Coffee in the Corral

I turned 43 this week - and you know what? Every year just keeps getting better. Today, I talk about the incredible birthday I had with my family and how I have decided to view aging. In a world that does it’s best to make us terrified of getting older, I am determined to rewrite those toxic messages. Anyone who is familiar with Dr. Ellen J. Langer knows that her work has proven over and over agai...

In a world that is brimming over with extensive research, excellent advice, and endless knowledge at our fingertips, it can feel overwhelming learning to incorporate and “do” all the things. Today, I will boil it down to three simple steps you can take that have the potential to truly change how you feel, how you think, and how you respond. I also talk about: Playing the “What if” game from a diff...

Instant Stress Hack - a conversation with my girls! #196 This week is a special episode brought to you from the front seat of our truck! My two daughters, Tanaya and Avriella, join me today in a thought-provoking conversation about some cool things I am learning from Dr. Ellen Langer. I just love talking with my girls. Not only is it an absolute blast, but I also always appreciate their perspectiv...

Overflowing with gratitude today as I share my recent accomplishment for my film, From Cult to Queer!! Over a year ago, I hobbled into the office of my friend and film director, Taylor Brown, with crutches to begin telling my story. In the midst of recovering from a motorcycle wreck, I took the leap to start making a film about my life. I was terrified, shaky, and fearful that it would all be too...

Are you an all-or-nothing person like me?  If so, this episode is for you. It’s for me. It’s for all of us who grew up being told that our worth comes from what we can accomplish.  I have lived my whole life giving one hundred and ten percent. Sometimes, it was great, but more often than not, it was detrimental to my health in a myriad of ways.  Who knew that a workout program designed specificall...

Happy Pride Month, my lovely community!! I am so fucking grateful to be sharing today about my own queer journey and the things I am learning in this beautiful season! I talk about: What I believe that Pride is all about My current struggle of feeling judgmental towards the other side now How I want to treat all of humanity The need for diversity in ALL humans My journey to discovering my queernes...

Today I am joined by my lovely partner, Jenna, as we discuss our recent trip and how it reminded us that we need to keep finding ways to rejuvenate our lives. At the start of this episode, Zelle seemed strongly determined to sabotage our session, and despite our many efforts, she stuck around to keep us on our toes. ;) Gotta love those animals! It's so easy to go through life, get stuck moving...

Have you ever had a bad feeling about something but excused it away for one reason or another and then ended up very much regretting it? Yeah. Me too. Today I share my recent, unfortunate visit to a new dentist. What I thought was going to be a checkup and possible cavity filling turned into a horrible experience that I am still currently suffering from. My body knew. From the beginning. But I rea...

This episode isn’t what I planned it to be. But that’s the way life is sometimes, I reckon. What was supposed to be a fun, substitute job at a new building ended up being me taking over ISS (in-school suspension) for the day.  Before this week, I had never done ISS, and yes, that was on purpose. I never want to be known to my students as an authority figure who enforces shame and strict laws on th...

I think it’s fair to say that we all love finding ways to save time. Our time and energy are precious commodities, and we try to protect them to the best of our ability. Often, our lives are so busy that time feels like a runaway train that we are constantly trying to catch up with. Life is not only busy, but also often stressful. We can quickly end up carrying immense amounts of frustration throu...

This week I share some things I learned from my recent cycling trip to complete 225.1 miles of the Katy trail! Going on this adventure challenged me in many ways but by the end of it, I finished feeling strong and empowered! I hope that after listening to this episode, you are inspired to go on an adventure of your own. 😎 Life is way too short to keep making excuses! Today I discuss: Why sleeping...

Join me this week for this special sunrise edition of waking up with nature!  To me, there is nothing as peaceful as being immersed in nature, and today we do this together as I talk about the wildlife in my little part of the world and what it teaches me. During this recording, I saw several flocks of ducks take flight from the pond in front of me, a glorious number of over twenty ducks in just f...

Join me today as I talk about one of my favorite subjects ever… OUR BRAIN! I have been learning from Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s new book, “Whole Brain Living”, and I am super excited to share how I am applying it to my life! I discuss: The 4 parts of the brain The function of each part Understanding this can empower us to choose how we want to respond to each situation Why I don’t believe it should b...

This week, I am incredibly honored and excited to share this episode, in which my friend and favorite barista, Russ Powers, shares his journey from self-destruction to redesigning his whole life. You won’t be disappointed. Russ opens up about his struggle with addiction that began as a child, lasted many years into adulthood, and eventually brought him to the brink of death. After he finally surre...

I realize our country is a complete shit show right now. I also realize that sometimes we need to disengage and care for our mental health. Today’s episode is exactly for that. If you need to kick back, breathe, and laugh, this episode is for you.  If you love animals like crazy, this episode is for you. If you enjoy silliness, stories, and a mom and her girls cutting up, you’re in the right place...

This week I share a story of how my messy teen helped me discover some deeply unhealed parts of myself. Learning to parent our children in a completely different way than we were parented can be so exhausting, confusing, and difficult. I discuss: - my relationship with constant, high stress - the book I am reading that is helping me change my brain - how journaling opened my understanding - why me...

Join me and my two amazing partners, Nate and Jenna, as we share our thoughts about the recent public premiere of my documentary, “From Cult to Queer.” This episode is a delightful, laid-back conversation that covers our experience at this event and what we loved most.  We discuss: Why I do not want to move to Hawaii What we loved about the premiere Our favorite highlight Where we plan to go from...

Today, I am super pumped to share some fascinating wisdom with you that has the power to transform your “actual” life! Join me as I read several pages from my new favorite book, “Reality By Design” by Russell L. Powers. The concepts I talk about today: Your personality is your personal reality - and how knowing this can help you change your reality. The power is in the present moment - why it’s so...

This week I share about the important but difficult balance of loving our children while also still loving ourselves.  Coming out late in life and completely changing our family dynamics was hard on my kids - and rightly so. Over the years, I have worked really hard to make space for my kids to have their feelings and be able to voice their struggles. But carrying all of their pain and my own inse...

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you abandon yourself in exchange for others’ comfort? Yeah, me too. Today, I share two recent stories that left me upset and frustrated. After having these experiences, I became curious as to why staying true to myself in some situations feels impossible to me. Join me as I unpack my “5 whys” and get to the root of the problem. We have immeasurable va...

Do you feel exhausted and overwhelmed with your life constantly? Do the things you love also bring you immense amounts of stress sometimes? Good news!  You are not alone, AND there are ways to manage this stress that do not have to be complicated or cost a lot of money. A weekend away in Branson with my love Jenna not only rejuvenated my soul, but also helped me remember why I choose the life I do...

Quite a few people wonder why I have a zebra as the logo for my nonprofit organization, Freedom For The Taking. Well, today, my friends, you will wonder no more!!  Join me as I not only explain why I am so in love with zebras, but also why zebras are some of the coolest animals on the safari!  Learn what a group of zebras is called (it’s so freakin cool!) Discover all the benefits of their black a...

This week started really shitty. Not the kind of Monday anyone wants to begin their week with. In less than 30 minutes, we lost 10 chickens. Not just any ol’ chicken. Eight of my daughters’ prize bantams and two beloved older hens. It was a massacre.  Today I tell the story. That horrific moment when we all realised something horrible had gone wrong in the chicken pen.  But stay with me. After tak...

Are humans designed to live in groups? If so, why is there so much fighting and hatred and division? Aren’t we meant to live in a social structure? Join me today as I explore a little about the history of homo sapiens and how we got where we are today. Sadly, there isn’t a huge difference between our existence millions of years ago and how humans treat each other in this day and age.  The fact tha...

Audio only while Spotify is having issues with my computer. With age, our bones shrink in size and density (this explains why we get shorter as we get older- that is, unless you are Jenna) Muscles lose strength, flexibility, and endurance All this affects our balance, coordination, and stability as we age This sounds like a depressing episode, but stay with me. Today, I discuss the science and tru...