Today's episode is a re-release of an episode from last fall that is one of our highest listened-to episodes. Brenda shares about living around the world including serving as a mission president couple for the LDS church, and how she has learned to support her children in their LDS faith transitions. She shares about the difficulties as well as coming to a place of acceptance and love, benefits this shift has brought to her relationships, and advice for those in similar situations.    We loved talking with Brenda and so glad we could bring this conversation back for the second episode in our current faith series. We know you will love Brenda's fun, genuine personality and learning about her life experiences and valuable perspectives.    You can find Brenda on Instagram @b_smart.    Thank you for listening! 

Stan grew up in a fundamental conservative Pentecostal religious community in Arkansas, was a teen minister, and became a highly influential Lead Pastor by the time he was an adult. Led by a desire to expand and make room for all, Stan went on the journey of becoming a progressive Christian Pastor and shares his fascinating story in this moving and thoughtful conversation today. We're honored Stan made the time to share his thoughts and experiences with us in this inspiring conversation that we will continue to reflect back on, gleaning insight and wisdom from, and are excited to share with our audience.    Stan currently serves as a Teaching Pastor at The Village Church in Atlanta, GA, and Austin New Church (UMC) in Austin, TX. He is the Pastor Emeritus of GracePoint Church in Nashville, TN, where he served as Lead Pastor from 2003 through 2019. In 2015, GracePoint made the move to the full affirmation and celebration of LGBTQ+ people. Stan now spends his vocational time as a speaker, LGBTQ+ advocate, and consultant within the Progressive Christian Movement, including within the LDS Community.    Find and follow Stan on Facebook here and on Instagram @pastorstanmitchell.    Stan will be speaking at the LUV Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this Friday, October 18. Find more information at luvwithoutlimits.org.    Faith Series Stan's episode is the first episode of a Faith Series we will be sharing over the next five weeks where we will have five different guests share their experiences in different religious traditions including faith transitions and expansions of many kinds. We're excited to share these unique stories with you as we learn from each of the guests and their experiences.     Thank you for listening! 

Today Shaylee and Reggie join us to share about how they sold their home and moved their family of six to Tanzania in September 2023, fulfilling a dream many years in the making. This move exposed their children to a new way of life, culture, and people in hopes that they would each walk away with new perspectives, priorities, and a unique understanding of the world. Now back in the United States, Shaylee and Reggie share details on the experience and the valuable lessons they learned as a family.   We’re grateful Shaylee and Reggie joined us today and admire their adventurous spirits, and value them sharing this unique experience!

Hannah joins us today to share her unique journey as a child bride to a well-known polygamist, later earning her GED and leaving the polygamist lifestyle in 2012, and as a single mom of four pursuing a career in nursing. Now a Family Nurse Practitioner, Hannah shares about gaining the courage to leave, freeing herself from oppression, and tools for giving yourself permission to live the life you want to live.    Hannah is incredibly inspiring and such a kind, genuine person. We were fascinated by her story and all she has accomplished, and are so grateful she took the time to share with us.   Hannah's first book Give Yourself Permission: Overcoming Female Oppression is coming out this week on October 3rd! It can be found on Amazon.   Find & follow Hannah on Instagram @1giveyourselfpermission and @1hannahleigh and on Facebook at Give Yourself Permission.     

Today Britt shares her story of being a devout member of the LDS church including being a seminary teacher, to deconstructing her beliefs and entering a stage of nihilism, to finding meaning and spirituality beyond religion, and now practicing spirituality in a tangible and beautiful way. We discuss concepts and tools she uses with her clients and topics from her new book No Nonsense Spirituality. Britt has a Master's Degree in Applied Theology with a specialization in the future of American religion. She currently works as a spiritual director on nihilism recovery, faith deconstruction, and secular spirituality.    Britt is extremely thoughtful and wise and we loved every minute of this rich conversation! Her thoughts on spirituality really resonated with us and we're excited to bring her wisdom and perspective to our podcast. Thank you again to Britt for taking the time to share with us on Beautiful Shifts.   Find Britt on Instagram @nononsensespirituality on YouTube @nononsensespirituality and on TikTok @nononsensespirituality   Find Britt's book No Nonsense Spirituality on Amazon here.   ...............   Thank you for listening! We'd like to thank the band We The Lion for giving us permission to use their song Move Along on our podcast. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.      

Today SarahAnn shares her story of being diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and living with this chronic life-threatening condition for over twenty years. She shares about founding the Chest Wall Injury Society where she works as CEO, and how she has gone through life facing mortality and embracing fear and beauty. SarahAnn is incredibly smart and inspiring and we admire her example of following passions in the face of uncertainty and viewing life as a gift.    SarahAnn is involved in the Hydrocephalus Association, a nonprofit organization with the mission to find a cure for Hydrocephalus and improve the lives of those impacted by the condition. Find the Hydrocephalus Association www.hydroassoc.org and on Instagram @hydroassoc.   Every year SarahAnn, along with Shantil and her family, are involved in the Salt Lake City WALK to End Hydrocephalus, which is coming up Saturday, September 28. Learn more @hawalk_saltlakecity.   ...................   Thank you for listening! We'd like to thank the band We The Lion for giving us permission to use their song Move Along on our podcast. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.    

Today we are joined by Nathan Garn, Shantil's husband, who shares the experience of having their oldest son Payton born with a life-threatening condition (spinal meningitis, which led to hydrocephalus, which led to a severe seizure disorder). Nathan and Shantil share the challenges and life lessons they've learned from Payton having grit and finding joy through his chronic health conditions, and the color and depth that can be gained going through hard things.    Thank you to Nathan for coming on the podcast and sharing his down to earth, thoughtful wisdom and perspectives.   ....................   Thank you for listening! We'd like to thank the band We The Lion for giving us permission to use their song Move Along on our podcast. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.

Today we have a guest we've been hoping to have on the podcast since the beginning! Bruce Feiler, a New York Times bestselling author, joins us to share what led to writing his book Life is in the Transitions and discuss its crossover with our podcast. We talk about the types of transitions we go through in life, what Bruce learned from interviewing hundreds of people about their life transitions, and more insights from his book. Bruce is such a wise, genuine person and we're honored he made time to come on our podcast. We can't wait for you to hear this insightful, enjoyable conversation with him.    Bruce's bestselling books include Life is in the Transitions, Secrets of Happy Families, and The Search. Find Bruce and his work at brucefeiler.com, on Facebook here and on Instagram @brucefeiler.   ...........   Thank you for listening! We'd like to thank the band We The Lion for giving us permission to use their song Move Along on our podcast. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.     

Today is our first episode of Season Three of the podcast! We share some thoughts going into this new season, some exciting guests we have coming up, and reintroduce ourselves and the theme of the podcast. We can't believe we are starting our third season of doing this and can't wait to dive into more guest stories with you all, gaining new perspectives and finding beauty in our stories together.   Thanks for listening, supporting, and joining us for Season Three! 

Our last re-release of the summer! This was our last episode of Season One and one of our top-listened episodes. Jeffrey and Bryce are a gay couple living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City and share about raising their twins through the gift of surrogacy along with other life experiences and thoughtful perspectives. They are such a great couple and family and we're so grateful they made the time to share their story with us in this fun, honest conversation.    Find them on Instagram @growingupwithdads, which they created with the intent to provide hope and inspiration to LGBT youth and be an example they feel was lacking when they were growing up.    Thanks for listening! 

Today's re-release is a conversation from Season One that had such great impact on us and is one of our most listened-to episodes of all seasons.   In 2021, Mason's family was involved in a fatal car accident that took the lives of his wife, daughter, son, brother, and nephew. Sam was born with a rare form of Dwarfism that affects bone growth and development and causes abnormalities. Best friend's since high school, they share more about their stories and how they have used the 10Ninety Principle, the name of their podcast, to share stories so others feel less alone, focusing on how life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent what you make it.    They are both incredibly inspiring and have great sense of humors. We laughed and cried through this unforgettable conversation and are grateful we were able to hear their stories and learned so much from them both.    Find the 10Ninety Rule Podcast on Instagram @10ninetyrule

In today's re-release, Carrie shares her powerful story of surviving and overcoming a deep addiction to prescription drugs. Carrie exemplifies incredible strength and resillience, turning weaknesses into strengths, and that through our flaws we can connect and heal together. A survivor of the opioid epidemic, she aims to help others gain hope, healing, and understanding for themselves, friends, and loved ones.    Carrie is a mother of four and a grandmother. She is a licensed realtor and Director of Growth at Keller Williams Home Hub.   Find Carrie on Facebook (Carrie Butler) and on Instagram @carrie.butler.76. You can also reach out to her over email - [email protected]. She would love to help others connect with support and resources for addiction and recovery. 

Our second re-release of the summer! Ryan shares his story of leaving corporate America to start his interior design firm, Smart Studio Designs, even when he felt it was risky and too late. Ryan has lived in various places, introducing him to people and cultures that have shaped who he is today. His story is sprinkled with interesting and important life lessons he has learned along the way, including seeking help for anxiety when needed.    Ryan helps us see the reward is in the journey, that we can look back and find beauty in our individual paths, and that fear is normal, but not to miss out on what the other side of fear has to offer.    Find Ryan and his work on Instagram @smartstudiodesigns Find Ryan's design firm: www.smartstudiodesigns.com   

Today we have our first re-release of the summer, our episode with Shantil's sister Kari, which was also our very first episode! Kari shares about being a survivor of a suicide attempt as a teen, being a birth mother, an entrepreneur, and the healing and hope she has experienced as she has learned mental health tools and grown into adulthood. Kari shares how the theme "think twice" relates to her life in this uplifting and inspiring story.    Learn more about Kari's story on her blog here.    Find Kari on Instagram @kari.w.montgomery   Book recommendations from Kari:  The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle Untamed, Glennon Doyle Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod  

Our last episode of Season Two! Today we have a fun conversation highlighting episodes and topics we've had this season, talk about plans for the podcast over the summer, and what we have in the works for Season Three. We also share the top five listened-to episodes of the season and touch on our purpose for the podcast.    We're so grateful to our guests who were on this Season! We had so many great conversation and are so appreciative of their willingness and vulnerability in sharing their stories.    We also want to thank our listeners for your support! We are so grateful for each of you and that you continue to find beauty with us through these open, connecting conversation's on life's transitions and shifts.   We're already looking forward to upcoming guests we have for Season Three and are excited to share them with you! We hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to resuming in August.    

Today we are joined by Tamara Jacobs, one of Lindsay's closest lifelong friends! In this thoughtful conversation Tamara shares about her LDS faith transition including her experience growing up in the church, what led to her faith transition, and how she has reframed and rebuilt values and spirituality. Tamara shares aspects of deconstructing that were pivotal for her personally as well as in raising her children, and helpful perspectives on reframing values and spirituality after such a big life shift.   Tamara has a beautiful way with words in this heartfelt, vulnerable conversation. We know her insights will help many people going through similar transitions, and in bridging understanding. Thank you, Tamara, for coming on Beautiful Shifts and sharing your story!    Tamara is a wife, mother of four, and is an intervention aide at an elementary school. She loves to read, write, go on walks, and enjoys music and creativity.    Find Tamara on Instagram @tammykae84 where she shares fun tidbits of her life, books she's reading, and creative inspiration.    ...............   Thank you for listening! We hope you subscribe & join us in hearing more stories of Beautiful Shifts. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, guests, and more.   

Today we have such a fun, meaningful conversation with Heather as she shares how tulips, cake, and basketball shoes relate to her story and the theme of living the unexpected life and learning from failures. Heather shares about her son who has down syndrome and autism, is tube fed, non-verbal, and medically complex, and how each of us will have times we're living the unexpected and what that can lead to. She shares her perspective on failure and taking risks and how these work into different parts of her experiences.    Heather is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Relationship Coach and has been counceling clients since 2004. Her passion is to help others reprogram their mindset to reach their potential. She currently lives with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah, and considers herself a cake baking nerd, loves to karaoke with her family, and loves basketball.   We thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and are excited for you to hear from Heather and learn from her perspectives!    Find Heather on Instagram @heather_coach. Find her therapy practice www.skylightcounseling.com and her coaching business www.alignthesoul.com.    .................   Thank you for listening! We hope you'll subscribe & join us in hearing more stories of Beautiful Shifts. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, guests, and more. 

We're so excited to have David Kozlowski from the OG Therapy Podcast and Light the Fight Podcast with us! Today David begins by sharing his personal story of growing up with family members with Borderline Personality Disorder, how he experienced multiple concussions and a suicide attempt while playing football at the University of Utah, and facing his own mental health struggles which led to pursuing a master's in counseling psychology and a desire to help others. David has become an expert in his field and has worked with kids, teens, and families in mental health for over 25 years, specializing in working with teens. He shares how the youth he worked with helped come up with the term Social Health, how he created the first Social Health Curriculum for Herriman High School (Utah), and how strengthening social health is key to strengthening mental health for our youth. He shares about his new book Youth of the Nation, how it focuses on Social Health and can help parents, educators, and anyone who has interest in supporting the mental health of young people.    Find David's book here on Amazon.  Find David & his podcast on Instagram @david_kozlowski_ Find David's website here.    David was born and raised in Carlsbad, California. He has been a crisis counselor, behavioral specialist, and has a private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in helping families, kids, teens and young adults. He is the host of OG Therapy Podcast and has a Ted Talk on parent-teen relationships. He is the creator and one of the teachers at Herriman High School of the first Social Health Curriculum. David gives social health presentations and trainings to schools, communities and businesses and teaches them social health tools to improve their mental health.    .................   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, guests, and more. Thank you for listening!

Today it's just us, chatting about parenting! We start by talking about some parenting transitions in our own lives. Then we chat about Dr. Becky Kennedy and her book Good Inside, why we love this parenting method, and some helpful tips we've taken away from her book and the ideas she shares. We wrap up by highlighting guests we've had on this season who have talked about different parenting transitions and give highlights from their episodes.    We loved talking about parenting and kids and some of the helpful things we've learned along the way, and from our awesome guests!    Thanks for listening!   ..................   We hope you enjoyed this conversation. We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, guests, and more. Thank you for listening!

Today we are joined by Margaret who shares her story of parenting her son who is neurodiverse and on the autism spectrum. She shares lessons she learned that changed the way she was experiencing parenting and her relationships with her son, husband, and herself. We discuss letting go of judgment in parenting, following our intuition, helpful strategies, and finding peace, growth, and joy in the parenting journey.    We really loved and valued this conversation and feel so lucky we were able to connect with Margaret and hear her story and expertise! She is a wonderful person and we loved getting to know her.    Margaret is a former elementary school teacher and has been a parent coach for 12 years with many certifications and trainings. She recently released her first book "A Hero's Journey in Parenting" (available on Amazon) and has a telecourse "Parenting the Child You Didn't Expect While You Were Expecting" that has helped hundreds of parents. She is also the lead parent coach for the "Differently Wired" club since its inception. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, 20 year old son, and three Jack Russell Terriers.    Thank you again, Margaret, for coming on Beautiful Shifts!   Find Margaret on Instagram @margaretwebbparentcoach Facebook: Margaret Webb (personal) & Margaret Webb Life Coach (business) Margaret's book on Amazon: A Hero's Journey In Parenting   In the intro of this episode we talk about Shantil's son Payton's Instagram page where he shares fun and creative reviews of Crumbl cookies from the perspective of his bike, the Zebra Cruiser.  Find Payton's account @zebra_striper22 for Crumbl reviews and other fun content!   .................   We hope you enjoyed this conversation. We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along for more inspiring stories.  Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, our guests, and more. Thank you for listening!  

Rachel is a wife of 30 years, mother of five children, and has two beautiful grandchildren. Today Rachel shares the touching story of adopting her son Noah, who is now 13, and what it has been like raising a Black son in Utah. She shares about the gift of adoption, the delightful person Noah is, and is honest and vulnerable about some of the challenges that have come with racism they have experienced. Rachel does a wonderful job addressing the delicate topic as she shares her experiences and perspectives.   Rachel has been a motivational speaker for over 20 years using experience she's gained in the nutrition industry and obstacles in life, and considers her life's work using her voice for good and encouraging others to do the same. Rachel created an annual non-profit formal event called The Galentine's Gala where women from all over Utah gather to honor carefully selected recipient as well as celebrating each other.    Find Rachel on Instagram @dear.rach where you can follow her fun, uplifting content.   Thank you again, Rachel, for sharing your story with us!   ..................   We hope you enjoyed the conversation. We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along for more inspiring stories.   Find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, our guests, and more.   Thank you for listening!

Kari is a wife, mother of two young children, and an adjunct instructor in the department of Filmmaking, Art & Design at Southern Utah University. Today Kari shares about her husband's recent deployment to Africa where he will serve for the next nine months and how she and her kids are adjusting to him being away. She then shares about the tragic passing of her twin sister Kristi to a heroine overdose eight years ago. She shares how she has coped with this heartbreaking loss, lessons she's learned, advice for listeners, and how the major life transitions she's been through have come together in her life today.   Kari is fun, wise and thoughtful and we're so grateful she was so open and vulnerable in sharing her touching story. She shares so much we can all learn from.    Find Kari on Instagram @karibethheaps   Second Chance 5k is the nonprofit founded in memory of Kari's twin sister Kristi, created by their older sister Holly Wever (Holly was also on our podcast!). This year's event is coming up April 20th in Las Vegas. Its purpose is to connect communities affected by substance use disorders and celebrate second chances for those in recovery. Visit their Instagram page @secondchance5k or website secondchance5k.org to register, for ways to donate, and get involved.   Make sure to check out Kari's amazing older sister Holly Wever's episode on our podcast last year, as well as their incredible mother Karen Cushenberry. Both share their powerful perspectives and stories.   ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation. We'd love if you'd subscribe wherever you listen and follow along. You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, our guests, and more.    Thank you for listening!

Today we are joined by the amazing and wise Susie Augenstein! Susie shares her experiences and lessons learned on some recent significant life transitions she's been through including the empty nest phase and how to find peace through life's storms. She then shares about her faith evolution as a member of the LDS church, as a former bishop's wife and lifelong active and devoted member. Susie's story, perspectives and advice to listeners are so well thought out and we know you'll find value in what she shares.    Susie is a nurse, mom, traveler, wife, questioner, and advocate for all of her close friends who identify as LGFTQ+. She and her husband, Paul, raised five kids who are now figuring out young adulthood with all of its ups and downs.    Thank you again to Susie for coming on Beautiful Shifts!    ...............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation. We'd love if you'd subscribe wherever you listen and follow along. You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, our guests, and more.    Thank you for listening! 

It's our Spring Break week, so today we are re-releasing an episode we had last spring with the incredibly inspiring Jorge Font. At 19-years-old Jorge was in a waterskiing accident and became a paraplegic. In this conversation Jorge shares his journey since then including challenges, lessons learned, and how ultimately his life has expanded in ways he is grateful for.      This is a such an uplifting conversation and we're so grateful Jorge took the time to talk with us and share his experiences and perspectives! We're so happy we can reshare this so our newer listeners have a chance to hear Jorge's story and the rest of us can have a chance to listen again.   Jorge is a husband, father, author, speaker, the Director of Institutional Philosophy at the Telethon Foundation, and the Director of Meaning and Human Development in Nice. He has given a TedX talk Life In Earthquake Mode and published a book Ensanchar la vida (Expanded Life) found here on Amazon.    Thank you again, Jorge, for coming on Beautiful Shifts and sharing with us!     

Today we are joined by Deborah Tobola and Elizabeth Buckner who have been friends for close to 25 years, brought together by being teachers at the same prison and a shared love of poetry. Both from California with unique backgrounds including living during the hippie era, they share their individual stories and traumas they've endured through the years, sharing poems they've written along the way, and how writing and sharing poetry with each other has been a catalyst for healing.   We loved this soulful conversation and know you'll be fascinated, touched, and inspired by Deborah and Elizabeth's poems, stories, passion for serving others, social justice, and friendship, as we were.    More about Deborah and Elizabeth and where to find their work (with links):   Deborah Tobola is a poet, memoirist, playwright and co-author of a children’s book. Her work has earned four Pushcart Prize nominations, three Academy of American Poets awards and a Children’s Choice Book Award. Her memoir, Hummingbird in Underworld:Teaching in a Men’s Prison (She Writes Press, 2019), received positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Review of Books. It also won several awards in the categories of social justice, social issues, creative nonfiction and heroic journeys. Tobola spent 30 years working as prison arts instructor, teaching creative writing and theatre. Tobola founded Poetic Justice Project, the country’s first theatre company for formerly incarcerated people, in Santa Maria, California in 2009.    Before dedicating herself to poetry, Elizabeth Buckner was a welfare worker in Los Angeles and San Francisco for four years and a prison educator in San Luis Obispo County for thirty years, with a stint in San Francisco as a substitute school bus driver in between. Her poems are her life stories written in shorthand, distilled to their essences. She has self-published two books of poetry, Naked Lady in 2012, and Spirits in 2016. She recently re-published an expanded version of, Naked Lady, A Poetic Memoir of Rape and Recovery. Both books are available on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books.   ...............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more on the show, guests, etc. Thank you for listening!

Today we chat about some recent books we've read (some of you may have read along!). Whether you've read these or not, we've structured this episode so you can listen and take away some highlights and meaning from each book.   We start with Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown, which draws on her research over two decades, mapping connection and language of the human experience. We share a few words/emotions that stood out to us and discuss takeaways. We hope this can be a helpful and fun recap, and there's plenty more to dive into if you haven't read it yet!   Next, we chat about Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, a novel we both read this month that follows the lovable, smart, inspiring character Elizabeth Zott. We loved this book and talk about some meaningful themes such as womanhood, motherhood, family, friendship, and religion and spirituality. We also read some listener thoughts/submissions! We tried not to include spoilers if you haven't read it, and also hope if you did this will be a fun discussion.    We hope you enjoy this chat about some great books and takeaways!    ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more on the show, guests, books, etc.   Thank you for listening! 

Today we are joined by Jordan Stuart who is a trail runner, husband, and father of three. Jordan shares how an LDS faith journey led to pursuing wisdom and concepts bringing expanded perspectives and peace, as he remains active in the LDS church. Jordan shares a few of the concepts he's studied and contemplated, and we have a discussion about them including ontological shifts, how personal narrative shapes reality, curiosity, compassion, acceptance, and MGI (Most Generous Interpretation).    Jordan is very wise and shares his story and thoughts in an interesting and thoughtful way, and we thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Thank you, Jordan, for sharing your valuable perspectives! We hope to have Jordan back in the future.   You can find Jordan @_just_another_runner_ and on YouTube at Just Another Runner where he shares short videos he creates on concepts he's learning surrounded by beautiful scenic mountain trails of Utah.   ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love for you to subscribe and follow along. You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.   Thank you for listening! 

Today Ashlund Ortiz joins us, who is a 21-year-old Instagram influencer from Riverton, Utah. We get to hear what led Ashlund to become an influencer, what it has been like to enter her 20s, and the ups and downs of young adulthood. Ashlund is fun and relatable and it's interesting to get a glimpse into what this career path entails. She shares insights on following your own path, friendships, and more through the young adulthood years.   Thank you so much to Ashlund for making the time for us! We are excited for you to get to know her fun personality and hear her story.   You can find Ashlund on Instagram @ashlundjade   Also, thanks to @whitneygarn for guest hosting today's episode!   ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along.   You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.   Thank you for listening!

Today we are joined by Kecia who is a mother of seven children including three with Down Syndrome. Kecia shares what it was like to become a special needs parent, how adoption comes into their story, having twins, and much more. Kecia shares what this journey has been like and beautifully explains the shifts and adjustments she has made along the way both in life and in the way she views the transitions she's been through. We discuss the value of inclusion and having special needs individuals as part of our schools and communities, and the joy the bring into the lives they touch.   We are so grateful for Kecia's vulnerability and willingness to share her story - we loved every minute of this conversation and learned so much! We are excited and honored to share Kecia's perspectives with you. Thanks again, Kecia, for graciously sharing your Beautiful Shifts with us!    Find Kecia and her personal blog where she shares her family and experiences on Instagram @lovemakesmiracles_.    .............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along.    You can find us on Instagram @beautiful_shifts and on Facebook where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.   Thank you for listening! 

It's our Valentine's Day episode, and it's such a fun one! Today we get to talk with Katie Byrne who is a wife, mother of three young children, and our first guest from the UK, living just outside London. Katie shares about finding love later in life and what led her to becoming a coach helping women, primarily over 35, transform their relationship with themselves and find love. Katie shares about traveling to India for several months in her early 30s to intensively practice yoga, how that eventually led to finding her husband, and about helpful perspectives and tips for relationships at any stage.   We really loved getting to know Katie - she is a delightful person with great insights and an interesting story. Thanks so much, Katie, for coming on Beautiful Shifts!   Find Katie on Instagram @katiebyrne_ where you can find her videos and tips on love and relationships, and more on what she does in her virtual coaching practice helping women all around the world.    Happy Valentine's Day!    ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along.    You can also find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.   Thank you for listening! 

Sam and Melissa have been married nine years, have two young children, and are the creators and hosts of the popular YouTube Channel Growing Up In Polygamy (GUIP). Today Sam shares his experiences growing up FLDS in Southern Utah including being raised in a loving family with four mothers and 36 children. We hear what it was like being in the sect with Warren Jeffs as the prophet including his imprisonment, what led Sam to leaving, and how he and Melissa (who grew up outside polygamy) met and were married. Their story includes a transition out of the mainstream LDS church to where they are today, sharing their story and helping others. We explore topics such as spiritual experiences in and outside of religion, the complexities of belief, and following your moral compass.    Sam and Melissa are well-spoken, thoughtful, and such a great couple. We feel so lucky they took the time to share their fascinating, inspiring story with us.    Find them in the following places: YouTube: @growingupinpolygamy Instagram: @growing_up_in_polygamy Website: growingupinpolygamy.com Email: [email protected]   If you or someone you love has left polygamy and needs assistance, please reach out to Holding Out HELP at 801-548-3492 or visit their website at www.holdingouthelp.org.    ............   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. You can also find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.  Thank you for listening!   

LaRee is a wife, mother of five, and founder/owner of StayFitt Training. Today LaRee shares her story of making changes toward a healthy lifestyle which led to pursuing nutrition and fitness education, starting a fitness group in her home, and eventually founding her own business and opening a community fitness gym, all during and soon after Covid hit! LaRee shares what it's like to be a business owner, balancing it all with family, and deciding to follow your passions. She also shares simple, doable tips we can make toward improving health and wellness.    LaRee is our neighbor and friend and we've been so impressed with how she started this business, all she's done with it, and her passion behind what she does. Thanks so much LaRee for taking the time to share your story with us!    Find LaRee on Instagram @laree_shu Find StayFitt Training @stayfitt_training   If you're local in Utah, StayFitt is located in Riverton and is having a three year anniversary celebration coming up February 10th. Check out their page for more details on free seminars, training, and food that will be offered at the event!  ...........   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you subscribe and follow along.    You can also find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook where you can find more details on the show, guests, book club details, and more.    Thank you for listening! 

Molly is a wife, mother, and woman of many talents including singer/dancer/actress, emcee, copywriter, author, founder of the nationally recognized non-profit "A Good Grief," and keynote speaker on the Commodity of Connection. Today Molly shares about the journey she's been on since the loss of her firstborn daughter 15 years ago, thoughts on various life experiences and shifts, and how connection has emerged as a defining value in her life and story. Molly is such a fun, engaging, and inspiring person, and we know you'll love her and this conversation!    Molly and her husband Vic have lived in Park City, Utah, for 19 years where you can find them hiking, biking, and skiing. She is the mother to three wonderful humans.   All the fun can be found on Molly's Instagram page @smallyspice.   Thanks so much to Molly for taking the time to come on the podcast!   .........................................   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you subscribe and follow along.   You can also find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more details on the show, upcoming guests, book club reads, etc.   Thank you for listening!     

Thanks to Whitney herself for helping us out with this title! Whitney is a 19-year-old college student, plays soccer for Salt Lake Community College, and is Shantil's daughter! Today Whitney shares several big life shifts she's been through in the past year including adjusting to a challenging first semester of college, deciding to play soccer at the collegiate level leading to a school transfer, and a study abroad to Spain. Whitney shares on getting through difficult transitions, pursuing passions, and the benefits of stepping out of our comfort zones. We had such a fun time chatting with Whitney and love her sense of humor, perspectives, and zest for life.    This is a great conversation to listen to if you're a high school student or college age, and for parents to kids of any age as we hear what it's like for young adults going through these types of transitions. We also get to hear Shantil's perspective as the parent and lessons she's learned along the way.   We had Whitney on the podcast previously in Nov 2022 (Episode 9) where she shared about training for and running the New York City Marathon - another fun, great conversation. Make sure to check it out!   Find Whitney on Instagram @whitneygarn and her Photography & Videography account @whitneyjaefilmz. She does beautiful work - keep her in mind for your photography/videography needs!   Thanks so much Whitney for coming on the podcast!   We hope you enjoyed this conversation! We'd love if you'd subscribe and follow along. You can also find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here where you can find more details on the show, upcoming guests, book club details, etc. Thank you for listening!   

Today is a special episode with our friends Tasha and Stephanie on living into our values. First, we chat about the Beautiful Shifts Bookclub we are starting for 2024 (listen in for more details). Then we are joined by Tasha and Stephanie and, using Brene Brown's exercise/worksheet on identifying values, we each discuss which values stand out to us and how we can refocus on them for the New Year. Tasha and Stephanie are both thoughtful, fun, and wise and we know you'll love them as much as we do! We're excited for you to join in this discussion on values and hope it sparks excitement for you on this topic as it did for us.    We refer to a podcast episode on Brene Brown's podcast Unlocking Us with her sister Barrett which gives a great background/framework for this exercise if you're interested in listening: Brene and Barrett On Living Into Our Values.    Also, here is the link to the exercise/worksheet Living Into Our Values that goes along with the episode to help identify your values. We highly recommend doing this and found it very helpful and fun!   Thanks so much for listening!    Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here. 

Today we share some thoughts on the New Year and fun things we have coming this year for the podcast. We then explain a few meaningful words to consider going into the New Year shared by Holly Wever in our conversation with her last year, which we are resharing today.   Holly shares what she learned through the major life transition of losing her sister to an accidental overdose including acceptance and healing, and the concepts of impermanence, equanimity, and thoughts on letting the light into our lives. Holly is a yoga teacher and mother of four. She is thoughtful, wise, and sets a great tone going into the new year. This conversation with Holly has really stuck with us and we know you'll love what she has to share. Thank you so much, Holly, for letting us re-share your amazing thoughts and perspective today!    Find Holly on Instagram @hollywyoga.   Thank you for listening!   Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here. 

This week we asked for listener submissions of holiday traditions and stories of kindness/giving during this time of year to share. We read these and share some of our own, and about guests we've had on the podcast with charities to support. It was fun hearing what people had to share and chatting about holiday things! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas week and a Happy New Year!    Previous guests we've had on the podcast with charities we mention in today's episode: NixonStrong Foundation - Non-Profit Kids Cancer, Childhood Cancer and on Instagram @nixonstrong Non-Profit | The Giving Grinch | United States & on Facebook The Giving Grinch Christmas for Cancer Families & on Instagram @christmasforcancerfamilies Home - WARD Foundation (donwardfoundation.org) & on Facebook The Ward Foundation   Thank you for listening!    Follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook Beautiful Shifts

Today we get to talk with the amazing Don Ward, a lifelong teacher who is now 82-years-old and has been serving the refugee community in Utah for over 15 years. Mr. Ward is everyone's favorite teacher! He taught AP U.S. History and Student Government at Jordan and Alta High Schools in Sandy, Utah, for 35 years (and was a teacher of Lindsay's!). He shares some background growing up in Texas, moving to Utah and becoming a teacher, retiring and being diagnosed with cancer, and while in remission 15 years ago becoming involved in helping Utah refugees. His involvement grew with the help of many former students and contacts, and eventually, the Ward Foundation was founded - a non-profit providing welcome, aid, relief and development for Utah's refugee community. Don shares what the Ward Foundation's efforts at Christmas and year-round entail, as well as some personal stories of refugees he has gotten to know and how his work with refugees has impacted his life.   We're so grateful Don made the time to come on our podcast and are so impressed with his desire to serve the community and all he has done and continues to do. Thank you so much Mr. Ward for sharing your experiences and for inspiring all of us!    Find the Ward Foundation online at donwardfoundation.org where you can find ways to get involved with helping refugees.    Find the Ward Foundation on Facebook here.   If you would like to get in contact with Don, find his personal Facebook page here where he coordinates many of the refugee efforts.    Thank you for listening!    Find & Follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here for updates on the show, guests, and more. 

Gentry Rose is currently Miss Utah Volunteer, working toward her nursing degree, and involved in the non-profit charity her mom Sheena founded, The Giving Grinch, which gives to those in need at Christmastime and year-round. Gentry shares what led to becoming Miss Utah Volunteer, choosing to become a nurse, how a love for service was fostered in her life, and the heartwarming story of how Sheena started The Giving Grinch in 1996. We hear how Gentry and Sheena work together through The Giving Grinch to serve individuals in the community, ways to get involved with The Giving Grinch and thoughts on serving others. Gentry also founded a non-profit called Clean Bee where she raises funds to stock hygiene closets in our local schools. We loved getting to know Gentry and are so impressed with all she does to help others, and are excited for you to get to know her as well.    Find The Giving Grinch on Instagram @thegivinggrinch and on Facebook HERE, and at www.thegivinggrinch.org where you can find ways to support and get involved.    Find Gentry on Instagram at her personal page @gentryraerose and at the Miss Utah Volunteer page @missutvol.    Thank you so much Gentry for coming on Beautiful Shifts!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.    Thank you for listening! 

Today we have a very special episode with Jorge Nunez. Jorge's story is unique, eye opening and incredibly inspiring. Jorge shares how he emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. at age two, was raised on the streets of L.A., fell into the gang life at a young age and what that was like. He wrote his first poem while serving time in a probation camp for boys. Poetry, and Street Poets, the non-profit organization that introduced him to poetry, became the lifeline that would see him through four years of state prison, followed by deportation to Mexico.   Jorge shares how he worked hard to create his new life in Mexico and to get his education, and how this all came in steps along the way. He now serves as a guest poet and teaching artist in Street Poet's virtual workshops from his home in Tijuana, as well as teaching in the same prison he served his sentence. Jorge is a proud father of four with an A.A. degree in Mechatronic Engineering from Universidad Technologia de Tijuana. He has a passion for writing, and a deep hunger for life.    Jorge is as humble as his story is incredible, and we're so grateful he took the time to share his experiences with us. We were extremely moved by how he explains poetry has influenced his life, the many people who believed in him along the way, and his determination to create a beautiful life for himself. We can't wait for you to listen to his story!    Thank you so much Jorge for sharing with us and coming on Beautiful Shifts!    Find & follow Jorge on Instagram @sr.jnunez   Find Street Poets, the non-profit organization Jorge works with, @streetpoetsinc & streetpoetsinc.com.   Thank you for listening!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook at Beautiful Shifts.   

Today we don't have a guest, it's just us sharing a few thoughts on gratitude! We also chat about some of our recent guests who have brough gratitude into their stories and some simple ideas of ways to incorporate gratitude into our lives.    We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week! Thank you for listening!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here 

TeriLyn joins us to share about her fertility journey as well as several other pivotal life transitions she's been through including faith transition, divorce, remarriage, and her career move from the corporate financial industry to blogging about running to becoming a fashion influencer. TeriLyn shares details about her journey with fertility that are helpful for anyone considering growing their family, for those who may be going through fertility struggles themselves, and for listeners to better understand what this challenge is like. We love the diversity of TeriLyn's story and her vulnerability as she shares about her life transitions through her 20s and 30s and the lessons she's learned along the way. TeriLyn is a longtime friend of Lindsay's and it was so fun catching up and hearing her valuable perspectives!    TeriLyn grew up in Salt Lake City and now lives in North Carolina with her husband, Tommy, and their three-year-old son, Thomas. She is pregnant with their second child, due in January. She launched her first blog in 2004 and started A Foodie Stays Fit in 2009 to share her love of fitness and cooking and grew that website into one of the top resources for running content. Her brand has evolved over the years, and she recently rebranded to terilynadams.com with a heavier focus on fashion and beauty. TeriLyn shares realistic fashion finds and outfit inspiration to help make shopping easier. Her style is classic but playful (and comfortable!). She is also a skincare junkie and loves trying new makeup.    Find TeriLyn on Instagram @terilynadams   Find Terilyn's website & blog at www.terilynadams.com   Sign up for TeriLyn's weekly Amazon Fashion Finds email here.   Thanks so much to TeriLyn for taking the time to come on Beautiful Shifts and sharing her story!   Thank you for listening!    Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook for guest photos and descriptions, episode video clips and more. Thank you for your support! 

Ashlee is a speaker, teacher, victim advocate, writer and mother of seven. In today's episode Ashlee shares her story of the infidelity and murder of her husband in 2011, just months after giving birth to their fifth baby. She shares her healing journey, finding her voice, knowing her worth, and helping others. Ashlee has grown to love sharing her story and is an advocate for those who have experienced loss, grief, widowhood, murder and infidelity.    Ashlee has had the unique experience of sharing her story on Dateline, Dr. Phil, American Monster, True Crime Daily, and several other investigative documentaries. We are honored she made time to come on our podcast and share her powerful story! Ashlee began the blog "The Moments We Stand" where she has shared her experiences and healing journey, which has reached millions of readers. She is also the author of the book series "The Moments We Stand." Ashlee has a passion for helping guide people of all ages after trauma and has created the following online courses currently available: Surviving Infidelity, The Light Within: A Guided Course for Widows, and Trauma Mama: Parenting the Hurt Child.   Ashlee is remarried to Scott Boyson and they have added to more kids to their full house, totaling seven kids. Ashlee is an amazing example of healing, helping others and incredible resilience, and we loved every minute of our conversation with her. Thank you so much Ashlee for coming on our podcast!   Find Ashlee's courses, blog, links to her books, her free eBook and more at themomentswestand.com.    Find Ashlee on Instagram @themomentswestand.    Thank you for listening!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook - Beautiful Shifts. 

Brenda Smart is a mother of four adult children, a grandmother, a social worker, and has been married to her husband for 44 years. In today's episode Brenda shares about living around the world and the challenges and benefits of experiencing diverse cultures while raising their family, as well as serving as a mission president couple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) in Puerto Rico when a hurricane and the pandemic hit. She then shares about how three of her four sons have chosen to step away from the LDS church and how she has learned to support them and others in religious, faith and life transitions. She shares how coming to this perspective was difficult at times and how she was able to come to a place of acceptance and love and make this mindset shift, the benefits this has brought to her relationships with her children and others, and advice for those in similar situations.    We loved talking with Brenda and getting to experience her fun, loving, genuine personality and learn about her life experiences and valuable perspectives. Thank you so much Brenda for being on the podcast!   Brenda is on Instagram @b_smart.   Thank you for listening!   Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook (Beautiful Shifts) for guest photos and descriptions, episode video clips and more. Thank you for your support!  

Today we are joined by Levi Culley and his mom Jackie Culley as Levi shares his perspective of what it was like having his older brother Riley diagnosed with cancer when he was a young teen. Levi shares his experience including spending time with his brother through his last days, lessons he learned, and valuable advice on what we can do to support others in similar situations.   Jackie was one of our first guests on our podcast (Season 1, episode 4) where she shares her touching and powerful story about Riley's battle with cancer and the charity Christmas for Cancer Families she runs in his memory. It is one of our most listened to episodes and we highly recommend listening and hearing her story. This year Levi has become very involved in Christmas For Cancer Families and in this episode they share about the upcoming gala being held to raise funds and how others can get involved.    Find more information about the Gala and how to get involved and donate on Instagram @christmasforcancerfamilies and christmasforcancerfamilies.org.    Levi is an entrepreneur and the owner of Invictus Floor Coatings and The PentHive Group. Find Levi on Instagram @l_e_v_i_c_u_l_l_e_y.  Jackie is the owner of Jackie Culley Design and the Founder of Christmas for Cancer Families. Find Jackie on Instagram @jackieculley.    Thanks so much to both Levi and Jackie for taking time to be on the podcast and sharing their experiences.    Thank you for listening!    Find Beautiful Shifts and follow the show on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook - Beautiful Shifts Podcast.   

In August of 2022 Dan sustained a critical injury to his spine resulting in becoming paraplegic. In today's interview we have the opportunity to talk with Dan and his wife Michelle, who are also our close neighbors and friends, about what this experience has been like. Dan and Michelle share their experience from the day of the accident through recovery and adapting to this new normal from both of their perspectives. They share important life lessons they've gained along the way such as learning that we can adapt to almost any situation, growing stronger because of the mountains you've had to climb, and knowing what you're made of.    Dan and Michelle have been married for 24 years and are parents of four children. They are inspiring individuals and a beautiful couple, and we know you'll love hearing their story and the insights they have to share. Thank you so much Dan and Michelle for coming on the podcast!    You can reach out to Michelle through Instagram @michellehwadsworth or Facebook - Michelle Heaton Wadsworth.    Thank you for listening!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook - Beautiful Shifts Podcast. 

Rachel Garrett is a former high school teacher, licensed foster parent, certified CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), and founder and Executive Director of Common Thread - a nonprofit dedicated to building community and strengthening teens who are experiencing adversity in their lives. Today we get to talk with Rachel about what led her to becoming a foster parent, what that experience has been like, and how pursuing a master's degree in psychology, child & adolescent development works into her story. She shares how being a foster parent led to founding Common Thread, what the organization does and how others can help. We also talk with Rachel about productive ways we can interact with and support our teens as parents and the teens in our communities.    We learned so much from Rachel and loved getting to know her and learning about the amazing impact she is having as a foster parent and in the community, and ways we can apply the experience and knowledge she has in our lives. Thank you, Rachel for coming on the podcast!    Find Rachel on Instagram @rachgarrett   Find Common Thread on Instagram @commonthread_community and online www.commonthreadut.com and find more info on how you can get involved in their events, supporting a teen, becoming a CASA, and more.    Thank you for listening!   Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook. 

Cindy Chia is a prominent therapist in Utah and the founder of Aspire Psychological. In today's episode she shares what led to pursuing a degree in psychology and becoming a trauma therapist with a "non-BS approach to healing." We discuss recognizing trauma and the process toward healing, understanding gaslighting, and the power of cycle-breaking. Cindy shares how her personal experience and trauma led to this career and wanting to help others. She also shares about her multicultural background growing up in Malaysia and moving to Australia for college, then to Oklahoma, and settling in Utah. Cindy was a delight to talk with and we thoroughly enjoyed the conversation! Thank you so much Cindy for taking the time to be on Beautiful Shifts and for sharing your wisdom with us!    Find Cindy on Instagram @cindymchia where she shares helpful mental health and healing tips   Find Cindy's clinic Aspire Psychological on Instagram @aspirepsychutah and online at aspirepsychutah.com   Follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook at Beautiful Shifts for updates on the show, guests, upcoming episodes, etc.    Thank you for listening! 

Today we have our first guest interview of the season with Brooke Romney! We're so excited to have Brooke with us to help kick of Season Two. Brooke shares what led her to writing about parenting and her books to where she is today running a large online community of support and connection for parents of teens and tweens that is valuable to so many. Brooke shares some insightful and doable things we can incorporate into parenting to have positive shifts in our interactions and relationships with our teens and tweens, and really children of any age.    We are so grateful and honored Brooke came on our podcast and feel like her perspective and advice has already been so helpful to us and know it will be to you as well! Thank you, Brooke!   And thanks so much for listening!   You can find us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook at Beautiful Shifts Podcast. 

Season Two is here! This week we chat about what we've been up to since wrapping up Season One, our goals and direction for the podcast, upcoming guests, and more. We're so excited for our upcoming guests conversations as they share stories of Beautiful Shifts, and to discuss what we can learn from each other through sharing life transitions and experiences.  Thanks so much for listening and for all your support during Season One and going into Season Two! We're so grateful to be able to share this journey with you. 

Our last episode of the season! Today we have fun chatting about what the experience of starting this podcast has been like and recapping the season. We talk about the different life transition categories we had throughout the season and give some thoughts on each of our amazing guests and their stories.   We're so grateful for all our guests who took the time to come on our podcast this season - thank you!! We can't wait for next season and the interviews we have in the works!   We also want to say a big THANK YOU to all who have listened! We appreciate your support so much and are so grateful you have made time to listen, and hope these stories have been as inspiring and meaningful to you has they have been to us.    We hope you all have a wonderful summer and we'll be back with new episodes/season two in the fall!    

Jeffrey and Bryce are a gay couple living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City raising their four-year-old twins, Ridge and Rue. They run the Instagram account @growingupwithdads and are the cutest family, and we're so excited to share their episode with you as we are about to enter Pride month!    In today's episode Jeffrey and Bryce share about growing up, how they met, coming out, and becoming parents through the gift of surrogacy. They also share what it was like growing up in the LDS religion/culture, their paths to accepting themselves, what it's like having a visible presence online, and more.    Jeffrey and Bryce own a real estate brokerage, Pride & Property Realty. They created @growupwithdads with the intent to provide hope and inspiration to LGBT youth and be an example they feel was lacking when they were growing up gay. When they aren't working or wrangling kids, they enjoy working out together, swimming, or most of all traveling the world with and without their kids.    This was such a fun, honest conversation and we're grateful we got to talk with them and hear about their experiences and thoughtful perspectives. Thank you so much, Jeffrey and Bryce, for being on Beautiful Shifts!   Thank you for listening!   

Marina joins us today to share about multiple transitions in her life including living abroad at various times, going to law school, finding herself without both parents at the age of 40, working many years for the ACLU and recently moving to Equality Utah. She shares about advocating for legislation and policy in Utah working to build bridges across party lines, and explains about a recent bill she was involved in passing. We loved her perspective on listening to understand and finding common ground. She shares about many places she has lived and her thoughts on stepping outside of our comfort zones and taking advantage of opportunities.    Marina is a wife and mother of two daughters, ages 12 and 14. She is an advocate and lobbyist focused on civil liberties issues, currently representing Equality Utah as well as other nonprofits on issues such as LGBT rights and reproductive freedom. Over the years she has successfully drafted and passed numerous bills in the Utah State Legislature on topics from bail and policing reform to prison and jail conditions to strengthening 4th amendment protections in the face of new and emerging technologies. Marina was born in Oxford, England, grew up in Northern California, and before graduating from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, spent two years working in marketing at Hewlett-Packard in Grenoble, France.   Marina was so much fun to talk with and we loved hearing about her unique experiences and perspective and learning about the impactful work she is doing. Thank you so much, Marina, for taking the time to come on our podcast!   Learn more about the work Marina is doing at Equality Utah @equalityutah.   Thank you for listening!    Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast.  

In the summer of 2014, Terry's life was forever changed when her only son Dane passed away from an accidental drug overdose. Terry shares about Dane's serious injury that led to him being prescribed pain meds, and how this led to his eventual addiction. We hear Terry's perspective as a parent trying to help her adult child through addiction, giving him love and support, and what she has learned through her experiences.    After months of grief Terry began looking for ways her family's story could make a positive difference for others facing similar challenges. It has become her commitment to raise awareness and be a part of the solution to the current "opidemic" in our country while helping families in crisis. In 2017 Terry began leading the Utah chapter of CHANGES, a parent support group/network, and is grateful for the tools and support it gives families.    Terry is a wife, mother of a blended family of three daughters, one son (Dane), and a grandmother. She is has enjoyed a successful career as an interior designer which has been a passion throughout her life. She also serves on the board of The Sobriety Foundation and WOW Women of Worth.    Thank you so much, Terry, for sharing your touching story with us, for helping us learn more about this topic that affects so many, and for all the amazing work you are doing to help families affected by addiction.    Find CHANGES online at cpsn.org (CHANGES Parent Support Network).  Find Terry on Facebook Terry Ann Olsen and her blog/Facebook page Much love from Dane's mom in Utah.  Contact Terry at [email protected] .

Natalies shares about growing up with her autistic sister, Angie. When she was young, Natalie experienced sadness and frustration not being able to understand and connect with Angie until one day a speech therapist changed everything. From there Natalie became passionate about learning all she could about autism and helping Angie and others. Natalies shares where this led, how she has helped over a hundred families, and advocates for others.    Natalie is an autism sibling and co-guardian, TEDx Speaker, and advocate. She specializes in creating autism-friendly homes through real estate and design in the Salt Lake City area. Natalie helps families understand their loved one's developmental needs, why the adaptations help with the family's connection, and how to create a supportive daily lifestyle as a team. Her mission is to create an autism-friendly community with her sister, Angie, being the inspiration behind every creation.    Angie currently works at an autism and behavioral intervention clinic supporting clients. One of Angie's favorite things to do is read a story to the children there during circle time.   Thank you so much, Natalie, for taking the time to share your story with us! We learned so much and are grateful for all you are doing and are inspired by both you and Angie.    Find/follow Natalie on Instagram @natalie.e.castro and Natalie Castro on Facebook where you can contact her for real estate, design and coaching needs, watch her TEDx talk, and follow for helpful content on autism from a sibling and guardian's perspective.    Thank you for listening! 

Today Nelson joins us to share about how he overcame a decade-long struggle with anxiety and OCD by learning to embrace uncertainty and live a life centered on values rather than fear. Nelson is passionate about all he has learned and has dedicated himself to helping others heal through obtaining a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree, which he completes this fall.    In our conversation today we discuss thought patterns, the stories we tell ourselves, the role of shame, how our brains and nervous systems are involved, and how anxiety and OCD can show up in relationships. We also discuss solutions such as mindfulness and creating a healthy relationship with ourselves.   Nelson has a way of explaining concepts in a logical way that is enlightening and engaging. We really enjoyed this conversation and learned a lot, and think Nelson would be an amazing therapist and coach! Thanks so much to Nelson for taking the time to be on our podcast and for sharing his story and insights with us!    Find Nelson on Instagram @buildingbrainwaves where he gives tips on improving mental health and OCD/anxiety recovery. You can contact him there about his mental health coaching and therapy services/practices.    Thanks for listening! 

In 2017, Nicolle lost hearing in her right ear overnight and began her journey of living and coping with Meniere's disease, hearing loss, tinnitus, migraines, and many more symptoms that come with inner ear/vestibular disorders. Nicolle shares the struggles of living with an invisible disorder and how she was inspired to use her art and voice to spread awareness about hearing loss and vestibular health conditions.    Nicolle also shares how she moved to Miami from Barranquilla, Columbia, with her family when she was 17. Later she graduated from the University of Florida in Advertising which has been her full-time profession since, while always continuing to pursue her passion for painting.    Nicolle's artistic work explores the relationship between sound and life. She shares how her partner, a musician and music producer, has been an incredible support and helped inspire her to illustrate and 'capture' sound visually with her art. Her delicate yet energetic pieces irradiate serenity and joy, bringing a sense of calm to the viewer.    Nicolle is a lovely person inside and out and we loved getting to hear her story, and are in awe of her talent and inspired by all she's doing! Thank you so much Nicolle for being on the podcast and sharing with us!   Connect with Nicolle on Instagram @nicollecure_art to see her beautiful paintings and behind-the-scenes creative processes.    Visit Nicolle's website to view her latest works www.nicollecure.com.    Thank you for listening!   Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast.    

Today Janessa and Nick are on the podcast sharing about their son Nixon and his battle with cancer, and about the NIXONSTRONG Foundation they founded with Nixon to provide help for children with cancer and their families. They share about Nixon's diagnosis and his story, how the foundation came about and its purpose, Nixon's amazing example, and insights they've gained along the way.    They share examples of children and families the foundation has helped and about the upcoming annual baseball tournament fundraiser NIXONSTRONG is hosting in June, which is where the majority of the funds for the foundation come from. See how you can donate and get involved at nixonstrongfoundation.org.    Find and follow NIXONSTRONG on Instagram @nixonstrong where they post updates about the foundation and children they are helping.   Thank you so much to Nick and Janessa for sharing their touching story. We loved talking with them and learning more about Nixon's beautiful life and his legacy.  

Jorge grew up in Mexico City and as a teen became a competitive waterskier breaking several national and Latin-American records for trick skiing. At 19 years old he was in a waterskiing accident and became paraplegic. Following the accident, he continued his love for waterskiing and has become a nine-time world champion in tricks and six-time world champion in slalom competing as a disabled waterskier. In this conversation Jorge shares these experiences and about the challenges, mental and physical, of his new normal, how he views this new way of living as an adventure, and his deep love and gratitude for his family, life and humanity.    Jorge shares about meeting his future wife during college and becoming a father, and what that means to him. We get to discuss the importance of inclusion and accommodations for those with disabilities and how this provides value for everyone in society.    Jorge is a wonderful human all around with so many meaningful life perspectives and left us feeling inspired and uplifted. Thank you so much to Jorge for taking the time with us, we are so grateful for your example and for sharing your story with us!   Jorge has given a successful TedX talk titled Life in Earthquake Mode found here and has written a book called Ensanchar la vida (translates to Expanded Life) found here on Amazon. Connect with Jorge on Instagram @jorgefontr   More about Jorge Jorge has a degree in Business Administration from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and High Education and a Master in Human Development from the Universidad Iberoamericana. Jorge works as the Director of Institutional Philosophy at the Telethon Foundation and Director of Meaning and Human Development in Nice. He is an associate member of the board of trustees at the Tec de Monterrey Campus in Cuernavaca. He has worked as a consultant for Human Processes and a speaker in conferences on human development for more than 30 years in countries all around the world.   Thank you so much for listening!   You can find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast. 

Jessica shares how she discovered early in her first marriage that her husband, Steve, was gay, changing the trajectory of her life. She gives us a glimpse into how the following 15 years have unfolded, leading to a loving, inclusive and supportive family dynamic that Jessica, Steve, and Jessica's current husband, Matt, have worked intentionally to create. We also talk about how to be an ally to LBGTQ+ individuals and Jessica shares some steps in that direction we can all take.    Jessica has a successful podcast called "Husband in Law" that she records with both Matt and Steve. Together they are sharing their stories of love, marriage, coming out, divorce, remarriage and co-parenting to help others know they are not alone. She owns The BOLD Logic, a company devoted to helping people figure out the "What NOW?!" after betrayal or having a partner come out. Jessica is a firm believer that by knowing and understanding what it is you really want in life you can BOLDly create a life you love, no matter what your circumstances.   We absolutely loved talking with Jessica and know you will love hearing her story and her wisdom as much as we did! She is such a great example of so many things from successful co-parenting to being a support and ally to others. Thank you so much to Jessica for coming on our podcast, we enjoyed every minute of it!    Find Jessica on Instagram @heyjessicafrew and online at theboldlogic.com where Jessica has a free guide to "Trust Your Gut After Betrayal", info on her BOLDly You retreats, links to listen to the Husband in Law podcast, links to schedule a free healing call with her, and more.    Thank you so much for listening! Find and follow Beautiful Shifts for updates and info on upcoming episodes and guests on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast. 

Today Teri discusses with us what she describes as her most meaningful life transition: a feminist awakening including a deep dive into the mindset of the sacred feminine. We discuss what the sacred feminine means, what feminism actually is and why it isn't scary, ecofeminism, the healing and mending that happens with nature, tuning into our intuition and true selves, modeling understanding and open communication with our children, and much more. Teri also shares a few words and meanings from her beautifully written and crafted latest book "Words Instead of Wings: Language to Understand and Embrace the Sacred Feminine" which uses forty-five words to explore the power of being a woman.   Teri is an author of fiction and nonfiction, and ecofeminist, and a nature photographer. She's also a yoga and meditation teacher with twenty years experience. Her work focuses on helping women reclaim their wild souls through words, movement, and connection with nature.    Thank you Teri, we loved having you on and learning more about the sacred feminine. It was such an interesting and enjoyable conversation! We're so glad we could have this topic/episode as our last for March for Women's History Month!    Find Teri on Instagram @teriharman and online at www.teriharman.com. 

Brittney shares that when she was in high school she was the victim of sexual assault, and how she didn't realize what happened was sexual assault and dealt with the trauma of that event in silence for years. Years later when she was in law school she did a widespread research project on the link between sexual education and rates of sexual assault, and the correlation between the two was shockingly strong. Her research shows that we can prevent sexual assault through sexual education. Her study was published and has been read by over 3,000 individuals.    In this conversation we discuss her experiences, her research project and its implications, the issue of sexual assault, and the work she is doing with her non-profit. It's an interesting and enlightening conversation for parents of children of all ages and adults as well.    Brittney is a tax attorney working with nonprofit organizations, runs We Will, speaks publicly and has authored a children's book about consent called Do You Want A Cookie. Brittney also serves as Miss Ohio Volunteer, a state title in the Miss Volunteer America program which focuses on encouraging women to be their best selves and serve their communities. She will compete for the title of Miss Volunteer America in June. In her time off, she enjoys serving in church, playing her flute in professional orchestras, coaching high school swimming, bodybuilding, and spending time with her cute dog, Wilford.    Thank you, Brittney, for being on the podcast and the conversation, we learned so much and are grateful for the important work you are doing!   Find We Will online at wewillorg.com and download a free pdf of Brittney's children's book about consent Do You Want a Cookie under Educational Resources there.   Find & follow We Will on Instagram @we.will.organization Find & follow Brittney on Instagram @brittney_herman   Thank you so much for listening!    Find & follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook under Beautiful Shifts. 

Marsha shares about being raised in a small town in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean where she grew up playing sports. After a lot of success in athletics she moved to the US to attend college and started competing in the heptathlon, a track and field event including hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter run. On scholarship competing for BYU she placed ninth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships. Next came the Olympics! We get to hear about the road to the Olympics and her experience competing in the Summer 2000 Games in Sydney and the 2004 Games in Athens.    We get to hear how Marsha met her husband Greg, and how now they now have three teenage sons. Marsha has worked as a school social worker in Provo, Utah since 2000, which she loves, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has also been a track coach since 2000.   It was a pleasure talking with Marsha and hearing about her many interesting and exciting life transitions. Marsha has a zest for life that is refreshing and contagious and it was so fun to hear more of her story. Thank you, Marsha, for taking the time to chat with us!    ***Since this interview, Marsha competed in her first Nationals meet as a Master's athlete and placed 1st/Gold in the Pentathlon, open Long Jump, and the 60 Meter Hurdle. Congratulations, Marsha!    Find Marsha on Instagram @runmarsharun

Women's History Month Bonus! Today we talk about the line up of awesome women and topics we have coming up this month and some thoughts on Women's History Month. Then we take turns sharing about a few women we each look up to and why. It was so fun to get to discuss this topic and these women and their influences on history, society, and in our lives.    Thanks for listening! Happy Women's History Month!    Connect with us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and Facebook for photos and info on upcoming guests, quotes and reels from interviews, and other fun podcast content!      

Elise was diagnosed with atrial septal defect in 2009, had open heart surgery in 2016, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2021. She also had lung resection surgery this past November. As she shares her story we learn that although her ongoing heart health difficulties have brought about many ups and downs and physical and emotional challenges, Elise has chosen to focus on joy, gratitude, and doing the things she loves. We discuss learning to trust yourself and listen to your intuition when it comes to health and other areas of life, building friendships and serving others through disaster, and how beautiful things can manifest from hard things. We also get to hear how Elise and her family fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams of hiking to the base camp of Mount Everest in 2017!   Elise is a married mother of two daughters in college. She is a yoga therapist, yoga alliance teacher and trainer, certified in several genres in yoga and fitness, and has been teaching fitness classes for 19 years. She's also a roller skating fitness certified instructor and teaches it in different locations around Utah (so fun!). She is the founder of Utah Yoga and Wellness where she hosts wellness retreats, and is a semi-retired river guide.   Elise is a delightful and inspiring person and is truly living by her mantra "share your heart." Thank you so much to Elise for being on our podcast, we absolutely loved talking and connecting and can't wait to go to one of her skating classes!   Find Elise on Instagram @elisejonesyoga where she shares about emotional health and resilience, choosing joy, and is such an uplifting account to follow. Learn about her wellness retreats at utahyogaandwellness.com and on Instagram @utahyogaandwellness

On July 25, 2021, Mason's family was involved in a fatal car accident that took the lives of his wife Kortni, son Riggins, daughter Franki, brother Race, and nephew Rider. Mason is now solely focused on raising his son, Blue, who survived the car accident, and his mission to help teach others the 10/90 Principle.    Sam has a rare form of Dwarfism called Ellis-Van-Crevled Syndrome that affects bone growth and development and causes various abnormalities. Sam stopped growing at age 17 and stands at 5'1. With over 17 surgeries on various bones in his body, Sam has had to learn to adapt to his situation, rise above the negativity, and find ways to succeed.    Mason and Sam have been friends since high school and join us today to share more about their stories and life transitions including starting their podcast The 10Ninety Rule, the concept of stoicism, and their mission to share lessons learned by using the 10/90 Principle - that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent what you make of it.    These two are amazing, great guys all around and listening to their stories you will laugh, cry, and do it all over again. Thank you so much, Mason and Sam, for coming on our podcast - we enjoyed every minute talking with you and are honored you shared your stories with us.    Find Mason and Sam and their podcast 10Ninety Rule on Instagram @10ninetyrule and on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Tonia Tewell, founder of Holding out HELP - a non-profit helping people out of polygamy/religious extremist sects - shares her story of growing up in an unstable home, which led to being taken in by her school principal and his wife at age 12, offering Tonia and her siblings safety and unconditional love for the first time. Later in life Tonia moved to the Salt Lake City, Utah area with her husband, began having children, and soon after was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She resolved that if she survived she would serve those coming from broken backgrounds who needed help and unconditional love, just as she had as a young girl.   The cancer went into remission and in 2007 Tonia's passion for those who come from a polygamist background grew after taking in a family from the local AUB/Allred polygamist community. In 2008, she launched a non-profit organization called Holding out H.E.L.P. (Helping, Encouraging and Loving Polygamists). Her desire is to encourage and give hope to those who chose to leave polygamist cultures providing them resources, support and love. In her free time Tonia loves the outdoors, bible study, dates with her daughters and crime shows.    Tonia's story of overcoming difficult life situations, providing help to the most vulnerable, and paying forward kindness and love. A big thank you to Tonia for sharing her story with us! We loved talking with her and know you will love her too!    Find Holding out HELP online at http://holdingouthelp.org where you can learn more about the services they provide to those coming out of polygamist sects and how you can get involved and help. Also, sign up to attend their upcoming Silent Auction & Benefit Dinner on March 10 in Draper which includes live music, guest speakers, and meeting the cast of Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey.    Find/follow Holding out HELP on Instagram @holdingouthelp And on Holding out HELP on Facebook 

Janet shares her story of how her life almost came to a halt one day that will forever be defined as life before and after her skydiving accident, in the fall of 2020. Experiencing debilitating injuries, her natural determination combined with lessons she had learned prior to the accident through therapy and working on mental health and inner strength helped greatly in her path to healing. She shares many takeaways that can be applied to getting through hard things in life and learning from setbacks, such as how growth comes in small steps, finding something to hold onto, trusting ourselves, and how our human minds and bodies are truly amazing.   Janet is a 43 year old mom of two adult kids, full time dental hygienist and a part time online health and fitness coach. She explains that learning patience and resilience through adversity while trying to gain back what you once had is a challenge, but those exact things motivated her as she rebuilt and grew more than she ever thought possible.    Thanks so much to Janet for sharing her story with us and being an amazing example of strength and resilience. It's inspiring to hear and see all she has overcome and to see where she is today!    Find Janet on Instagram @janetmumford23 where you can see more of her amazing recovery and reach out to her about her health & fitness coach/certified nutritionist business.  You can also find her on Facebook - Janet Mumford   Thank you for listening! You can follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook. 

Today we get to hear from John and Brooke Buck - our first couple interview! They are genuine, fun and have a great love story, and we are so glad it worked out to release this on Valentines Day.   John and Brooke share how they were high school sweethearts and got married as John was pursuing playing professional baseball. John's career as a baseball catcher led to adventures moving around the U.S. playing many years in the minor leagues and 12 years for major league teams including the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Pittsburg Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and the Angels of Anaheim. They share about the ups and downs of starting a family including fertility treatments and the premature birth of their twin boys, and enjoying and embracing new places and experiences. Eventually John chose to retire and later supported and encouraged Brooke in her goal of going back to school to become a nurse. Brooke is now a NICU nurse at Primary Children's Hospital.    John and Brooke are a fun, positive couple and have great takeaways about life and cultivating lasting relationships. They currently live in Bluffdale, Utah, with their three boys. Brooke loves being a nurse working with premature babies, and John enjoys coaching youth sports teams and hosting a baseball podcast, Behind the Dish @behind.thedish, along with other projects.   Thank you so much to John and Brooke for being on the podcast. We love their story and are grateful we got to hear and share it!   

Today we are grateful to hear from Holly, who is thoughtful, wise, and has many great perspectives and life lessons on going through difficult things.    Holly shares the experience of having her younger sister, Kristi, struggle with drug addiction for many years, which led to an accidental heroin overdose. Through sadness, regret, and acceptance, Holly became inspired and motivated to start a cause in Kristi's memory to raise awareness and funds for those in addiction recovery. Holly shares what she has learned about the importance of connection, empathy, and listening to understand, as well as the concepts of impermanence and equanimity, and that our cracks and imperfect lives are an opportunity to let light in. Holly loves teaching and practicing yoga, eating Nutella, and spending time with her four kids and husband, Tod.   Holly co-founded the nonprofit organization Second Chance 5K in 2017 with her friend Jennie Slade, who lost two sisters to overdose. Second Chance connects communities impacted by substance use disorders and celebrates second chances for those in recovery. On March 25th they will hold their 6th event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more about Second Chance and how you can get involved and help below.  @secondchance5k on Instagram www.secondchance5k.org   Other organizations/resources Holly mentions in this episode:  Shine a Light Foundation @shinealight on Instagram  Darren Waller Foundation @darrenwaller_fdn   Thank you so much to Holly for taking the time to share her story with us. Also, listen to Holly's mom Karen's episode released last week (episode #17).    Thank you for listening!    Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast

Today we get to hear from Karen, a mother of four and life-long educator, who has lived a life full of service, love, friendship and family. Karen shares with us many life transitions that unexpectedly came into her life, including her husband's health declining at a young age, becoming a caretaker and the breadwinner for her family with young children still at home, and the eventual loss of her husband several years later. After adjusting to life on her own she found love again, and soon after suffered the heartbreaking loss of one of her twin daughters to an accidental drug overdose. Later Karen was diagnosed with MS and shares how radical acceptance has gotten her through this diagnosis.    Karen tells her story with openness and candor, and shares the message that whatever happens and whatever we are going through, eventually it will be okay. Friendship and showing up for each other through hard times is a theme in her story, and we loved the many examples of this throughout her life she shared. We greatly admire her resilience and ability to continually look toward gratitude and hope.   Thank you so much to Karen, we feel honored she shared her story with us and loved our time talking with her. Watch for Karen's daughter Holly's episode coming next week.   Thank you for listening!   Follow Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram at beautifulshifts_podcast. 

Kim joins us today to share about many life transitions and valuable perspectives! We talk about her moving to Australia as a teenager, going from being a stay-at-home mom to founding Loom Journals and merging with Promptly Journals, recently beginning a master's in creative writing, and the process of becoming an author. She shares thoughts on the value of journaling and how it has impacted her life, traveling, and how writing on evolving faith has benefited her spiritual journey and helped others. Kim shares how being intentional in our lives through goals and transitions helps achieve the results we want, and how cultivating an abundance mindset, including drawing on gratitude, can be extremely beneficial.    Kim has been a writer her whole life and recently began teaching a creative writing course for kids she created called Write for Life. She is currently a book reviewer on Good Things Utah, has been a magazine, newspaper, and broadcast journalist, and is working on her third novel. She writes and shares book recommendations and more on her website and Instagram page Talk Wordy to Me.    Thank you so much to Kim for coming on the podcast, we loved the conversation!   Find Kim on Instagram @talkwordytome_ And www.talkingwordy.com where you can find her writing courses, her newsletter, writing tips, and book recommendations.   Thank you so much for listening!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here.  

Kattia shares her story of moving to the U.S. from Colombia, marrying her American husband, and the joys, challenges, and humor of combining cultures. She tells about growing up in Colombia and the amazing examples of service her parents were. She recently went through the transition of her father's passing and shares how she has moved through grief by focusing on gratitude and being an example of strength for her daughter. We get to hear Kattia share many beautiful perspectives on life and living it to the fullest.    Kattia has a love for dance and is a Zumba instructor, running a studio of over 80 women. She tells about being involved in Zumba's national convention and other Zumba events. She is the owner and CEO of Circle M Activewear, a quality fitness clothing brand made in Colombia and available throughout the U.S. She has studied law, international relations, and fashion design. Kattia lives in Weston, Florida with her husband, Jake, and their teenage daughter, Mia.   Find Kattia on Instagram at @katvans17 Kattia's fitness clothing Circle M Clothing: @circlemactivewear   Thank you to Kattia for coming on the podcast! And thank you for listening!   Follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook here. 

Marci shares her story of choosing to focus on her health after many years of being a busy mom of three. She tells how she went from thinking goals were lame to being motivated to dive into health and weight loss goals so she could get back to hiking and doing outdoor activities she loved, and then achieving those goals. During the difficult times of Covid she learned grace for herself and others through the process of learning there are seasons in health, wellness, and all areas of life.   Marci's story is relatable, fun, and insightful as she shares many great perspectives she's learned along the way. We talk about parenting and how it can be challenging but also how each child is unique and has gifts we can learn from and enjoy. She encourages us to go toward the little sparks in life, and that she's found there is beauty in hope.   Thanks so much to Marci for coming on the podcast! We loved the conversation and all the insights and great perspectives shared.    Find Marci on Instagram @marci_hb where you can contact her about her health coaching.  Also find Marci on Facebook - Marci Harman Briggs   Find Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook - Beautiful Shifts Podcast   Thanks so much for listening! 

Brandie's knowledge of mental health, wisdom on her own life transitions, and advice on adding humor into our lives is a great way to start the New Year! Both of us have seen Brandie for therapy and love her and her perspectives.    Today Brandie shares her story of overcoming self-doubt to tackle eight years of school leading to her dream of becoming a therapist. She shares mental health perspectives including pillars of self-esteem, navigating life shifts, difficult conversations, and the concept of radical acceptance. As our first episode of 2023 we also discuss how to watch for traps we fall into with goals and helpful mental health tips for the New Year.   Brandie is fun and wise and has a great sense of humor! We loved our conversation with her and feel this is the perfect episode to start off the New Year.   Thanks so much to Brandie for taking the time for us. And thank you for listening!   Find Brandie and her clinic Blue Bee Counseling Services online at bluebeecs.com   On Instagram @bluebeecounseling   Listen to her podcast Therapist Table Talk on Spotify and watch on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@bluebeecounseling5365   Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast

Carla, a dual citizen of Columbia and the U.S., shares how after playing college soccer at BYU and for the U20 Columbian National team, she had to discover her identity beyond soccer. She shares about being a professional soccer announcer for REAL Salt Lake and deciding to go to Law School to further her passion of learning about public policy and immigration law. As a practicing lawyer she recently had her first child and talks about the transition to motherhood.      Carla shares about her experience advocating for asylum seekers at the US/Mexican border. We discuss the TEDx talk she gave earlier this year - Credible Fear: Stories of asylum seekers coming to the US (link below). Carla went from wanting to advocate for the vulnerable but not knowing how, to learning how to implement advocacy and sharing with others how to do the same. She shares simple and actionable ways we can get involved in helping the underprivileged in our communities.    Watch Carla's TEDx talk here   Find Carla on Instagram @haslam.house    Thanks so much to Carla for taking the time to talk with us! We loved the conversation and learned so much. And thank you for listening!      Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast.  

Emily shares her story of starting High Fitness with her Co-Creator Amber, igniting a group fitness phenomenon that has over a million participants annually through in person and online classes, and 4000 instructors. Emily's love for teaching fitness classes and dance choreography is what started her path to High Fitness, and her passion for her participants well-being both mentally and physically is the driving force behind all she does. Emily shares some of the shifts she's experienced as she's gone down the unexpected path of being an entrepreneur and business owner, including balancing it all as a working mom, working alongside her husband, and running the business with her best friend Amber, who lives in Canada and comes from a different cultural background. Emily's goal is for each High participant to feel loved and accepted for who they are and to find fitness that brings them joy.   Emily is a wife and mother of three, KSL STUDIO 5 fitness contributor, fitness instructor, snowboarder, cookie and sweat set lover. She currently teaches and runs HIGH Fitness from Bountiful, Utah and travels North America educating and inspiring others to fall in love with fitness and drop the emotional weight.    Find Emily on Instagram @highfitnessemily Find High Fitness online at highfitness.com and on Instagram @high.fitness   Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast.  Thanks so much for listening!   

Lindsey shares her story of seeing signs of neurological and developmental differences in her adopted twin boys from a young age, which led to their diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Lindsey shares her experience of acceptance, adaptation, and tools she has learned as we discuss the challenges of parenting children with neurological disabilities. She talks about extending grace to ourselves as parents and understanding to others as these conditions are much more prominent than most of us realize.   Lindsey is a wife and mom of four, and an active parent advocate of FASD. She received her TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner's license from Texas Christian University and has a degree in Community Policy and Consumer Studies from the University of Utah. She has a home hobby farm which has been healing and a form of therapy for her children. She is also the creator of FASD Fur Fighters. In her free time she enjoys reading and being around the water!   Find Lindsey and her hobby farm on Instagram @wildonwhippoorwill and @lkamunns   Find FASD Fur Fighters on Instagram @fasdfurfighters and www.fasdfurfighters.org   Lindsey is also raising awareness about FASD on Instagram @fasd.Florida   Thanks you Lindsey, this was such an important, informative and meaningful conversation!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and Instgram @beautifulshifts_podcast

Whitney shares how she previously had no experience or interest in long distance running, but when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run the New York City Marathon with her dad came about she decided to go for it. She shares the challenges of training while moving away to college, combating self doubt, and the mindsets she learned and perspectives she gained through running and doing hard things.   She takes us to the day of the marathon where she describes the incredible energy and unity of the race from the runners to the fans to the city as a whole. Whitney is Shantil's daughter so we get her perspective throughout, making this an extra fun episode!   Whitney is 18 years old and currently a student at Utah State University. A lifelong soccer player and 6A state soccer champ her senior year of high school, she graduated this year and began marathon training during the time she was transitioning to college. She loves all things music, sports, and outdoors, and has a love and talent for videography/photography. More recently she is also now a runner!    Whitney is on Instagram @whitneygarn and Tik Tok @whitneygarn. She has a videography business creating videos for weddings, parties, and other special events @whitneyjaefilmz. Contact her with videography questions/needs!   Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast. Thanks for listening!    

With Thanksgiving around the corner we discuss some thoughts on gratitude, including the benefits of gratitude, the importance of it when life is hard, and what some of our favorite authors have said about it.   Speaking of gratitude, we're so grateful for our guests that have been on the podcast so far! We give a short highlight of each and hope new listeners will go back and listen to our previous episodes as they've each been so inspiring in their own way.   Thanks so much for listening!    Find Beautiful Shifts on Facebook & Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast

Richard shares how when serving as a LDS bishop in a YSA (young single adult) congregation with LGBTQ members he had a strong spiritual experience leading him to set aside past assumptions and do better. He committed to listening, learning from, and loving these individuals and others with unique roads. Richard discusses creating safe spaces in our homes and church communities, mitigating shame, being open and curious, and ministering as Jesus would.    Richard speaks in church settings about how to fully embrace LGBTQ individuals, see their gifts and contributions, and better understand their unique road. He is the host of the Listen, Learn & Love podcast which provides a platform for Latter-day Saints to share stories on many topics. Richard is the author of two books - Listen Learn & Love: Embracing LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, and Listen Learn & Love: Improving Latter-day Saint Culture - both available at Deseret Book and Amazon. He is also the author of two Ensign Articles.    In addition to serving as a LDS bishop, he has served as a stake young men’s president, high counselor, ward mission leader, and currently serves as a temple worker. Richard has a BS from the University of Utah and an MBA from Brigham Young University, and is a small business owner. He and his wife Sheila live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and have six children and three grandchildren.   Visit Richard online at listenlearnandlove.org & papaostler.com Find him on Instagram @papa_ostler & Facebook: Richard Ostler Podcast: Listen Learn & Love Podcast with Richard Ostler    

Jessica shares some challenging involuntary shifts that happened earlier in her life leading to the recent voluntary shift of starting her own business. As a female entrepreneur and mom of three she bravely went out on her own around the time Covid hit. Jessica radiates positivity and passion, sharing thoughts on keeping a productive and healthy mindset, which can be applied to many areas of life.  Jessica is a business owner of an agency called Above The Fold that specializes in programmatic advertising, helping advertisers run highly targeted ads across all forms of technology. She has an undergraduate degree and MBA from Westminster College and has worked in advertising for 18 years. Jessica loves the study of religion, meditation, and is a big fan of reggae music and the the themes that run through it - positivity, peace, unity and love.  You can find her company online at getabovethefold.com and on instagram @getabovethefold. Jessica can be found on Linked In (Jessica Chase) and on instagram @__jesschase Book recommendations from Jessica: Atomic Habits by James Clear 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey Brene Brown and her books

Carrie shares her story of surviving and overcoming a deep addiction to prescription drugs. While her story is one of great loss it is also one of incredible strength and resilience. Carrie exemplifies turning weaknesses into strengths, accepting that we aren’t meant to be perfect, and that through our flaws we can connect and heal together. As a survivor of the opioid epidemic she aims to help others gain hope, healing and understanding for themselves, friends and loved ones.  Carrie is a mother of four and a grandmother. She is a licensed Realtor and Director of Growth at Keller Williams Home Hub. Carrie can be found on Facebook (Carrie Butler) and Instagram @carrie.butler.76. You can also reach out to her over email. She would love to help others connect with support and resources for addiction and recovery [email protected].

Jackie shares how her son Riley, at age 17, was diagnosed with cancer, and the years following where he fought the illness with Jackie loving and supporting him each step of the way. Jackie's story is touching and powerful as she shares with us lessons she has learned through her experiences. Six years ago Jackie, with Riley's help and natural eagerness to help others in need, organized a charity to give back to families affected by cancer at Christmas time. In loving memory of Riley, Jackie has grown the organization over the years, now known as Christmas for Cancer Families. Earlier this year it became an official non-profit organization. This will be their sixth year giving back to families affected by cancer organizing home makeovers, sub for Santas, and sending families on vacations. Jackie is an interior designer and the owner of Jackie Culley Design. She has taught group fitness for 20 years and opened her own yoga studio in 2016. Jackie is the owner and founder of Christmas for Cancer Families and plans to continue to expand the organization's reach. Get involved in giving back and supporting Jackie and Christmas for Cancer Families: www.christmasforcancerfamilies.org Find Jackie on instagram @jackieculley & @christmasforcancerfamilies Book recommendations from Jackie: Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl The Choice, Dr. Edith Eva Eger The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom Letting Go, David R. Hawkins  

Kami shares the experience of learning her mom, the healthiest person she knew, was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Loosing her mom was bittersweet as it led Kami to focus on carrying on her memory and the things she had taught her. Kami began to share her voice with others in a way her mom no longer could.  Kami is a high-level athlete and has competed in the Ironman world championship in Kona, Hawaii. She is a certified triathlon, life and weight coach, and shares how our challenges can help us grow into the people we want to become, and much more. Find Kami online http://linktr.ee/kamibanks On Instagram @kamibankscoaching Kelsey's chocolates www.kelsiskitchen.com    

Ryan shares his story of leaving corporate America to start his own interior design firm, Smart Studio Designs, even when he felt it was risky and too late. Ryan has lived in a variety of places introducing him to people and cultures that have shaped who he has become today. His story is sprinkled with interesting and important life lessons he has learned along the way, including seeking help for anxiety when needed. Ryan helps us see the reward is in the journey, that we can look back and find beauty in our individual paths, and that fear is normal, but not to miss out on what the other side of fear has to offer.    Ryan's design firm: www.smartstudiodesigns.com Find Ryan and his work on Instagram @smartstudiodesigns Book recommendations from Ryan: Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse Choose Possibility, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy  

Kari shares her story as a survivor of a suicide attempt as a teen, and the transition, healing and hope that has come as she has learned mental health tools and grown into adulthood. Kari is Shantil's sister, so she is an extra special guest to kick off the podcast with! As teen suicide rates continue to be on the rise, Kari shares that if she can help at least one person think twice, that gives her all the motivation she needs to share her story. You can reach Kari here: Kari's website: thinktwicebykari.com Kari's instagram @kari.salon.aries Recommendations from Kari: Books: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

We are Lindsay and Shantil - two friends that love good conversation, connection, and expanding our view of the human experience. In this episode we will explain the idea behind the podcast and how we will be exploring the extraordinary transitions of those we have the opportunity to talk with. We hope you will join us on this journey exploring life’s Beautiful Shifts, as we learn and grow together.