A Thousand Tiny Steps

In step twelve, it's time to pass on my teachings to others to help them in recovery. It is about living AA as a lifestyle, going through the steps again and again, while sharing wisdom and expecting nothing in return. In this episode, I dive into where addiction can stem from and contemplate taking the path that I fear in life.    Key Takeaways:    [2:26] Step twelve of AA  [6:10] Kenny, househol...

Step eleven of AA is not about praying for anything to be fixed, it's about praying for self knowledge and the qualities we need to execute that knowledge. It's about perhaps changing the way we pray, how we view God's will, and just taking the time to contemplate your life even if you don't believe in God.    Key Takeaways:    [3:52] Step eleven of AA  [7:56] A calculating mind vs a contemplative...

In step ten of AA it's all about taking a personal inventory and admitting when you're wrong about things. It is about being aware of your choices, analyzing them, and trying to reconnect with yourself. In this episode, I explore the negative connotations I have with certain words and myself.    Key Takeaways:    [2:21] Step ten of AA  [4:26] An examination of consciousness and stepping back from...

Step nine is all about the act of making amends and a list to go alongside it. It's made me consider what truth really means, how context plays a part, and how communication can be ruptured if not done correctly.    Key Takeaways:    [2:50] Step nine of AA  [5:37] Defining wisdom  [8:31] Making amends  [11:12] The different levels of truth, context, and meaning  [17:58] Sincere people can still ma...

Step eight of AA is all about making a list of people I've hurt and finding ways to make amends with them. The difficulty is that making amends with people looks different for every person I hurt. This is a process that can take months or years and may not give you the results you want, but it's part of the process.    Key Takeaways:    [2:31] Step eight of AA  [4:46] Making amends with people is...

Step seven has taught me a lot about putting my ego aside, living in gratitude, and focusing on the good in life instead of all the bad. It has shown me that even if you don't drink alcohol anymore, you still have to change your mindset, otherwise have you truly changed?    Key Takeaways:    [1:56] Why I've been frustrated  [3:16] Step seven of AA [7:21] Are we supposed to talk God into things?  [...

As I take a breather in between steps I realize that I don't have to worry so much when things don't go to plan. That I can view my life in gratitude and not an obligation that drags me down. In this episode, I go through everything I've learned through the steps.    Key Takeaways:    [1:10] The one lesson I've learned  [1:48] I can't control everything and having gratitude  [5:24] Going through t...

In this week's episode, I take a dive into step six: acknowledgement, taking responsibility, surrendering, and letting go of your ego. It made me think of my flaws, how I over apologize, and how I need to let my flaws flow through me.   Key Takeaways:    [3:53] Step six of AA  [8:19] I always want to try to fix things  [10:45] Grace or responsibility: which comes first? [14:27] Every day is a new...

This week I face my past actions, the friends that have stood by me, and the differences in religion. I look at retributive vs restorative justice and which one can help people that are struggling, as well as how my religion doesn't support confession.    Key Takeaways:    [1:10] Step five feels like confession  [5:11] Retributive vs restorative justice  [13:26] Trying to change yourself to heal y...

This episode caused me to look at my moral inventory, what I carry with me, and what I'm learning to let go. It's made me question my childhood and how that impacts my life today as well as using failure in my life as an excuse not to move forward with things.    Key Takeaways:    [4:02] Nothing annoys me more than people believing lies about me  [6:54] Step four of AA   [12:14] Life begins with t...

Step three of AA had me delving into my need for control, resisting change, codependency, and trying to find gratitude when I find that difficult. In this episode, I dive into the third step and what renouncing yourself, giving yourself over to god, and love can do in your life.     Key Takeaways:    [5:06] Step three of AA [10:21] Accepting all your losses, resisting change, and trying to stay in...

In step two of AA it's all about opening my heart, mind, and body. It's a tough journey to accomplish though and it makes me look at points in my life where I made choices I didn't feel great about, but also choices to forgive others. In this episode, I look how the mind, body, and heart are connected.     Key Takeaways:    [2:07] Step two of AA  [5:00] Opening our hearts, minds, and bodies  [8:47...

To kick off the theme of season 9, I'm talking about Alcoholics Anonymous and my struggle with addiction. I discuss what AA is like, what I learned, how I feel powerless, and how I'm trying to improve my life.     Key Takeaways:    [4:56] Still struggling to get where I want to go  [7:52] My time in AA and the most significant thing I learned [11:36] My moment of feeling powerless  [12:23] Step on...

Rewatching The Notebook brought back so many connections to my own life. It made me think about losing Molly, the mistakes I've made, how it's different raising Jack, the choices I'm making for him, and really just being at a turning point in my life deciding what to do next.    Key Takeaways:    [6:39] What the movie The Notebook is about  [11:20] The end of a friendship and connections to Molly...

Menopause is seen differently in America versus other cultures. Society here sees it in a negative light, but there is so much more to the story. My own experience with taking estrogen has made my life better and I've noticed a huge difference.    Key Takeaways:    [1:02] Menopause is seen as a negative medicalized reality  [1:56] What menopause is and how society sees it  [8:12] In other cultures...

After a post was made for pride month, I had a reaction - and I ended up deleting my comments. It was a learning experience that taught me patience and where to best put my words. In this episode, I dive into the meaning words have especially in the age of social media.   Key Takeaways:    [3:00] The post surrounding pride month that bothered me  [9:14] Commenting on the posts and then deleting th...

As I had the most frustrating weeks I've had in a while, it made me think about my anger. My coping mechanisms, good and bad, as well as the repressed anger and how I'm learning to do better. For both myself and to teach Jack better coping skills.    Key Takeaways:    [1:23] I pray a lot about my anger [2:27] My life is in upheaval and feeling like everything is a mess [4:39] I was taught to be qu...

As I've had a frustrating day, this reel on six techniques to combat the freeze response were just what I needed. It has motivated me and made me think about what my ikigai is most of all. In this episode, I explore the different times of my life and my ikigai then.    Key Takeaways:    [2:34] Six Japanese techniques to combat laziness or freeze response  [4:23] Ikigai or your reason for living is...

There is a lack of third spaces or places to spend time with one another that don't cost money and cultivate social connection these days. It's changed so much from when I was young and has impacted my social relationships. In this episode, I explore how I don't spend enough time cultivating third space activities for myself.    Key Takeaways:    [2:58] Third spaces are diminishing for Americans ...

Today, I'm taken back to a memory of my childhood and how I can't undo the terrible things that have happened in my life. Accepting my brokenness as a part of my reality is what's needed to find the wholeness from me. In this episode, I contemplate what I first needed to break like my kitchen and my yard in order to fix them.    Key Takeaways:    [0:48] I raised my siblings and it was a chaotic ti...

Austin sold her home and decided to travel the world with her husband and young kids. It has been a journey full of judgment, but also many life changing moments. In this episode, she describes her life on the road, how she keeps sane, and what her kids think of it.    Key Takeaways:    [1:48] How Austin became an au pair, sold her house and traveled the world [7:19] What Boundless Life is all abo...

As I look back on my childhood, I'm reminded of how my neighborhood has changed and the people around me are dying. I also am deeply thinking about the season of Molly, the choices I've made, and how I can honor her.    Key Takeaways:    [0:58] April is a significant month to me  [4:00] Missing the last week of Molly's life [5:24] The good side of missing it [8:33] Dealing with narcissistic tenden...

As Easter is passing it brings back all the memories of Molly. I sat down to watch some movies which just had me in tears and made me think back on all the choices I've made in my own life. I really recommend you watch them and see how you relate to them.    Key Takeaways:    [3:37] A movie about a boy with an abusive childhood and a dying dad [7:26] What inspires me about the movie and forgiving...

Jane and Skylar come on this week to talk about their journeys with epilepsy. From being discriminated at work to trying to find supportive relationships it's been a rollercoaster for them both. In this episode, we go on their journeys of being diagnosed, how that impacts their lives, and what they want people to know.    Key Takeaways:    [1:38] How Jane found out she had epilepsy, getting diagno...

As I look back on women's history month I research how ads on women's health are often banned, women in history going on strike, and how I think feminism is used incorrectly. In this episode, I dive deep into the meaning of feminism and how I think we need to stop comparing men and women.    Key Takeaways:    [2:17] The biggest mistake feminism has made  [5:42] Women in Iceland going on strike for...