Ambiguity with Ambi Amber LaTrece

Have you ever struggled with expectations? Expectations can be burdensome and it can lead to a lot of disappointment when the desired outcome is not being met. We don’t have control of the desired outcome but we can focus on the things we can control, like showing up, putting in the effort and be consistent. Eventually consistency will get you to your purpose or desires.

In this episode, my guest, Debora Smiles talks about expectations, the uncertainty that comes with it and how best to navigated those spaces. Debora loves to make an impact. Her purpose is to make an impact, through her words, written and spoken to do just that. She’s self-published on Amazon two motivational books (Love Every Black, My Silence is Killing Me) and is working on her third book at the moment. She is also host a weekly podcast called Naked Words.

Join me and listen to Debora as he shares her journey of having expectations and how she navigated those spaces of ambiguity and uncertainty.

·  (01:19 – 14:45) Get to know a little bit more about Debora and her love for all things Caribbean.

·  (16:06 – 19:49) How she navigated the process of breaking apart from the social expectations of marriage and the societal expectations of women.

·  (20:41 – 25:50) Debora’s advice for listeners that's struggling to have their expectations and it is not being met or will possibly never be met.

·  Let your purpose just flow through and be consistent in every facet of your life, whether it's in your relationship, work, your passion, or your desire.

·  (26:54 – 29:42) Wrapping Up!

·  Debora’s final advice for listeners engaging uncertainty and ambiguity is to love you by peeling off all the layers and all the things that you feel about yourself, that you do not love and put it on the table and address it and ask yourself why and then finding your way towards loving that part of you which will enable you to create consistency and balance.

·  Don’t be self-absorbed but allow yourself to listen to outside opinions and put everything on the table.Key quotes

“Your future is in your today. You need to take ownership of your future to let it not be so uncertain, so that you can look at your now and see your future.” Debora

“The future that you want has to be from what you do, what you decide to do. If you do nothing then the future will hold nothing, if you do something in your today, then the future will hold abundance The choice is up to you”. Debora

“I have given you the body, I gave you the mind, the intellect, I gave everything to you. Now, you are waiting and sitting on me to dictate your future”. Debora

“Don’t have any expectations because having expectations puts a burden on your purpose” Debora

“Consistency trump's expectations because you can have expectations and not have fulfillment, but if you stay consistent, you’ll reach your goal or purpose eventually.” Debora

“Having too much expectations causes you to rush things”. Debora

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest Debora Smiles on all social media platforms at Naked Words and on twitter at naked words live. IG: @ nakedwordspodcast

You can connect with our host Amber Latrece on Instagram. Head to https://amberlatrece.com/ambiguity-with-ambi, and join us on this journey as we discover how to navigate the uncertain on Ambiguity with Ambi! Be sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify, so you never miss an episode!

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

How familiar are you with your thoughts and do you practice silence to get in tune with your inner thoughts? No television or cell phone, just you by yourself and observing your thoughts and what is happening within. Getting in tune with our thoughts can help us to cut through the outside noise and help us to discover who we truly are.

In this episode, my guest Monica Sherese touches on the importance of practicing silence. Monica Sherese is an evidence -based Self-Discovery Coach for high-achieving women 40+ whose work sits at the intersection of spirituality, self-image and style. She offers a unique approach to helping clients transform the relationship with themselves, such that they are fully empowered in every area of life and have alignment between their inner self-image and outward self-expression.

Join me and listen to Monica as he shares her experiences facing ambiguity and uncertainty and how she navigated it.

Key Highlights:

·  (02:12 – 16:20) Get to know a little bit more about Monica, her fascinating career journey and the work she is passionate about.

·  What it was like to transition from a lucrative and financially stable career in consulting to committing to her coaching business.

·  Listening to her intuition which made the decision to transition very clear instead of being guided by rational and logic.

·  How she operates in trust and lean into surrender.

·  (16:38 – 19:13) Advice for listeners when they're find themselves in a space of battling between logic and intuition.

·  Why it is imperative to tune out noise to listen to your inner thoughts instead of input from outside sources.

·  Why a mental and emotional health diet is key and what it entails.

·  (19:38 – 26:26) Advice for listeners who see watching TV as an escape, or being on their phone as an escape to get to that place where we they can sit in silence and just listen on a regular basis.

·  The concept importance of making tiny habits and thought download practice.

·  Book by BJ Bob called Tiny Habits and Book by James Clear called Atomic Habits.

·  “It is important to under your mind because you are constantly creating, whether you are aware of it or not”.

·  (27:26 – 30:24) Wrapping Up!

·  Monica’s final advice for listeners.

·  Everything that you require for the path that you've been placed on is what you already have.

·  Your part is to follow that intuitive voice within you and move- just step out!

·  When you're on the journey of doing your great work, the thing that you were meant to do. It's not laid out linearly and that is when trust comes in, the willingness to surrender to what is leading you.

·  Take one step and with each step you’ll figure out what your next best move is.

Key quotes

“Examining yourself is literally getting to know who you are getting to know how you think”. Monica

” It’s important to understand your mind because you're constantly creating whether you're aware of it or not”. Monica

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest Monica Sharese on all social media @monicasherese and also check out https://linktr.ee/monicasherese for the latest happenings.

You can connect with our host Amber Latrece on Instagram @IAmAmberLaTrece.

Be sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify, so you never miss an episode!

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Experiencing health problems and not understanding what is happening to you, can be scary to say the least and it can take and affect you emotionally and physically.

In this episode my guest, Nic shares her health journey with us, where she experienced symptoms and didn’t understand what was happening to her and neither did the doctors. Through her health journey she found her voice and courage to advocate for herself and other women.

Nic is a life and wellness coach and a pioneer of education and has a background in librarianship. She also has a Podcast called, “Awaken with Me”. Her primary focus is helping women who wants to find themselves and practice better self -care.  Through her health journey she has found her voice and courage to advocate for herself and other women.

Join me and listen to Nic as she shares her health journey which was faced with many moments of uncertainty and ambiguity and how she navigated it.

Key Highlights:

·  (01:13 – 08:29) Get to know a little bit more about Nic, her health journey, education and the work she is passionate about.

·  Experiencing symptoms like numbness, digestive problems and pain throughout her body and did not understand what was happening to her.

·  Seeing different doctors and specialist to take test for 12 years and still couldn’t figure out what was happening with her.

(08:34 - 11:21) ·  What it was like navigating, ‘not knowing’ what was happening with her after going through all of the tests.

·  Encouraging people faced with a similar situation to continue seeing a doctor and try to get to the root of it.

·  (11:25 – 15:02) How she found the strength when she was in the thick of it her advice for listeners who are facing a similar situation.

·  Take it one day at a time, assess how you're feeling in the moment and pay more attention to yourself on a person level.

·  (15:03 – 17:57) Knowing what is happening with her gave her the confidence to be more proactive with what she does on a daily basis to give herself what she needs.

·  (17:59 – 24:38) What gave her the courage to advocate for herself and others and to share her story.

·  (27:36 – 29:13) Nic's final advice 

·  Stay afraid but do it anyway.

Key quotes

“It’s good to try to get more information for yourself, but also know not to overwhelm yourself too much with the negative part of the information that you can find”. Nic

"Sometimes we tend to think, you know, The future, like next week, next year, whatever. I think it's definitely helpful to just take it one day at a time, assess how you're feeling in the moment”. Nic

“Listening to your body is part of self-care.” Nic

“The first time you do it, you get more courage the second time you do it”.  Nic

“If I’m going to do this, I’m going to go all in.” Nic

“Sometimes bad things happen, but I think good things can come from it”. Nic

“Stay afraid but do it anyway”. Nic

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest, Nic on her Podcast called, “Awaken with Me”, her website which is awakentoyourpassion.com and on IG @nicawaken.

You can connect with our host Amber Latrece on Instagram. Head to https://amberlatrece.com/ambiguity-with-ambi, and on IG @IAmAmberLaTrece! Be sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify, so you never miss an episode!

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

When we pray and trust God with your dreams, the path to achieving that dream is not always clear. We don’t know when and how things will happen and sometimes challenges can let us lose hope.

No matter how dire the situation, it is important that you don’t get weary but to continue to water the seeds that God has placed within you because it is the valley experiences that prepares us to step into our God given purpose.

In this episode, my guest Cricket Snyder shares with us her dedication to her career as a Compliance Officer and how she navigated this with faith in God while facing many uncertain and ambiguous situations.

Cricket is an amazing woman of God, a wife, a mother and she is the Chief Compliance Officer for Jefferson County Commission in Alabama. Cricket shares with us her journey to becoming the Chief Compliance Officer for Jefferson County and shares with us how she has not only prayed for this role but also to have a seat at the table where she can make impactful decisions.

Join me and listen to Cricket Snyder as she shares her dedication to her career and how she navigated situations of uncertainty with faith and obedience.

Key Highlights:

·  (01:18 - 12:47) 

·  Cricket prayed for her current role as Compliance Officer and also that God will give her not only a seat at the table but to make decisions at the table with boldness and integrity.

·  (12:49 – 27:00) Taking the leap to leave the utilities company she devoted 14 years of her life to and how she navigated that uncertainty.

·  (27:06 – 42:34) “God never said that we had to get things the conventional way. All that He asks is that we believe, ask for wisdom and be obedient.”

·  (43:40 – 50:21) Wrapping Up!

·  Cricket’s final advice for those who are experiencing similar situations or any situation of uncertainty or ambiguity.

Key quotes

“Do I feel that my Worth was more than my Comfort”. Cricket

“If you are truly trusting God and you're truly listening and asking him for wisdom, he is going to ensure that there is nothing that you lack as a result of your obedience to him”. Cricket

“The holy spirit, helped me to reel those thoughts in, and this is with this, you are in yourself, not, but because I am living in you, you are more come on than anything that they have asked you to do. You can exceed.  and you can Excel in any and every task that is set before you.” Cricket.

“I've never told you through my word that you had to get things the conventional way. The only thing that I've ever asked you to do is believe me, ask for wisdom and be obedient”. Cricket

“Even if you make a mistake, God can call your mistakes to prosper”. Cricket

“Don't despise those moments that you deem as those valley experiences, because it was the valley that even put me in the right mindset to even apply for something”. Cricket

“Nothing comes from an un watered seed and uncultivated ground”. Cricket

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest, Cricket on LinkedIn: Cricket Snyder.

You can connect with our host Amber Latrece on Instagram. Head to https://amberlatrece.com/ambiguity-with-ambi, and join us on this journey as we discover how to navigate the uncertain on Ambiguity with Ambi! Be sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify, so you never miss an episode!

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

We all have a purpose, dreams and visions for our future but many times obstacles can discourage us and take us in a different direction of the vision we see so clearly. It is important to keep your vision in the forefront of your mind and to keep believing in your vision and do the work to make things happen. In this episode, my guest Keisha Bell Catchings, MS, MD, shares her vision of wanting to be a doctor since the age of six (6) and the many obstacles she faced and overcome on her journey to becoming a doctor.

Keisha is a physician and assistant professor in Obstetrics and gynecology at the university of Mississippi medical center. There she also serves as the OBGYN clerkship director as well as the director of the 4th year labor and delivery clerkship. In addition she serves on many other committees in the medical school focused on student education. Her passions in her career are improving black maternal health care and outcomes and teaching medical students and OBGYN resident physicians. When she’s not working she enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping,  reading and eating Crumbl cookies.

Join me and listen to Keisha as she shares her experiences facing ambiguity and uncertainty and how she navigated it.

Key Highlights:

·  (01:07 -12:00) Get to know a little bit more about Keisha, her educational journey and her journey to get accepted into medical school.

·  (13:06- 14:05) Keisha’s advice for those at college who realize that they are not prepared or have the credentials that they need for the next step.

·  (16:09 – 17:38) Keisha’s advice for listeners to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity when they have the vision and the dream but the path to the vision is not clear.

·  (19:30 – 25:12) What it was like on a personal level to engage in the process of raising a baby in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity.

·  (25:50 – 26:55) Wrapping Up!

·  Remain steadfast, be focused on the goal, whatever it is that you believe in,

·  Everyone has a purpose and if you believe in your vision, you’ve got to figure out a way to get there and if you listen and be prayerful, you’ll be guided along the way.

·  Get yourself around people who are prayerful and positive thinkers, because sometimes those are the people who are also lifting your name up to be lifted up.

Key quotes

” Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Keisha

” If you believe that this, the vision has been given to you and the mission for your life, you have to keep that in the forefront.” Keisha

“Everybody has their own ministry and their own way to, to reach people and being a doctor is my ministry.” Keisha

” The path is not straight for everybody. Sometimes it's very windy. Sometimes it's a mountain. Sometimes it's a deep, deep valley but the end point is the same. Yeah. We just gotta have a little resilience.” Keisha

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest, Keisha on IG @mahogonymd and on Twitter: Dr. Keisha Bell.

You can connect with our host Amber Latrece on Instagram. Head to https://amberlatrece.com/ambiguity-with-ambi, and join us on this journey as we discover how to navigate the uncertain on Ambiguity with Ambi! Be sure to subscribe on Apple and Spotify, so you never miss an episode!

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

I am sure you all will agree with me when I say that parenthood is not easy.  We all face many situations of uncertainty and ambiguity and through it all we want to do the best for our children so that they may grow and have a bright future. In this episode my guest Trina Casey shares the current situation of uncertainty and ambiguity she is facing with her divorce and navigating what it means to be a parent to a child during this process.

Trina is an EQ coach, a certified cognitive behavioral therapy coach and family trauma professional. Trina teaches emotional intelligence through several avenues which are children’s books and she also teaches a class called mindful storytellers where she walks people through the process of writing a book in a collaborative way.

Join me and listen to Trina as she shares her experiences facing ambiguity and uncertainty and how she navigates parenthood through it all.

Key Highlights:

·  (01:16 -14:13) 

·  Her choice to give her son life experiences, through travel and education, through travel so that he can gain life experiences outside of America. chosen.

·  “I almost choose ambiguity because there’s only one constant in life and that's change and because I kind of thrive off of different experiences”.

·  The current situation of ambiguity and uncertainty she is currently facing with her divorce and how she navigates parenthood.

·  (14:38- 20:47) What it’s like engaging in spaces of ambiguity with a child that still needs to be cared for and be protected.

·  Accepting that children go through changes, so your parenting style and your approach has to change.

·  Allowing your child to explore and to fall down and how she navigates this process of letting go and allowing her child to learn from the experience.

·  (21:04 – 25:18) Trina’s advice for a parent or guardian seeking to understand how to better create balance in allowing their child the freedom to fall.

·  Looking at what the circumstances are and measuring the long- term harm with the short term when you decide to give your child the freedom to fall and apologize when you missed the mark.

(25:18 – 29:27) Wrapping Up!

·  Take the external with the internal and understand the motives of the external. Once you understand the motivation you will know how to navigate better in life.

Key quotes

“There's a freedom because ambiguity gives you the license or the permission to experiment with your life.” Trina

” We all grew up with our own traumas, and I always say that we're all just children walking around in adult suits, pretending we have it all figured out while we spread our trauma to everyone we meet, especially our children”

“Give your child the freedom to fall so that they can learn to get up because we are going to fail in life and we're gonna have to get back up.”

“The hard part about relationships is that we start to lose ourselves, or we start to measure ourselves against the other person's wills, wishes, wants, needs, and desires, and then we lose our who we are and that creates ambiguity.”

Let’s connect

You can connect with our guest, Trina Casey on Instagram @this_is_real_life_books. Listen to her

Podcast: EQ above IQ, parenting with emotional intelligence and healing the inner child.

Connect with Ambi on IG @IAmAmberLaTrece

LEAVE A REVIEW! Your ratings and reviews help get the podcast in front of new listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.