully prepared for the release of a few core-related, limiting beliefs that I am sick and tired of carrying around.  Stories that belong to someone else that I’ve used to keep me playing small and in a loop of distraction and self-sabotage.
 
But that’s not why I write to you today. 
 
The cycles of the moon give us the opportunity to know ourselves more deeply, more truly, more authentically.  The cycles of the moon give us the opportunity to be more of who we really are.  Through the cycle of the new moon, we set intentions.  In the process of intention setting, we recognize and acknowledge those things we want to put in motion.  Intentions help us shift in the direction of what we prefer in our lives.  They guide us in creating new habits and spiritual practices that are in alignment with who we prefer to be.   In turn, helping us to know ourselves more deeply, my truly, more authentically.  Intentions help us to be more of who we truly are and who we prefer to be.
 
Through the cycle of the full moon, we are offered a chance to release aspects of ourselves and our lives we no longer need, those things that are no longer in alignment with the current version of ourselves.  In the process of release, we more easily recognize and acknowledge those things that are worn out, outdated, those things that no longer serve us.  The act of releasing guides us inletting go of those things that are no longer in alignment with who we prefer to be.  In turn, helping us know ourselves more deeply, more truly, more authentically.  The act of releasing helps us to be more of who we really are by letting go of who we are not.
 
Yes, the moon influences us but in truth, we use the moon as a permission slip.
 
A permission slip is ANY technique, tool, ritual, object, discipline, practice, ANYTHING in physical reality that you believe will help you become more of who you are, to be more of who you truly are, to know yourself more deeply, more authentically.  It is anything that you give yourself, to give yourself permission to change because you believe it will help you do the things you do and make changes you need to make.  You understand that “With this assisting me, I believe I can change.”  Permission slips give you a broader sense of what is possible for you.   
 
Mediation, tarot, mirror work, affirmations, statues of deities, rituals, introspection, relationships, journaling, nature, enrollment in a course of study, coaching, booking a session with a spiritual teacher, yoga, and the moon, are all examples of permissions slips.  Ultimately you realize you are the permission slip, and you can change in any way, shape, or form that you prefer, at any time, without necessarily needing a ritual or object to make it easier for you to do so.

What would you have to believe to be true that causes you to modify or adjust your thoughts, words, or behavior?  What would you have to believe to be true that would cause you to abandon yourself and your authenticity so you could fit in, be loved, or accepted?
 
We tell ourselves stories all the time.  Sometimes these stories are based in positivity and love, but often our stories are based in limitation, negativity, and fear.   For so many of us, we live within the paradox or the struggle of belonging vs. authenticity.
 
When you were a baby, you needed your parents for your survival.  Many of us … most of us … were raised by wounded adult children who had little-to-no capacity to deal with their emotions and their own neediness.  So, when attempts by you, as a baby, to express yourself and your needs were met with disapproval, when mom and dad couldn’t respond to you sufficiently, you abandoned your authenticity in order to preserve the attachment to your parents.   You became compliant to their wishes and demands, and you began to adjust your behavior in an attempt to satisfy your parents. 
 
For so many of us, this behavior is carried throughout our lifetime and applied to countless experiences and relationships.   You are not responsible for the type of childhood programming or conditioning you received, but you are responsible for what you do with it as an adult.  Your parents were doing the best they could with the knowledge and understanding they had at the time, so do yourself a favor and let yourself be in the process of forgiveness.  The spiritual practices of healing one’s life is never about blame, but is always about a sense of understanding, overcoming, transforming, and moving closer to your True Authentic Self.
 
Before I go on, I want to share that I’m just touching the surface of our experience here in physical reality.  In no way am I trying to make light of childhood abuses, neglect, or trauma.  I would always suggest professional help in healing yourself through whatever means work for you.  My personal belief is that we choose our parents and our conditioning in order to overcome and transform our challenges as adults, and to move closer to remembering our Essential Self.   With anything anyone writes or teaches or shares, it’s important for you to take what feels right, and leave the rest.
 
For the sake of understanding, the words “stories” and “beliefs” are interchangeable.
 
Humans are social creatures.  We want to feel as if we belong, somewhere.  Within our family unit, our tribe, out community, and in the world.  The important piece here, is belonging, while being authentic instead of trying to fit in.  You are here to be your own unique shape, like a piece of a puzzle.  You, along with all the other shapes and sizes “fit in” together to form one large, magnificent tapestry of existence.  Yet all too often, we are still in a place of modifying and adjusting our thoughts, words, and behaviors because at a very deep level we still believe the attachment or sense of belonging is more important than being our True Self. 
 
We end of sacrificing so much and continuously abandon our truth.  We play small so that others will feel better about themselves.  We end up spending so much of our lives, living them for other people!  We often think, speak, and behave in a way we think other people want us to.  All of this is rooted in the first relationships and experience of ourselves, with our parents, when we’re babies.
 
How many times have you wanted to really say what’s on your mind and speak your truth, but didn’t?
How often have you wanted to take a risk, but didn’t?
How many times have you wanted to end the relationship, but haven’t?
How often have you wanted to shine as bright as the sun, but didn’t?
How many times have you wanted to express yourself through your passions, but didn’t?
How often do you feel the pull to live a life bigger than that of others, but haven’t?
 
Why not?  Why haven’t you set a boundary, spoken your truth, taken a risk, shined bright, expressed your uniqueness, or lived your life on your terms?  Because again, at a deep level you believe it’s more important to fit in, belong and be someone you think other people want you to be.  Because you are telling yourself stories based in limitation, fear, and negativity.  Somewhere within you, that little girl or that little boy believes it’s not safe to be herself or himself, that you can’t trust your uniqueness and your authenticity will be met with loving arms of acceptance for who you truly are.  
 
Every time you abandon your True personality, you lower your vibration to match another’s.  In doing so, you create a struggle within yourself.  Can you feel that?  Of course you can, you know it’s there.  You’ve felt it many times, haven’t you? 
 
What you believe about yourself, and your life becomes true for you.  It’s that simple.  Your physical reality is rooted in your belief systems, in the stories you tell yourself about who you are.  How are those stories working for you currently?   How ready are you to fully let go of the stories that keep you in patterns of inauthenticity and abandonment?  Then I suggest you start to pay attention to the moments when you adjust your thoughts, your words, or your behaviors and ask yourself …. What would I have to believe to be true in order to behave this way, in order to speak the way I’m speaking, in order for me to feel the way I’m feeling?  What stories am I telling myself in regard to fitting in and belonging? 
 
Remain neutral.
Get curious.
Be honest.
Live authentically.

Our belief systems are as vital and as important as our internal organs.  Without them, we would not exist.  They, our thoughts, create our physical reality.   What we believe about life and about ourselves becomes true for us.  It’s that simple.  Putting this discipline into practice can be more challenging.
 
Our beliefs, stories, suggestions, definitions, expectations, and assumptions create our experience of physical reality, moment to moment throughout the day.  Paying attention to your train of thought will give you the opportunity to witness the reality you’re creating and offer you the vision to see how life is reflecting back to you, what you are believing to be true about yourself and your life around you.
 
It is often habitual and sometimes unconscious, the stories we create in our minds following an event that happens.  We tell ourselves something based on the event and then we attach meaning to it.  This leads to a behavior and an outcome that isn’t always our preference.  Why?  Because we automatically go to stories that are based in negativity and fear.  
 
In my practice of vulnerability and desire to share with the hopes of inspiring another soul into introspection, I offer you this personal experience.
 
With three minutes left of class and in the process of moving students out of their deep relaxation, my mic died.   Two classes in a row I “lost sound” and students couldn’t hear me or my instruction.  I was mortified because it was the second class in a row my sound went out.   The first time the whole house went dark, and my internet connection lost.
 
There was a new student in class and as we began I noticed a fleeting moment of “needing to make her happy”.    It was her second class with me.  I could have in that moment, paused, and shifted, but I didn’t.   I taught from that energic place and then my mic dropped. 
 
The few hours that followed were not what I would call a preferred outcome from class.  I was angry and embarrassed and in a vicious cycle of beating myself up.  I was punishing myself and I projected some of that anger and punishment on the people around me.   Can you imagine what kind of stories I was creating in my head?
 
I knew I needed to get still and breathe, so that’s what I did.  With my journal next to me, I started to write.  In stillness I tuned into the stories and the feelings and sensations associated with them.  In simply being in them from a neutral place, I began to get curious about what I was believing to be true. 
 
Here are some of the stories I was telling myself.
 
I am inadequate and unworthy to teach a class on Zoom.
I should have checked the battery life.
Because this happened and it’s my fault, I need to be punished.
I chose to mentally punish myself and verbally punish those around me.
I ruined their day.
I suck.
I didn’t do it right.
People hate me.  They talk about me.
I need to impress her, make her happy with her financial investment in me.
She did something for me so now I must repay the favor.
It’s selfish to receive.
Pleasing her is more important than showing the real me.
I feel shame and guilt.
It’s not safe for me to be me.
You do what’s right Shauna.  You make sure she’s happy and that she likes you.
People’s opinions of me are more important than the opinions I have of myself.
 
 
There are many more layers underneath the layers underneath the layers of beliefs I’m carrying around with me.  As I peeled through each one and weeded out as many as I could, it came down to what it always comes down to.  The core negative beliefs of unworthiness and inadequacy.  Not being good enough.
 
When I, or you, allow for or chose the experience of unworthiness, we lower our overall energy frequency and slow down the transmission of information that runs along the neural pathways of the body and brain.  We become out of alignment and out of balance with the essence of who we really are.
Worthy.  Each one of us.  Worthy.  We have to be worthy of our existence in order to create an experience of unworthiness.  Lovely paradox, no?
 
This is how it works:
An event happens in your life. 
A story or stories are created in that moment.
Meaning is attached and the feeling created.  (You cannot experience a feeling without a belief first)
Behavior is then acted through the story.
All leading to an outcome or experience that is not preferred.
 
Looks like this:
New student in class.
Chose to ignore my inner voice and intuition and dove right down into negative stories
Mic drop
Que the low energy feelings and emotions
Self-hatred and projection
Discord and unhappiness
 
Have your thoughts moved yet to an event or strong emotion you’ve been “dealing with”?   Are you relating any of this to your own life?
 
Also, I couldn’t ignore that fact that I lost sound two classes in a row.  Clearly the Universe was trying to get my attention about something.  So I sat with that and got curious.  My ah-ha moment came when I remembered that just a month ago I received a throat and third eye initiation at the Awakening the Seer conference.  Boom.  Open chakra.  Ready to go.  Waiting on me.  What is it I need to say?  What do I need people to hear?  What truth am I not sharing?  What might I be unwilling to hear?  What new expression do I need to stand tall in?  What is ready to be birthed in creation?  Where do I need to use my voice?
 
Here. Right here.
I haven’t had the urge to write like I am now, in a very long time.  It took this event and experience of stillness and listening to remind me of one of my excitements.   *sigh*  Don’t you just love how the Universe works? 
 
I invite you friends, to start paying attention to the top layers of your thoughts.  The stories you are telling yourself about events that happen and what you belief about yourself and the world around you.  Invite yourself to be with yourself in stillness, reflection, and introspection.  Get curious and listen.  Let yourself swim gracefully and intentionally through the layers of your beliefs.
 
I end by saying this …
 
They’re just stories and stories can be changed.  I have the power to change them, and so do you.

​When was the last time you checked in with or paid attention to your thoughts?
 
It has been my experience through countless conversations with people, that far too many of us live in a cycle of negative thoughts and self-talk.   Today, my intention and my hope is that I can give you the tools necessary to create and integrate a new practice into your daily life, one that will have you thinking and speaking more highly of yourself.
 
Negative self-talk is an endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through our head.  It’s an inner dialogue that limits our ability to believe in ourselves and our abilities to reach our potential.  Some self-talk comes from logic and reason.  While much of it may arise from misconceptions we create because of lack of information.  
 
Most, if not all of us, at some point in our lives, experience the cyclical nature of negative self-talk.  This unhealthy habit has its fair share of side effects which can include:

• Stress
• A decrease in confidence
• Diminishes the ability to make positive changes in life.
• Stunts success
• Lowers self-esteem
• Keeps one trapped in a pattern of limited thinking
• Unfavorable effects on the body at both a physical and cellular level.

 
Does any of this sound familiar to you?   Maybe?  Yes?  Okay, let’s take it a step further with the four types of self-talk.
 

1.  Filtering:  This is when the negative aspects of a situation are magnified and all the positive ones are filtered out.  For example:   After completing multiple tasks at work you are met with praise, compliments and thanks for a job well done.  Sometime later you find yourself creating the next list of tasks as you forget all about the praise and compliments you received.

 

1. Personalizing:  This happens the moment your blame yourself when something bad occurs or what you label as bad.  For example:  You scheduled to meet friends and they cancel at the last minute.  You immediately blame yourself and believe plans were cancelled because of you.

 

1. Catastrophizing:  This is when you automatically anticipate the worst.  For example:  You stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way to work in the morning and they mess up your coffee order.  You then use this experience to believe the rest of your day will be a disaster.

 

1. Polarizing:  You see things as only good or bad.  There is no middle ground and you may feel you need to be perfect and if not, then you’re a total failure. 

 
 
Which type of self-talk resonated with you?   We’re you able to recognize something in yourself?   If so, the first thing I invite you to do right now is to offer yourself love and compassion.   Yes, for simply discovering something about yourself.  Do it!
 
I can relate mostly to the personalizing.  I know through the discovery of patterns in myself and my life, that I spend a lot of time self-reflecting.  More time than I need to or I’d care to admit.   Taking things personally leads me to increased self-reflection.  What did I do?  How did my words or actions play a role?  Who did I piss off?  What did I do wrong?  How do I need to be punished?  What could I have done differently?  And there it is in the art and practice of personalizing. 
 
Every single human being has a constellation of voices within them.  Our inner voices yearn to be acknowledge, recognized and honored because each one of them is a part of who we are.  I imagine you are familiar with the voice of your inner critic.   Yes?  Well, the inner critic is never going away.  Sorry to disappoint.  And though sometimes our inner critic can have a crippling effect, we can learn to work with this voice instead of fighting it or letting it drive us forward.
 
And it all begins with awareness, consciousness or mindfulness.  Choose which word feels good to you.
 
Now, positive self-talk comes with huge benefits.  Thinking and speaking highly of yourself can help:

• Increase your life span
• Lower your levels of stress and depression
• Offer greater resistance to the common cold
• Increased physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being
• Give you better coping skills during times of stress
• Increase your vitality
• Enhance your satisfaction with life

 
How cool is that??  And that’s just to name a few!
 
Negative self-talk keeps us in a pessimistic state of being.
Whereas positive self-talk keeps us in an optimistic state of being.
 
Which would you prefer?
How is your current negative self-talk serving you?
How likely is it you could start to become more aware of the times when you are unnecessarily berating yourself?
How likely is it you could release this outdated, debilitating habit or pattern?
How willing are you to let go of the old and welcome in the new?
How motivated are you to integrate a new anabolic, self-supporting practice into your daily life?
 
For the past decade I have practiced positive self-thought and self-talk.  I’m not saying I’ve perfected it or that I’ll have it all figured out during this lifetime, but what I can share with you now are the steps I use in my practice of thinking and speaking more highly of myself.
 
#1.  Love.
No matter what you discover about yourself, the good, the bad and the ugly, come back to a place of love and love yourself.  Period.  Can’t stress that one enough.  LOVE.  Invite everything to bring you back to a place of love for yourself.  Got it?
 
#2.  Witness and Observe
This is about your ability to become more aware.  To identify, recognize and acknowledge the moments of negative self-talk while at the same time releasing your habitual need to label it or to criticize or judge yourself.  When you do witness and acknowledge, when you do catch yourself, go back to LOVE.
 
#3.  Meditate, journal, get Creative or Move
Get still and get quiet with your discoveries, feelings and emotions.  Feel into them during meditation or write about them in a journal.  Go to the arts!  Pick up the pencils, paints, clay or any other means of creativity.  Find movement in your body.  Turn on your favorite music and let your body lead the way through, back to LOVE.  Feel your way into and through everything and choose your discipline.
 
#4.  Permission
Give yourself permission to love yourself more, no matter what.  Give yourself permission to increase your self-awareness, to release outdated patterns, to take moments throughout your day to assess your quality of thought, to surround yourself with only those who uplift and support your journey, and give yourself permission to seek out humor, especially in yourself.  You can do this when you give yourself permission to do so.
 
#5.  Rinse and Repeat
With any new practice you can expect to take steps forward, backwards and forward again.  Remember that practices don’t create time for themselves.  It’s up to you to schedule time for the integration of this new practice of thinking and speaking more highly of yourself.  Above all else, repeat LOVE at every corner of discovery and at every avenue of awareness.
 
Integrating new practices, shifting from negative self-talk to positive and all the steps, tools and skills require time.  You can’t expect the miracle of this shift to happen overnight.  It can be a life-long commitment if you choose to make it so.   A commitment to reprogramming your mind, increased self-love and self-care as well as fostering a more compassionate and forgiving relationship with yourself. 
 
Think of yourself as your best friend.  What would you say to a good friend, or a child who is trapped in a cycle of negativity?  Would you berate them and cause them to think less of themselves?  I imagine not.  So why are you doing it to yourself?
 
Do not ignore the less-than-pleasant aspects of life.  Embrace them instead with the intention of feeling and shifting from a place of love for yourself and your evolution.  A practice of positivity helps us to approach unpleasantness in a more uplifting and productive way.
 
Love yourself now.
No matter what you discover.

​Have you or someone you know ever been challenged with or suffered from an addiction?  I have.  I used to be addicted to the internet.  Key words here being, “used to be.”  Today I’m going to share with you my journey and the practices I used to break free of the debilitating addiction I found myself in.
 
Internet Addiction Disorder, also commonly known as Problomatic Computer Use or Compulsive Internet Use, effects 6% of the world’s population which is equivalent to about 420 million people. Though it’s not officially recognized as a disorder, it’s prevalence within cultures around the globe is staggering.
 
The most commonly observed types of internet addiction can include: information overload, compulsions, cyber-sex and cyber-relationship addictions that can come in many forms such as the news, shopping, gaming, gambling, chat rooms, web-surfing, and pornography.  And let us not forget, social media feeds.
 
There’s no question the internet has made life a lot easier giving us instant access to a wealth of information as well as the opportunity to build and develop connections around the world, but it has also led to a lot of people spending excessive time online.
 
My internet addiction came in the form of cyber-relationships.  The healing from my addiction initiated a journey or quest if you will, to take back my power, to reclaim my identity, my self-worth, my self-respect, and to integrate new and healing practices into my daily life.
 
The day I signed up to be a Premium Member on Bill O’Reilly’s website was the day my addiction began.  For those unfamiliar, Bill O’Reilly is an American journalist, author and political commentator.  He was the host of O’Reilly Factor, the highest-rated cable news show at the time and I watched the show religiously.  Becoming a Premium Member gave me access to the message boards.  The message boards were a place that members could meet, debate, talk, share, support and maybe even collaborate. 
 
There are a host of reasons or causes why one becomes addicted to something or someone.  Some of those reasons include depression, feelings of overwhelm, lack of emotional support, loneliness, anxiety, and even stress.  
 
I’m still not sure what I was trying to avoid back then or why I was using the message boards as a substitute for life, but I honestly think it was boredom.  I was bored in my job.  I had a lot of time on my hands and I sat in front of a computer all day long.  
 
In retrospect, I understand there was an unconscious need looking to be filled and I was looking externally to fill it.  My cyber-relationships became a priority as I slipped further away from my integrity and my truth and my family.  To this day I still actively practice the art of forgiving myself for the countless moments I missed with my family because my thoughts and energy were focused on what was going on online.
 
After close to three years, when the misery and unhappiness became too much to bare, when my soul was screaming out for change, when I was sick and tired of compromising myself and taking the words and actions of others personally, I made an appointment with a licensed professional.  As he reached across his desk to hand me a prescription, I knew it was wrong.  I knew medication wasn’t the answer.  I needed something else.  So I started talking to God.
 
One afternoon I walked into my manager’s office to talk with her and noticed a book on her desk.  The book was You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.  I picked it up, started thumbing through it, drilled her with questions and stopped at the local Barnes and Noble that afternoon to buy myself a copy. Here is it.  Read cover to cover three times.  In fact, I still refer back to this book today.

​What I discovered through this practice is that I was looking to those cyber-relationships to fill specific needs. I needed to be liked, wanted, funny, appealing, needed, loved and desired. Strange thing is, I WAS, by those nearest and dearest in my real life!  How did I lose sight of that?
 
Working in tandem with affirmations was mirror work.
Have any of you heard of or actively practice mirror work?
The primary purpose of mirror work is to reprogram the mind, develop self-love and increase self-care.  A practice of mirror work can help foster and develop a deeper relationship with yourself.  It’s pretty simple.  You stand in front of a mirror looking deeply into your own eyes as you recite positive affirmations.  Simple, but not always easy.   I was in such an awful dark place that every time I stood in front of the mirror to do the work, tears would pour down over my cheeks.  I was a hot mess, but I kept at it. 
 
Those first few months I stood in front of my mirror repeating affirmations such as ….
I am needed.
I am wanted.
I am funny.
I am liked.
I am appealing.
I am loved.
I am desired. 
 
These were basic affirmations I used.  As I journeyed and discovered more about myself, the affirmations shifted and expanded to specific areas that needed healing. 
 
Over a decade has passed since my dark days of addiction.  As I reflect I feel a sense of gratitude for the experience as painful as it was.  Additionally, I feel neutrality, I feel neutral, which resonates with me as healing from my addiction and the experience.  The practices of affirmations and mirror work were guiding forces in the emerging of the newest and best version of my Self.  ​​

Today I am less likely to take things personally, but hey … we all have off days, right?  I keep tight boundaries around the time I spend online and I do my best to remain present around family and friends.  The experience and my journey had gifted me the opportunity to reclaim my power, my truth and my self-respect.  I no longer compromise Who I Am.
 
I invite all of you to be open and honest with yourself about what needs to shift in your own life.  I invite you to evaluate your belief system, assess your patterns of thought, acknowledge your limiting beliefs and begin to heal.   I’m not presuming you suffer from addiction, but we can all find areas of our life in need of healing.  Next time you’re standing in front of the mirror, be sure to look deeply within your eyes and say something super-positive about yourself or your life.  I invite you to acknowledge what’s not working, to integrate new practices, and to live the very best version of YOU!




A speech composed for my next Speaker Sisterhood Club Meeting.  My story.​

​Imagine for a moment, a younger version of yourself.  Perhaps the version of you from a decade ago.
What’s different?  How are you different?  What has changed?  How have you changed from this earlier version of yourself?
 
A decade ago Shauna Gullbrand was a very different version of the person you see today.  She was selfish, mean, unsympathetic, uncaring, painfully honest and lacking any filters or boundaries in her approach to others.  She was, in all honesty, a difficult person to interact with.  It was her way or the highway as she had little capacity to compromise.
 
The parts of her that could be selfless, nurturing and compassionate were tucked neatly away in dark corners of her shadow self.   Those traits, to her, were signs of weakness.  They were unknown.  Or more so, they were values that were never introduced, taught, encouraged or supported.  Ahhhhhh, the joys of childhood conditioning and patterns of thought and behavior that cycle through generations. 
 
The Care Giver, Divine Feminine and Great Mother archetypes lie dormant within her until the birth of her sons and the coming of her spiritual awakening and heart-centered soul work.  
 
The birth of her children awoke the archetypes and she settled into her role of mother but not much had changed at that point.  She took care of her babies and raised them to the best of her ability with the tools she had in her toolbox at the time.  That said, neither child could stay home from school unless they were bleeding or dying.  The emotional dramas or traumas from her children were noticed yet handled with a matter-of-fact kind of attitude and OH, you’ll be fine.  She was rigid in her desire to have everything her way.  And it would piss her off every time her husband would be fun and loving, nurturing and compassionate with the kids when Shauna wanted to stick to the schedule or routine on how the house was run and the children raised. 
 
Shauna began to understand, through her developed daily practices, how her words and actions had an effect on others.  Her spiritual awakening brought with it the practice of self-forgiveness.  She began to understand, or release the belief, that the world does NOT in fact, revolve around her.  That other people had feelings too and that maybe she could start being more mindful of that fact.  So she began forgiving herself for all the years of rigidity, anger, and control and began setting daily intentions to see people in her life through eyes of love and compassion.
 
She was certified as a Life Coach, Yoga Instructor and Integrated Energy Therapy Master/Instructor.  Shauna began working one-on-one with clients and with groups of people, like the students who filled her yoga classes and her programs.  In October of 2018 she received a Heart Initiation.  Although she had been playing around with the energy of nurturing compassion, it still felt unreal and uncomfortable.  It felt fake to her.  She would preach self-love and compassion, but wasn’t truly practicing it herself.    During the time of her heart initiation, Shauna experienced an intuitive insight around the need to give herself permission to nurture herself and to be compassionate toward herself.    This epiphany granted her the opportunity and opened her up to the possibility that if she could be nurturing and compassionate toward herself, she could be nurturing and compassionate toward anyone.  A whole new world opened up for her.
 
A decade has passed and Shauna stands before all of you now, a woman who is very aware of the times she slips back into the selfish child when something is thrown off in her day or on her schedule.   She’s aware of the triggers and the rising irritation and desire to lash out irrationally.  Shauna does her best to breathe and then maybe sit in her sacred space in order to feel through the child-like pattern of behavior so she can heal.
 
Shauna has been given golden opportunities to sit with either son when they need her, to listen with an open heart and with the intention to understand, ready, willing and able to nurture and offer compassion toward whatever it is they have going on in their life.   From this, her relationships with her sons has grown and deepened.   With it, a new level of respect.
 
In her classes, with clients, family or friends, she brings a message of the importance of self-love.  She invites those she knows to release any and all self-criticism and self-judgement, and in their place, a sense of compassion and nurturing.  She reminds herself and others, that we’re each doing the best that we can and to always be gentle toward our Self.
 
Shauna is currently collaborating and brainstorming with like-minded people in the creation of classes, programs and events that are focused on daily practices of love and compassion.  She has begun attending networking events with the intention of reaching a larger audience to share her wisdom, guidance and experience.  She sees people for the Divine beings they are, each on their own journey here in the jungles of time and space.   It can still be a little challenging for her to release control and the need to be selfish.  She’s working on it. 
 
Through this transition and healing, she now has the confidence in her ability to put someone else’s needs before hers and the confidence to be soft and welcoming, like an oversized couch that envelops, swaddles, and holds you close. 
 
Shauna holds a strong desire to make a difference in the world.  She sees herself on stage in front of hundreds of thousands, she sees herself with smaller classroom size groups, she sees herself authoring and publishing a book.  Her desires are to raise the vibration of individuals and collectively, raise the vibration of the planet!

How comfortable is it for you to stand naked in front of your mirror?  What’s that you say?  It’s not comfortable at all?  You avoid looking at yourself naked in the mirror?  Do you dash by and pretend not to look?
 
Yeah, I’ve done that for most of my life.
I’ve also been at war with my body for most of my life.  That is, up until about a month ago.
 
When I was away at the Heart conference with my Pathway’s peeps, I had the opportunity to learn what it meant to really be kind and gentle with myself.  There’s a “thing” I have about the color pink and my long-time aversion to it and a more recent embracing of it.   I would often question why I never bought or wore anything pink.  That is, until a major AH-HA moment, standing out in the dark of night at Essex Woods, when it hit me.  I’ve been avoiding pink because I’ve been avoiding compassion for myself.  I was attempting to bring more pink into my life with the hopes of increased femininity.   The attempt never felt right or fit right because it wasn’t about my feminine side in the way of, “I am a woman.”  I mean, there is always opportunity to increase and express the Divine Feminine but it wasn’t the color pink like I thought.
 
For me, pink represents compassion and love for myself.   THAT, was my ah-ha moment.  Though I may often preach about the need for self-love and self-compassion, I wasn’t fully embracing or practicing it.  Why?  Well, because I wasn’t giving myself permission to actually be kind, gentle, loving, nurturing and compassionate with my Self.
 
Permission. 
Period.
What does that mean?
It means giving up the need to be hard on myself for not measuring up to some ridiculous standard I had set in my mind.  It means releasing the need to put myself down, criticize myself or judge myself.  It means to stop punishing myself.
 
But isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?  Punish myself?  If I punish myself, if I criticize, condemn, judge, then I push myself to do or be more.  Well, that’s all fine and dandy and I’m all about being a better version of myself, yet all of this can be done from a place of love and compassion instead of fear and suffering.   The punishing doesn’t seem to be serving.  It never has, never did and never will.  It’s not motivating me to do or be more.  It’s really just keeping me in a cycle of hell.
 
So I started giving myself permission to nurture and love myself.  This was the key for me.  To say okay …. I’m not a societal ideal size and weight but this body and I have been together since conception.  This body houses my soul, my light, my Divine spark, my creativity and my expression.    What if I give myself permission to start liking myself, or accepting myself without the need to criticize?  What if I give myself permission to nurture myself? Or to forgive myself?  What if I just say FUCK IT to judgement and in its place offer myself compassion?  This was challenging for me because somewhere down the line I learned to punish myself.  I believed I had to punish myself through judgement and criticisms.  And let me tell you, I got really good at it.
 
Somewhat frightened and unsure I asked …. What if I stand naked in front of the mirror and thank my body, the lines, bumps, spots, wrinkles and all, thank it for being with me all these years?   Could I give myself permission to be compassionate and nurturing even as I stood there naked, looking at myself?  OH boy, that was a moment.  I looked in my eyes, I looked all over my body.  I wanted to run but I didn’t.  It was a challenge but not as hard as all the moments leading up to this moment.  I credit this to my Heart initiation, my willingness and my daily practices.  For me, the feelings of fostering, growing and developing a loving and compassionate relationship with my body and my Self, far out-weigh the uncomfortable feelings of standing naked in front of a mirror.   

It’s a long road ahead and for sure I have my good days and my bad days but I’m trying.  I absolutely feel more loving towards myself and this is such a good thing.  It’s so much lighter than the continuous barrage of hatred that was once a pattern of behavior.  My plan is to stick to this and to continue sharing with you with the hope that you too will one day stand naked in front of your mirror, loving all over yourself.  It’s a journey.  It’s a practice.  And I’d love for you to join me.

Helen Keller, author, political activist, lecturer and the first deaf-blind person to receive a bachelor’s of arts degree once noted …. “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
 
This was my life leading up to my spiritual awakening which began for me at the age of 42.  I have seen with my physical eyes the beauty and the horrors of this world, but I lacked any clear vision of my purpose for this lifetime.  It was through my committed journey of self-discovery and healing, stage work, a plane ride to Russia and strangely enough, the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, I began to fully embrace the vision that is my life.
 
Unsure and unclear of where I was going, I started down a path.  Along the way I incorporated new daily practices into my life such as mirror work, prayer, meditation, journaling and expression of my truth and individuality.  I enrolled in training programs and events that spoke to me and received a handful of certifications for coaching, yoga, and integrated energy therapy.  I started working one-on-one with people and with groups as I settled deeper into a role of teacher.  It was during this phase of my journey when my visions began.  Through my own healing birthed a desire to guide others through theirs.  I was beginning to see and understand what I was good at and what spoke to me on a soul level.   The vision of what I could offer my tribe, my community and the world began once I started to understand myself more deeply.
 
In December of 2017 I attended my first workshop with Pathway’s Institute and met my teacher and mentor, Carole Kammen.  The workshop was called Personal Mastery Intensive (PMI) and let me tell you, parts of it were very intense.   The moment Carole started talking was the moment everything started to click.  I knew I was in the right place.  We were given the opportunity to do “stage work” which meant you would get up in front of the group and do whatever.  Sing, dance, cry, talk, and share.  I was the first one to raise a hand and the first one up there.  I remember saying something like …. “You all have to come up here and give this a try!”  I continued by saying that I saw myself doing something very similar to what was going on that weekend.  Que the developing improved vision!
 
The following day we broke out into groups and were brought into a guided visual meditation where we found ourselves on a plane to Russia.  There was a bad storm and the plane was going to crash land in the icy waters off the coast of Russia.  The lifeboat could only hold so many people and we needed to convince our fellow passengers why we needed to secure a spot on that lifeboat.    
 
We came out of the meditation and one by one we stood up in front of our group (participants and facilitators) and explained or pleaded our case as to why we needed to be on that lifeboat.  When it was my turn, for reasons that don’t matter here,  I politely declined a spot and went back to my seat on the plane, ready and willing to let others live while I froze to death as the plane sank.  Once everyone had their turn we were to stand up in front of our group again to find out our fate and the reasoning behind the decision.  Needless to say I was not given a spot on the lifeboat and the folks facilitating my group went up one side of me and down the other, ripping me to shreds verbally.  The only thing we were allowed to say in return was “thank you.”

It took a long time for me to process everything about the lifeboat exercise.  What I discovered is that childhood conditioning, thought patterns and limiting beliefs were keeping me small, insignificant, and meaningless.  I was keeping myself here in southern NH, the east coast and within the borders of the continental United States.  Now I’m not making light of my community, it’s just that there’s a big world out there!  I wasn’t allowing myself to imagine or visualize being powerful and influential person outside of my own borders.  As uncomfortable as that exercise was, it gave me the opportunity see more clearly. 
 
Fast forward to just a month ago.  I watched the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.  Have you seen it?  If you haven’t, I really recommend checking it out.  That movie had a powerful effect on me.  I found myself reflecting quite a bit, kind of like the lifeboat exercise just not as intense.  Again, there is discovery.  Awareness if you will.   Freddy Mercury was himself.  Unabashed individuality.  He knew what he was good at and he settled into that fact.  He purposely created with the intention to connect with his audience through his music.   He was powerful and influential and uniquely himself.    For those of you who haven’t seen the film, there are two scenes of Freddy walking out of his dressing room and making his way down a hall and up some stairs to a curtain.  Beyond the curtain is the stage and audience of 100,000 in attendance for the Live Aid concert of 1985.  Do you remember that concert?
 
What I saw in my mind’s eye, in the vision of my life’s purpose, was me making that walk.  I saw myself walking out onto a stage with the purposeful intention of connecting and empowering through my words either written or spoken.  Not sung.  Trust me when I tell you, you don’t want to hear me sing.
 
Unlike Helen Keller, I can only imagine what it’s like to be psychically blind.  From experience I know first-hand what it’s like to lack vision.  And I can speak honestly and factually about my journey which led me to embrace a more clear vision of my purpose and how I can be of service to others.  I can speak from experience when I say that daily practices on a path of self-discovery leads to a vision of purpose.  My vision has been awakened to my truths and the authenticity of my Self.  I understand and accept with open arms what comes naturally to me and what I’m good at.
 
My vision is one of (red cape superhero) power and influence on a global scale.  I see the creation of a program that is offered around the world.  I see myself expressing MY unabashed individuality more and more with each passing day.  I see some of the most expensive handbags hanging from my arm.  I see a large room, I see a stage.  I see myself with ass-kicking facilitation skills working with both small and large groups.  I see, through my work, the spreading of consciousness and rising vibration of the planet.  I see travel!  Lots of it!  And if I was given a second chance to get on that lifeboat, I have no doubt in my mind that I would be given a response that might sound like, “Hell yes!  Get on that lifeboat because the world needs you!”
 
I invite you know to check in with your own vision.  What do you see for yourself?  What bigger, grander, more magnificent dream can you visualize?

Life is a series of daily practices.
 
That little nugget came to me during morning meditation and what I’ve noticed is though I preach often, I haven’t fully developed the daily practices that my soul is calling out for.  I understand that in order for me to be the very best version of myself, it’s important for me to acknowledge the practices I’ve allowed to fade and the ones I want to embrace and develop.
 
It’s the beginning of February, the second month of the year.  Let me ask; have you stayed true to the intentions you set or the resolutions you made?  And have you continued to work with the energy of the word or words you chose to carry with you through this calendar year?   How’s all that going for you?  What steps or actions have you taken in manifesting your intentions?  What new practices have you put into play?  It’s one thing to think of ways to be the best version of you, but it’s a whole other thing to create an action plan, take the steps and incorporate new practices into your life.
 
What is your soul calling out for?
What new version of yourself do you want to present to the world?
What new habits (practices) do you want to schedule into your life?
 
That’s right.  I said schedule into your life.
So often I hear people say they don’t have time for something.  I don’t have time to exercise my body, I don’t have time to meditate, I don’t have time to learn something new, I don’t have time to blah blah blah.  The practices are not going to schedule themselves.  It’s up to you.  This is where the action comes into play.
 
I invite you to take a look at your current schedule of affairs.  What have you made a priority?  How important is it to you to incorporate a new practice into your day, or week or month.  Remember, practices don’t have to be daily.  What matters most, is that you make the new practice reasonable.  What does that mean?  It means setting a schedule that is going to work for you. 
 
I have drastically increased my mediation practice.  I strive for daily, but I noticed when my husband is home, I tend to allow myself to let it slip, or I end up meditating later in the day, which I don’t like at all.  I allow myself to use him being home, as an excuse.  And that’s sucky.  So notice the moments when you’re allowing excuses to hold back the best version of you.
 
Reading.  What’s that?  (insert laughter)
Reading is a practice that I’ve let fade.  It’s an excuse, but I really love reading outside and right now in New England it’s damn cold!  I mean cold!  This is just another example of a practice that would aide me in being a better me!  So when I think about bringing this practice back into the fold, I think 3 days a week would work for now.  That’s reasonable.
 
I could go on and on with examples of practices and the reasonability around them, but I think you get the point I’m trying to make here.
 
I invite you to take another look at the 2019 intentions and resolutions you set.  If you haven’t taken any action steps around them, please do NOT start beating yourself up about it.  Remember, releasing all self-criticism is a practice.  Re-evaluate.  What’s a priority for you?  How badly do you want a new practice to be your priority?  Get clear, and then create an action plan.  Keep it reasonable!  Stick to it and let it become a new habit for you.
 
Invite the newest and best version of you emerge!  The world is waiting!

​When I was a kid, I just loved playing the board game CLUE.  Do you remember that game?  I remember playing game after game, figuring out who did what with what weapon and in what room of the mansion.  I enjoyed figuring things out.  Another activity I really loved as a kid, was playing school.  More so, playing teacher.  I would compose papers consisting of simple math problems or open-ended statements that would need to be finished and I remember handing these to my mother who would take them to work to photocopy for me.  My friends and I would gather in my back yard and I would hold class.  I would pass out the papers, be the teacher and of course, assign homework. 
 
As my childhood progressed, playing teacher faded and the passion of the activity faded as well.  I honestly don’t remember feeling as full of purpose as I did during those days, but as a kid I know I wouldn’t have been able to describe what I felt as purpose or passion.  I just knew it felt good to be up in front of a group of my friends.  My strengths, my natural talents or what I was good at, went unnoticed so I was never encouraged to follow, or move in the direction of what I felt I was good at.  I was however, encouraged to get a good-paying job with a pension and benefits, like healthcare.  Now, I’m not making light of the need or importance of a high wage, healthcare or saving for the future, nor am I blaming my parents for sending me in a direction they felt was important.  What I am saying, is that I am a late bloomer.  I was a tad late in attending the Passion & Purpose Party.
 
In the fall of 2009, almost ten years ago now, I started on my journey of self-discovery.  All the detail about that time doesn’t matter much for this story, but what’s important is that I began my awakening.  I started to become more aware of myself, my life, the people around me and the world.  And I started to make changes.  I began following what some might refer to as clues.  For what felt like the first time in my life, I had the urge to do something different.  I had been working in the same job for almost 20 years and you know the thing about that job, it offered me a high wage, benefits, health insurance AND a pension!  But I was feeling motivated to do something else and that was when coaching started making an appearance. 
 
Thinking back on my life, people have always come to me to talk with me about their issues or problems.  Most times the conversations would end with the other person feeling motivated or inspired to do something like set a goal or make a change.  I imagined coaching would give me the skills and tools needed and I was very much aware of the fact that through my own healing birthed a desire to help guide others on their own journey, so I enrolled in a coach certification program.
 
That was just the start.  I also enrolled in a yoga teacher training program and was certified.  I became increasingly interested in the metaphysical and spiritual and suddenly discovered my intense love of reading.  Again, late bloomer.  I enrolled in workshops and events of topics of interest and discovered something else.  I discovered a voice within me that was telling me I needed to be up in the front of the audience.  It was a drive to move from audience member or participant, to teacher and facilitator.  BOOM!  Another clue of consciousness.  A PASSION-filled clue of consciousness.  (I really do love word play)
 
The topic of this speech is passion.
My decade-long journey of self-discovery has enabled me to uncover and unleash my passions! 
I am a passionate advocate for self-healing and I am filled with purpose when given the opportunity to guide someone on their journey of self-discovery and healing.  I am passionate about reading and writing and know that one day in my future, I will author a book.  I am passionate about using my voice and this is why I joined Speaker Sisterhood.  I joined to improve my public speaking skills and to help other women find their voice and improve their speaking skills as well.  I am passionate about teaching and facilitating.  I lead several groups a week as well and have created and implemented a number of events.  
 
When I took a good long look at my passions, I discovered additional ones, like the passion I have to plan, create and develop classes, events or programs.  I love to implement, manage, facilitate and lead. This is where the many clues have led me.  This is what I’m good at.  This is what comes naturally to me.  It is said by some that there is a strong correlation between what we loved to do as a child and what our purpose or mission is here on the planet.  I am living proof that this is in fact, true.
 
I’m not entirely sure where my passions are leading me but I know it’s super-exciting and I’m truly looking forward to my future.  I keep following the clues and taking the steps and I know only good is before me.  I choose to move in the direction of those things that fuel my passion because I know I have a lot to contribute to my tribe, my community and the world.
 
As far as the game CLUE goes, well it’s clear I am a puzzle solver.  I like to figure things out.  I like to know the parts and the pieces and how they play a role in solving, creating and discovering.  By the way, it was Colonel Mustard, in the living room, with the candlestick. 
​

Speech given by Shauna Gullbrand on 1/7/19
Speaker Sisterhood Virtual Group led by Lenore Braun