Tales from the Journey Stephenie Zamora

In this episode, I’m closing out season two with an important conversation about practicing presence, facing forward, and writing ourselves into an aligned storyline. This conversation is about seemingly simple topics, but I promise they’re incredibly potent, no matter where you are inside your present journey. In fact, nearly two decades into my own healing and growth work, I recently had to remember the power of presence for myself, and it became such a transformational experience in so many ways. Plus, you can’t face forward into what’s supposed to come next if you’re not here now. I know you’re going to gain so much from this conversation, and I’m also sharing some exciting announcements about our upcoming second podcast launch!



What to listen for:



Launching our newest podcast and other goodies

Where to follow me and my updates in the meantime

The importance of presence and my own reminder to practice it

Feeling silly after doing so much growth work



“It has been so healing and has produced such incredible shifts so rapidly. The pace at which I have been getting clarity, getting downloads, feeling more like myself, feeling happier and more aligned and fulfilled and creative and healthy and all these things has just been so accelerated.”



Navigating the times when presence is most difficult

Grief and trauma are full body experiences

This isn’t about bypassing the more challenging emotions

Holding our vision for the future while engaging with this moment

The best ways to practice presence and how it assists our healing

Facing forward into what’s next and why presence is essential



“Facing forward, facing into what it is that we want, this involves presence. This involves being here now and orienting ourselves towards things that we say that we want.”



Idealizing the past even when we want change

Orienting to ourselves in time and space

Don’t beat yourself up when you’re hooked into the past

The visual metaphors that guided my healing



“I would close my eyes in this little movie would play. And after I had clawed my way out of the depths of grief and trauma, clawed my way out of this deep dark well, I remember turning away from the well and facing in a different direction. And so we're doing that energetically. We are reorienting ourselves, our whole selves towards the things that we want, even if they're small.”



Identifying what you want and orienting towards it

What it means to write yourself into a storyline that feels aligned

Using our meaning making skills productively

How to look at what happened in a way that frees you to move forward

The truth about “everything happens for a reason”

Deciding how you want to be shaped and how the story will unfold



Resources:



Grab a copy of, What Really Happened? Break Free from Interpretation and Make the Impossible Happen, along with other products and books in the online shop.



Access our free workbook for how to make the impossible happen, and our powerful 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/.



Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com.



Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Content warning: mental illness and suicide loss.

Today I’m talking to Lark Dean Galley about stepping out of the darkness and into suicide prevention. After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father’s trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business. Then, in March of 2019, her 19 year old son committed suicide and sent her deeper on a healing journey that further cemented her purpose in this life. Her goal is to help 100,000 people choose to stay on this planet and step into their greatness. She has done this in a variety of capacities, but in each she has used the tools and lessons learned from her own struggles.



What to listen for:



How everything changed when her son committed suicide

Her background as a driven woman in the corporate world

Slowing down and finding more compassion as a parent after loss

Her struggles taking over her father’s business after his death



“If you're used to accomplishing big goals, you tell yourself, ‘just do it.’ And you're totally questioning your motivation. What will motivate me to move forward? Or how can I even get out of bed? How can I even comprehend all of these emotions and this loss and just the unanswered questions, especially around a suicide, right?”



The signs of her son’s impending suicide and her biggest regret

Starting to go into the black hole and not wanting to do anything

Talking to other families about suicide concerns with their children

Questioning herself as a parent and if she’d done enough

Starting to talk about mental health and suicide



“If I didn't speak up and these kids ended up taking their lives, just like that copycat suicide in the high school, I couldn't have lived with myself. And that's what catapulted me into saying, I have got to talk about this. This is critical. It is an epidemic. And I started talking about it and I became very vocal. Like it was a passion.”



Dealing with the stigma of suicide

Navigating other people not knowing what to say

Starting to speak on podcasts and getting the nudge to write a book

Feeling the urgency to get the book out and choosing self-publishing

Having strength some days and feeling weak others

Allowing her family to be where they are in their grief

How loss and grief have changed her



“What's interesting is that I react differently. You know, if things in my businesses come up that in the past might have upset me, I'm like, ‘no, we'll work it out. It's okay.’ And it's not the end of the world. Whatever happens, happens. It's not the end of the world because I've seen the end of the world.”



Perspective shifts and new ways of being

Learning to navigate the “what ifs” after suicide loss

Choosing to do hard at the beginning

Feeling closer to her son now than before his death

Her support system while healing

What she wished she knew at the start of this journey



About Lark Dean Galley:



Lark has recently felt called to help and serve those who struggle with their value and purpose. Having overcome immense personal challenges in her 55+ years of life, she has continued to grow in her empathy and compassion towards others.



After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father’s trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business.

*Content warning: depression and suicidal ideation.

Today I’m talking to Jevon Wooden, an Army Veteran, certified mindset in perception coach, author, speaker, about learning to live not loathe despite challenging chapters. Jevon faced many challenges while growing up, eventually finding himself facing prison time for assault and robbery charges at just 17 years old. When he was released after praying to God for another chance, he did his best to turn life around and find his way, but depression and suicidal ideation led him to nearly give up completely. Thankfully for the world, Jevon was able to find his way through that darkness and into his purpose work, which is all about empowering others to increase their self-confidence, improve their perception of their worth, and design their lives through a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance. He does this through transformational group and one-on-one coaching sessions, on-demand courses and training, seminars, and workshops.



What to listen for:



Starting out with a rough childhood in a polyamorous household

Getting arrested for assault and robbery at 17

Not caring about facing 7 years in prison until he saw the effect on his family

Praying to God in his cell and promising to make a change



“When I was sitting there, speaking with my mom and my sister, something came to me. Like, I woke up that day. I was sleepwalking through life the whole time. I was just numb to it. I didn't care. Until I had to look at the people I loved face to face, and I had never seen that look.”



Getting an answer to his prayers and avoiding jail

Working multiple jobs, signing up for the military, and keeping his word to God

Realizing the power of collaboration while in the military

Learning to work on his mindset and release negative thoughts

Feeling suicidal after trying his best at life and how family redirected him again



“I was having PTSD episodes where I was having the same nightmare over and over and over and over and over again. And I was just like, I'm ready to end it. I'm ready to call it, God. You know, I did my best. You know, now I just feel like I want to come home to you, you know, I'm ready.”



Realizing that he needed help and entering therapy for the first time

Learning how to lean on others and stop feeling like a burden

The power of good friends and having a support system

His awakening and how it led to his purpose work

Having a relationship with God and faith

Understanding that adversity is always a part of life



“Adversity is a part of life, right? Failure is a part of life that really is put in place, I believe, as the counterbalance to joy and the counterbalance to ease because that helps you to be humble. That helps you be grateful for what you have. I think that you need that, right?”



Learning the power of positive thinking

The essential questions he asks himself to stay motivated

Understanding that pain is temporary

How trauma and emotions are stored in the body

Starting his business as a motivational speaker

The advice he’d give to anyone who’s struggling like he did



About Jevon Wooden



Jevon Wooden is an Army Veteran, certified mindset in perception coach, author, speaker, and the founder of Live Not Loathe, LLC. He has overcome adversity, depression, and PTSD to earn multiple certifications recognized throughout the coaching community and an MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith Business School and an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Fordham University. His mission is to empower others to increase their self-confidence, improve their perception of their worth, and design their lives through a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance.

*Content warning: grief and suicide loss.

Today I'm talking with Michelle Anhang, a Certified Life Coach who specializes in supporting individuals and families living with mental health challenges as well as those moving forward after loss. In this episode, she shares what it was like growing up in a household that was very shame-driven, building a life with her husband and losing him to suicide after his struggles with bipolar disorder. She holds nothing back as she talks of the aftermath of his death, the story they told instead, and the feelings that were constantly threatening to bubble up no matter how hard she pushed them down. You won’t want to miss this story of how finding and living her truth and healing past traumas has put her on this path to help others do the same.



What to Listen For:



Her life before loss



"It all seemed okay until it didn't."



Not knowing the signs of her husband’s mental illness until later

Watching her husband decline after diagnosis

How he hid his symptoms

All the ways the whole family covered for his illness while he was alive

His final phone call to her before he took his life

The decision the family made after his death



"They suggested, ‘why don't we say it was an accident?’ It was like, okay, yeah, let's do that. And so, we just went forward with that story.”



Not being able to grieve the way she needed to grieve

Feeling anger and abandonment

Internalizing all of it due to shame

Stopping herself from feeling and halting her healing

How repressed grief leaked out

Being afraid of what would happen if she opened the box

Stepping into a very toxic way of living and what pulled her out of this way of life



"I just had this moment of like, ‘oh, my God, I am the common denominator in everything that's wrong in my life. And you know, that aha moment was like totally devastating. And at the same time, completely liberating because I knew, okay, if it's me, I can change me."



The realization she had on her 45th birthday

Deep diving into her trauma

Finding a new community of people and adopting new ways of thinking

The process of processing



“It was honestly eight months of crying all day, every day. And I went to work and it was just like, okay, finish work, sit at my desk like, oh, I'm feeling the tears rising, running to the bathroom, bawling my eyes out, touching up my makeup, going back, and keep going until the next burst.”



Feeling like she was grieving for three

Getting ready to share her truth

Starting with telling her kids even though she was terrified



“All of my fears were completely wrong. I always say like, fear is a liar.”



The realization of how she needed to show up and help people

Putting the truth out into the world via a Facebook post

The flow of support and love she received after telling the truth

Understanding there’s no such thing as perfect and allowing things to be messy

Learning to lean into trusting herself and her intuition

Making a commitment to doing this work

What motivates her to keep going on this path

The things that dropped into alignment once she shared her truth

The role support plays in moving through grief

What she wishes she knew about shame when she was younger



About Michelle Anhang:



Michelle Anhang, BA, PCC, CPCC, is a Certified Life Coach who specializes in supporting individuals and families living with mental health challenges as well as those moving forward after loss. In addition to coaching, Michelle is a motivational speaker who shares her story of becoming widowed at the age of 34 when her husband died by suic...

In today’s episode, I’m talking about context, what really happened, and the art of not taking things personally—all things that lead to greater leverage and freedom! These are especially important as we navigate challenging chapters and big life transitions, or when we’re comparing our journey to someone else’s (which we shouldn’t be doing in the first place, because we all have our own process and pacing). I’m giving some examples for what each of these mean and how understanding them can help you move through your growth and healing far more rapidly.



What to listen for:



What is context and why is it important

Internalizing things that are interpreted out of context

Being clear on your context and how to make discerning decisions

Why you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone else



“Even if your situation is very similar to someone who's been on the show, remember that the context is completely different—inherently—because we’re different people. We’re living different lives. The circumstances are different. The situation is different. Our internal worldview, our internal ecology is different.”



Discerning what’s right for you on your journey

Look for the framework and how it’s being modeled

Asking ourselves, “what really happened?”

Separating stories from reality to keep moving forward



“Story pulls us away from what it is that we want, and it keeps us stuck. It keeps us small. It keeps us stalled out. Story is the thing that we are trying to separate out by asking this question, not invalidating our experience and making it wrong. Not gaslighting ourselves or others.”



Breaking this powerful question down

Grab a copy of my book, What Really Happened?

Where our stories come from and why they’re not true

The art of not taking things personally and how it empowers us

Why this isn’t a pass or an “out” from taking responsibility

The flip side of “it's not personal” that we don’t acknowledge



“We love this concept in relation to the negative. We feel better. We can say, ‘it's not personal,’ when they're mean or don't treat us well. We don't like the idea that it's not personal when they're praising us and appreciating us and celebrating who we are.”



How non-attachment creates freedom to live our purpose

When to reflect on other people’s responses to us

Noticing where these play out in our lives and next steps you can take



Resources:



Grab a copy of, What Really Happened? Break Free from Interpretation and Make the Impossible Happen, along with other products and books in the online shop.



Access our free workbook for how to make the impossible happen, and our powerful 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/.



Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com.



Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.

Today I'm talking with Dominion Ezechibueze, founder of Minion Training and a Division I Football player, about finding faith, focus, and purpose after abuse. Dominion is a Nigerian immigrant who wasn't breathing when he was born and experienced physical abuse throughout his childhood, both in school and at home. Finding football in high school was a pivotal moment that changed the trajectory of his life, giving him the skills, support, and purpose he lacked. He's now a personal trainer and host of the Minion Motivation podcast with a mission to spread faith lessons through his journey of overcoming struggles and helping others become their healthiest selves—mentally and physically.



What to listen for:



Born in Nigeria, not breathing

Arriving in America when he was six years old

Being bullied in school and abused at home

Discovering football and how it changed his life

Leaning on the power of fitness



"I just started working hard. And that's why I got into fitness. That process helped me find myself. You have to talk to yourself; you have to push past a lot of things internally so you can see the physical attribute of it. I wanted to get better for my football team."



Growing up with faith and building a relationship with God

The importance of knowing your purpose in life

Feeling messed up and navigating life getting harder

Experiencing adjustments in football and the effects of it

Building trust to navigate life's storms



"I'm a very emotional person. So when I'm going through something, I'm not looking at logic. I'm not looking at the word as much as I should be. You have to trust, right? It's hard. It's super crazy hard."



Having his faith and commitment tested

Leaving a legacy and what we're remembered for

Following your dreams and not settling in life



"Everybody has a dream. For some people, they take that other route and settle. And you know, I feel bad cause I feel like everybody dreams. You have to keep pushing, keep working. I'm still on that path."



Starting his personal training business in high school

His dream of playing for the NFL

Launching his podcast and motivating others



About Dominion Ezechibueze:



Dominion Ezechibueze is a young entrepreneur growing his business and chasing his dreams. His purpose is to spread the word of a God through overcoming struggles in his life.



Website and social media links:



https://miniontraining.com/

https://www.facebook.com/miniontraining/

https://www.instagram.com/miniontraining/



Resources:



Access our free 8-part Journey Mapping™ sampler program and begin uncovering the purpose of your path at www.TalesFromTheJourney.tv/Free/.



Read my memoir, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season of Living that Damn Near Killed Me at www.TheUnravelBook.com.



Tales from the Journey™ is a Stephenie Zamora Media Production.