Adventures Of A New You Jen Parke

Living in the Now
I grew up in a small town surrounded by tractors so it will come as no surprise to you that I listen to country music. Now don’t get me wrong I love some DMX and other old school rappers but country music is really how I was raised. 
Cody Johnson has a song 'Til You Can't, and he talks about putting things off and having too much on your plate to make time for the things that truly matter. That is the perfect reminder that we need to take action and we need to do it right now. We need to stop waiting to live our lives. We need to make sure that the people in our lives know how much we care. We need to take chances and chase our dreams right now. We need to be present right now. 
We need to stop waiting for a special occasion or the perfect moment. 
We all do this. We think when I hit a certain landmark everything will be great. WHen I lose 5 pounds, when I get a certain job, when I have a certain amount of money in my bank account. But why are we waiting? Why don’t we live our best lives right now? 
We need to wear our diamond jewelry just because it’s a Tuesday. 
Sometimes we fill our lives with mundane tasks and to do lists. We overbook our schedules and then we miss out on opportunities.
 We forget to be intentional and to live our lives fully in the moment. 
What if you knew that you only had a certain time frame left? How would you fill your days? How would you show up as the best version of yourself if you knew that you only had today. 
Would you rearrange your schedule and shift your priorities? I guarantee you would. So why do we show up every day and not live the best version of our lives? 
So today think for a moment about the best version of you look like? How does she dress? How does she act? How does she treat her family? How does she interact with a stranger on the street? Who does she make time to connect with? How does she make sure that the people in her life know that she cares? How does she take care of herself? 
Each day we have the opportunity to create our legacy. Some days it doesn’t feel like that. Some days it feels like we are just trying to make it to bedtime. But you deserve so much more than that. You deserve to be more than surviving. 
You deserve to thrive! You deserve to look and feel your best every single day! You deserve to live the life that you want. 
If you needed permission to live your life the way you want to - this is it right here! 
What step will you take today to make it so that you are the best version of yourself and that you are living your life to the fullest? 

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Instagram: @codyjohnson 
Cody Johnson: ‘Til You Can’t

Many times in life we over complicate things. We get in our own way. We have these ideas that things need to be absolutely perfect. We convince ourselves that we have to have things just right. 
I did it to myself in trying to restart this podcast. First I had to think of the perfect comeback episode and then I created even more barriers for myself by creating this distorted vision that I needed to have a new podcast album cover complete with the perfect photo to jump back in. 
This was all just resistance - and resistance that I was creating for myself. I was self sabotaging. I was getting in my own way. 


It’s perfectly ok to take simple baby steps towards our goals. We don’t have to make giant leap and take on 17 new projects. I constantly need to remind myself of this. Your self worth isn’t wrapped up in how many projects you have. So take a step back and look at the barriers that you are putting in your own way by over complicating your own life. Then dial back a notch or 10. Let yourself enjoy slowing down and simplifying. 
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I share my journey because I am right here with you on both a personal growth journey and a professional growth journey.  
Sometimes in life we get knocked down - sometimes we have a shift in the way that we thought that our story was going to go; or a pandemic hits; our health changes; we have decision fatigue; we are just completely overwhelmed. It may not even be something completely earth shattering it may be more of a slow slide downhill.  
Or sometimes it may feel like the world has been turned completely upside down. But we move through. But we get to decide how we move through. For me I needed some time and space. You know create space for yourself? Well I took my own advice. 
In September of 2021 I was literally hit by a car. Me - my actual body. 
But this was just one more chapter of my story of feeling knocked down. Life hands us punches all the time and it is what we decide to do with them that matters. Do you let things fester and eat at you? Or do you take things as they come and continue moving forward? 
Maybe this was part of what I needed to find my fire again. I had taken a step back from everything to heal and grow but maybe this was the sign that it was time to reclaim my voice, reclaim my power, move forward and share more of my story. 

Well that was September and this is November so I guess that spark needed to smolder for a little bit. Personal development can be a roller coaster and I am not here to say this is what happened and now I’m all great again. I’m here still in the messy middle to actually share how we work through things. 
So here we go - this is what has been working for me. 
I reclaimed my morning routine, a self care plan, a take care of me plan. 
I learned about chakras and used essential oils designated for those chakras. My girl Arielle created a perfect set of essential oils to help me find my voice and re-open my heart. 
I used meditation to help slow down my overthinking brain. 
I moved my body. 
I ate  real food (ok and ice cream).
I am setting my goals. 
I am putting my needs and wants first.  
I set hard boundaries for myself. One of the first things that I did was limit social media. 
I made time to be alone. 
I know that nothing that I am sharing here is absolute rocket science. Nor is any of it a magic answer. What I am saying is that when you are struggling what you really need is to take a minute for yourself and go back to basics. I’m talking Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
We need to start with our most basic needs. When we have those back in place then we can move forward and keep picking ourselves back up. 
Thank you so much for listening! If you have a friend or even a family member that would love to hear this podcast please share this podcast with them and encourage them to join us!
Get a FREE copy of the Ebook Overcome Overwhelm and Create Space for Yourself!
Connect with Arielle
Website: https://divineoilco.com/
Instagram: @ariellekuchel

Carrie Benson Postpartum Doula, Social Worker and Essential Oil Educator  shares her story of living a more holistic lifestyle and becoming a Postpartum Doula. 
In this episode we talk about:
*Gaining clarity and using essential oils
*Benefits of having a postpartum doula
*Having supports in motherhood 


Carrie recommends the Postpartum Revolution Podcast 


Connect with Carrie
Website: www.carriebensonvillage.com/postpartum-doula
Instagram: @carrielynnbenson


If you have a friend or even a family member that would love to hear this podcast please share this podcast with them and encourage them to join us!


Get my FREE ebook Overcome Overwhelm and Create Space For Yourself! 


Join the Social Work Circle a membership program for social workers to connect, learn and grow!


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Essential Oils, Chakras and the Journey into Motherhood an Interview with Arielle Kuchel
Arielle Kuchel the owner of Divine Oil Company shares her story of learning to live a cleaner lifestyle with essential oils and her journey into motherhood. 
In this episode we talk about:
**Posting Affirmations on the bathroom mirror
**Essential oils and chakras
**Self care workouts and morning routines
**The importance of delegating


Arielle recommended some of her favorite personal development resources - 


Rachel Hollis: Girl Wash Your Face


The Sausha Davis Podcast


Don’t forget to check out Arielle’s Mother's day gift boxes!



Connect with Arielle
Website: https://divineoilco.com/
Instagram: @ariellekuchel


If you have a friend or even a family member that would love to hear this podcast please share this podcast with them and encourage them to join us!


Get my FREE ebook Overcome Overwhelm and Create Space For Yourself! 


Join the Social Work Circle a membership program for social workers to connect, learn and grow!


*post may contain affiliate links

Finding Joy and Spreading Sunshine an Interview with Trissa Bottorff


Trissa shares her story of starting a business during the pandemic to help bring a little sunshine and share joy!



In this episode we talk about:
**Finding ways to spread joy and sunshine
** Everything is figure out able
** Setting alarms on your phone to inspire yourself
**Learning to trust yourself



Trissa recommended some of her favorite personal development resources - 


Rachel Hollis: Girl Wash Your Face


Darin Olien SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome


The Sausha Davis Podcast



Connect with Trissa 
Website: www.mamamadeia.com
Instagram: @trissa.bottorff



Don’t forget to check out the Mother’s Day sale on Mama Made website! The Mama and Me Tee Sets are adorable!



If you have a friend or even a family member that would love to hear this podcast please share this podcast with them and encourage them to join us!


Get my FREE ebook Overcome Overwhelm and Create Space For Yourself! 


Join the Social Work Circle a membership program for social workers to connect, learn and grow!


*post may contain affiliate links