Navigating Life with Self-Compassion

What if you could truly listen to your body and discover the secrets to feeling your best every day? On Pocket Full of Mojo, I, Steph, invite you to explore this potential by tapping into your innate mojo—a wellspring of unshakeable confidence and self-worth. Through heartfelt storytelling, I share my transformative return to Canada, juggling the roles of the Mojo Maven, a caregiver, and a determined entrepreneur, all while navigating life’s unpredictable twists. Embrace the mantra of the week with me: "I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best." This powerful affirmation guides us toward mindful self-care, showing how tuning in to our needs can lead to a happier, healthier life.

Join me as I reflect on an unexpected journey to France, where I uncovered the delicate balance between ambition and rest, learning to allow vulnerability and self-compassion into my life. Discover how the simple act of planning ahead transformed a potentially stressful Christmas into a joyous celebration, and how surrendering control can bring clarity and strengthen self-advocacy. Whether new to the podcast or a loyal listener, prepare for an uplifting ride filled with insights and inspiration, reminding you that the path to living your best life is already within you.

Chapters

• 0:11 Tuning Into Your Mojo
• 9:21 Navigating Life's Unexpected Twists
• 13:01 Finding Balance and Self-Care

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

welcome to pocket full of mojo. Where you're, you and I'm steph, and we tune in here to tap into some mojo. And if you're new here and asking what, what's Mojo? Well, fair question, mojo is that feeling of unshakable confidence, that booming self-worth. Like you're an unstoppable force of nature and I'm here to show you how you can have that feeling every single day. You see, I think I've cracked the code to being happy. I'm happy all the freaking time, at least every day, at least most of the day, possibly to an annoying degree. But hey, I wasn't always this way. And not to flex, but I have had multiple breakdowns on multiple continents and in two languages. Three years ago, my whole life dumpster fire, but today I'm better than I've ever been. And how you ask? Fire, but today I'm better than I've ever been. And how you ask Well, by paying attention and living with more intention. I've created a self-love first aid kit and it's full of amazing tools to help you level up, navigate life with that main character energy. And I'm not here to gatekeep. In fact, I'm on a mission to help you tap into your best stuff and remember that you have everything that you need to live your life on your own terms. So settle in, we're here for some positive change. So let's dig in to where your mojo meets the road.

Speaker 1: 1:36

In today's episode, I'm going to review our mantra for the week and then we're going to wrap up season one of Pocketful of Mojo and I'm going to take you on a little tour of how we got here and where we're going. This is my first YouTube post, so congrats on getting in on the ground floor, because we are going to be covering some groundbreaking stuff, and I'm so glad you're here for the ride. And if you are new to Pocketful of Mojo, you're in luck. I've got 41 episodes of this magic waiting for you wherever you listen to podcasts, so be sure to dive through the archives and binge at your pleasure. So you, I'm going to need you to stick around and I'm going to make sure that you're glad that you did. So. Let's get started with today's mantra and get tuned in, tapped in and turned on. So hello and welcome.

Speaker 1: 2:33

This is the 42nd episode of Pocket Full of Mojo and once again, I'm Steph. I'm your Mojo Maven, your emotional Sherpa, and I'm so glad that you're here. Quick reminder am I a therapist? No, do I have a degree in psychology? Also, no, I'm a flawed human and a recovering people pleaser who's figured out how to tap into our best stuff. We're literally born with everything we need, so I'm here to reflect your awesomeness back to you. So we're going to smash those limiting beliefs and hook you up with some inspiration and motivation to live the life you love, and love the life you live you in.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Let's start by digging into today's mantra. Now, today's mantra is I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. When we start our mantra with I listen, we are putting ourselves in receiving mode, and that can be a challenge when we're constantly out in the world, taking action, deciphering information and processing what comes at us at all times. When we put ourselves in listen mode, we are mindfully becoming receptors and tuning into our bodies and what it's trying to tell us. All the body ever wants is to operate at its best, and when our actions and thoughtlessness gets involved, that things get wonky with the old bod. When we're dialed into the body, we're better equipped to give it what it needs. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. Listening to the body is a great way to continue to show up for yourself. When you listen to your body, you are actively and consciously prioritizing your overall well-being and taking steps to respond to what your body is needing and not what your mind may think it wants. There may be something to be said about paying attention to the whisper before it becomes a shout.

Speaker 1: 4:30

The more we tune in and have this responsive relationship with our bodies, the happier our bodies will be. Our bodies are constantly telling us what we need and we pay attention to the big stuff, like if we're cold, we dress warmer, and if we're cold, we dress warmer. And if we're hungry, we eat sometimes, but what about the toothache that's been bugging you for weeks? Or those sore feet that you just haven't taken the time to get better shoes? This is your body drawing attention to what it needs, and it needs you to take action before the problem gets worse. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. Never underestimate the power of good to great. Even when you feel relatively fine, that actually puts you in a great position to level up the noise is less. You have more clear, direct line to be able to tap in to what your body is asking for. We don't need to be sick to get better, and if you don't take the time to be well, you better take some time to be sick. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best.

Speaker 1: 5:39

The key to this mantra is awareness. As you continue to move yourself up in the list of terms of importance and priority, you will start to see. Mantra is awareness. As you continue to move yourself up in the list of terms of importance and priority, you will start to see a shift happen where you're going to start to behave differently with your body. You're going to listen more, understand more and actually hear what your body has to say, from the small things to the big things. Knowing what your body needs is the first step to being better, no matter where you're at.

Speaker 1: 6:08

When we think we know what the body wants, we tend to start to throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, or take our stupid mental health walk in hopes that it's going to be a cure-all for our mind, body and spirit, and this is where this mantra takes the guesswork out and allows us to instead tune in and respond with love, care, attention and awareness that serves our body, as opposed to what we think it wants. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. Look, nobody makes choices, thinking I'm going to do what's not best for me. It's not something that we do consciously, but by applying a little bit of attention and intention. That's the game changer. The best part about adopting this mantra is that, as it gets into our mindset, the more we do it, the less we have to navigate. You see, our bodies are designed to operate at its peak potential and they're constantly working to heal, process, give us energy in the most optimal way. And then we get in the way we fall asleep with screens on, we eat things that might not be the best for us, we burn the candle at both ends and then we wonder why we're not feeling our best. But if we stop and listen to what our body needs, we're going to be in better shape. Did you know that when you go to the grocery store, your eyes will automatically draw you to the foods that have the vitamins and minerals that your body needs True fact. But we have to be paying attention in order to notice that when we consciously feel thirsty, did you know that that means that your body is already in dehydration? True fact. This is why we need to listen when it's a whisper, so that we don't have to react when it's a shout. Maybe it's that headache that comes on after nine hours of screen time. Well, you know what Our body is going to send, a signal of what it needs, but it's up to us to consciously listen. So when we dial down the noise of life and dial up the connection that we have with our bodies, we're going to have a much healthier, happier relationship with our bodies. And you know what happens when we show our bodies love. It shows us love right back. And you know how we treat things we love. We treat them well. We don't sabotage the things and people we love with harsh chemicals, poor treatment, neglect, abuse. We show love, consideration, grace, patience and care. Same goes for your body. It all takes some attention, paying attention, and just watch how your body transforms. I listen to my body when it tells me what it needs in order to feel its best. Oh man, that was a good mantra, and it leads me to take you on a bit of an adventure. While I talk about how I got here and what this is all about, then at the end I'm going to share with you the three big takeaways that allowed me to survive and thrive through a very draining, very demanding and intense season since my last episode. So go grab your popcorn. It's story time.

Speaker 1: 9:21

On the last episode of Pocketful of Mojo, I was in France, so a quick refresh for your freshman mojarinos out there. I used to live in France. I was there for four years and I moved there to be closer to my in-laws at the time. And then, four years later, my mom died Very suddenly. She made meatloaf, she felt tired, she went to bed and the good Lord took her. That was it Right. Around the same time, my marriage ended, just to keep things exciting.

Speaker 1: 9:57

So it was at that point that I made the decision to move back to Canada, give my dad a hand in navigating life without my mom and also do some of my own personal healing. I had the chance to be able to do it in the home I grew up in, and it felt like the right thing to do to come home, heal care and just reset my life. But in that moment nothing made sense A life without my mom. I couldn't even imagine a world without her in it, and it was through that process that I did a lot of self-work. I put a lot of pieces together that led me to reveal that I am the Mojo Maven. I am a Mojo Master, and when I unlocked all of these key pieces, that's when I knew that my mission was to come and share this with as many people who needed to hear it. Now this has made me my dad's primary caretaker for the last three years, which has been all-encompassing primary caretaker for the last three years, which has been all encompassing. And as his health has declined, it's been asking more and more and more of me.

Speaker 1: 11:06

So what I did last summer was I bit the bullet. I'd been spending three years thinking and dreaming and imagining going back to France and seeing my friends again and seeing my cats again, and I finally bit the bullet and I got tired of talking about it and I took action and I booked that flight. So there was going to be, it was going to be six weeks in my old hometown. It was going to be like going home again and I just couldn't wait. So that was my ultimate self-care break. It was the gift I gave myself after creating all the things that I'd created. I'd built a podcast, I'd built this company. I'd given so much of myself to my friends and my family and I thought, you know, it's time to refill my cup. And I went out there with huge expectations. I was going to do all this filming and it was going to be great, and I was going to get my workbook done. And I was going to do all this filming and it was going to be great, and I was going to get my workbook done and I was going to develop all the course content. And it was really big pie in the sky expectations.

Speaker 1: 12:10

And then, less than a week after arriving in France, I get a message from my brother my dad is in the hospital. Cue record, scratch moment. Everything I thought I was going to do had completely just flown out of my head. I had no direction, I had no motivation. I just felt like all the wind had been taken out of my sails. I had really big goals and really big objectives and I wanted to be productive and get things done. And then, all of a sudden, I was just body snatched Like I had. My brain wasn't working, my heart was broken, I was conflicted, I was feeling guilty and all of this waves of feelings and emotions were just pulling me in a hundred directions. I felt like I was in an emotional tornado.

Speaker 1: 13:01

But what I learned was that I needed to give myself some grace. I needed to tune into what I really needed. What I really wanted was one thing. What I needed was something completely different, and it was different than what I planned on needing. But it gave me some perspective and it made me come home to a whole new reality. Because, after spending my time with the people over there, they were the ones who really helped me pivot and say you know what? You came out here with really big ambitions and you wanted to get so many things done here with really big ambitions and you wanted to get so many things done. But maybe the real purpose of you being here in France is to reset, is to recharge, is to rest, is to give myself a break after working every single day. Every single day, whether it was on myself, whether it was on my business, whether it was being a caretaker, I was always keeping myself in demand 24-7.

Speaker 1: 14:06

So in November I came back from my trip to France to a whole new reality. I had to adjust to a higher level of needs that was really and truly 24-7. And I really had to focus on what I can do and take the time pressure away. And it really called on me to trust that everything was going to work out, because I'd made all these plans and they all blew up in my face. So I had to have faith that somewhere in there I was going to refine my place and get back into my lane. And in doing so I really was overcome with overwhelm and it took me a while to get back in the groove.

Speaker 1: 14:48

But here's what the difference was when I reached out and I opened myself up. I work with this amazing networking team and I really shared my vulnerability and shared my overwhelm, because I felt like I was behind. I felt like I wasn't doing enough, because my attention was being split in so many different directions and the priority levels were all in flux. But by accepting some help, I had some people reach out and say hey, did you want to do a brainstorming session? Hey, did you want to sit down and have a coffee and we can flush all this out.

Speaker 1: 15:22

As a people pleaser, I typically used to reject help. I used to see it as a weakness or no, I don't want to bother you. But by accepting that help, it was absolutely game changing and it allowed me to focus on the most important things. It made me turn down the noise and really dial into what was the most important, what was the most urgent and what could I do today. And as I kept chipping away at it, I felt like the path just kind of revealed itself, because when you let go, it makes room for what you're truly attracting and what you truly need.

Speaker 1: 16:00

For example, I was all in my head about where am I going to record these videos and how am I going to get this done and it's going to cost a fortune. And all of these limiting beliefs had just started piling up in my brain. And then I just hit Google and I typed recording studio Winnipeg, which is where I live free. And then the library came up and with my library card I found out that I can go to this cool ideas lab downtown and they've got recording equipment and green screens Obviously, I'm not there today, but cameras and all of these things, and it was just like this gift that all of the answers had come to find me. And just by being able to take that step back and ask the right questions and operate from balance, all that pressure went away. Everything melted away just because, through the act of giving myself some grace, through the act of focusing on what was most important and not trying to take a bite of 10 sandwiches at the same time, because just picture what that looks like. It sounds ridiculous.

Speaker 1: 17:06

So as we got closer to November, I was really mindful about what filled my own cup and with Christmas around the corner, I knew just what to do. You see Christmas around here. It's like the Super Bowl for me, and I take after my mom in that she was a domestic goddess and the CEO of this house and we have three generations and 100-year-old decorations and, I promise you, not a surface area of this house went untouched. I'm talking tea towels, I'm talking coasters, I'm talking garlands. Everywhere. It was magical. So I really made sure that I was putting these guideposts down so that my cup could continuously be filled and that I wasn't just always giving. I knew how much joy Christmas brought me, but I didn't want it to be an obligation, so I planned it out. I made myself a little baking schedule. I did two recipes every week so that when it came time to enjoy, I had everything done and ready and that December could be all about enjoying it. And I had 30 days of amazing joy. The house looked spectacular magazine ready, if I do say so myself, and it really went perfectly. I hosted 10 people for Christmas Day. Everyone had an amazing time. The meal was perfection, the desserts were delicious and it really brought me so much joy to be able to share that with the people that I love. And I was able to do that because I made it a priority.

Speaker 1: 18:44

Some of the learnings that I want to share with you, that I've garnered over the last three months, from going from zero to hero, if you will. The first thing is surrender brings clarity when things don't go as planned. That's been known to happen right. Here's the recipe Stop, reset and adjust. You just have to put one foot in front of the other, and the more you give yourself grace, the more you'll know how to navigate those little changes and adapt your plan to fit your current situation. The second thing was asking for help. The second thing was asking for help.

Speaker 1: 19:31

Self-advocacy is very difficult sometimes, especially for people pleasers, especially for women, this can be difficult. Now, asking for help is one thing. Receiving that help or getting heard that you need that help can be something totally different. But you're the only one who can do it, because the people who walk in when everyone else is walking out, those are your people. Those are the ones who will show up for you in the darkest days. Now another important point is to go slowly. Slowly is the fastest way to get where you're going, and I learned this because I was trying to do things at a race pace and it was not serving me at all. By paying attention to the resistance that happens as you're trying to force something, it's really going to show you the way. When you feel that resistance, it's time to pause, take a step back and redirect your energy a little bit to make sure that you're aware of where that resistance is happening, because that might be a nudge in a direction that's going to serve you better and help you get where you're going in a much more efficient way.

Speaker 1: 20:54

So, ladies and germs, that was the final episode of pocket full of mojo is season one. Please tune in next week for a homegrown canadian where we're going to dig into more great ways for you to level up the most important relationship that there is, and that's the relationship that you have with yourself. Truth is going back to not, for me, was the act of self-care like level five self-care and while it wasn't cheap, when it comes to value it was a bargain at twice the price. So, seriously, merci beaucoup for tuning in and I hope that this has helped you tap into some of that mojo of your own, because feeling good feels good right.

Speaker 1: 21:42

So, in the meantime, if you feel like your mojo could use a tune up, I've come up with lots of ways for us to do this again sometime. You can start by getting in on the ground floor of YouTube. Mojo Mastery, you're a pioneer, so smash that subscribe button and let's keep the mojo going. And make sure you take a couple of minutes to subscribe to the podcast, and extra good, juju, if you leave a review. Subscribe to the podcast and extra good, juju, if you leave a review, and you can follow me on Instagram for daily mantras and affirmations. And be sure to show your love with likes and comments, because I'm a recovering people pleaser, so you know it means the world to me.

Speaker 1: 22:19

When you do Look, you found me at the very beginning of all things mojo, and there's so much more on the way. So all the cool links are found down in the show notes. So go have a look. I mean you're here anyway. I've got promo codes, I've got a seven day Mojo makeover challenge and so much more to come. And if you want something that's actually fun to read in your email, do not wait. Sign up today for your weekly inspiration by clicking the link below. Do not wait. Sign up today for your weekly inspiration by clicking the link below. I've got so much great stuff to share with you guys, so be sure to turn in next week and until then, stay classy, stay kind and put love in everything you do. Thanks again for tuning in. This has been Steph with Pocketful of Mojo Season one out. Ciao for now.