Episode 85
Episode #82 - The Tenacity & Strength Moving Forward Against All Odds: An Interview With Elizabeth Meigs
Imagine having to deal with a traumatic accident that impairs your ability to function. Then, after recovering, you enter into an abusive relationship that does not go well and creates stifling ramifications to your ability to function and hold on to hope. To top it off, imagine being told that you are now allowed to act on a dream career that would propel you to new heights both personally and professionally. Today's guest, Elizabeth Meigs, fits all of these qualifications (and much more!) as she shares her story of survival, overcoming the odds, and becoming the best version of herself in the truest sense of the phrase. Despite life's many obstacles, the choices that we have in terms of processing the various situations we face, and the opportunities that we are granted, come from a single source: yourself. Being brave enough, just as today's guest was, can reward itself in many multiple ways if you are willing to be brave enough to have a voice against all odds that you face in life and beyond.
Guest Bio
Elizabeth Meigs is an overcomer and a fighter who knows her purpose is to inspire, provide hope, and encourage those going through the toughest challenge of their lives not to give up. She was born and raised in a small rural town in Southeast Kansas, where her family raised horses. She was an “outdoorsy” girl who loved fishing and riding her horse. Her dreams and goals were coming true when her world was turned upside down in a car accident one week into her first year of high school. That night, everything for her and her family stopped abruptly. She learned how to overcome the hard obstacles, and deep down, she knew there was a purpose for all she was going through. Not only did her dreams change, but a new purpose was revealed. Whether you're dealing with job loss, a failed marriage, a divorce, an abusive marriage/relationship, physical challenges, or other setbacks, the natural solutions and strategies she now teaches can help you stay focused on achieving your dreams.
Website: https://elizabethinspires.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMeigsInspires
Instagram: @Elizabethmeigsinspires on Instagram
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethinspires
- The EI Method | Elizabeth Inspires (https://elizabethinspires.com/the-ei-method/) - Mentioned during today's episode, grab your free copy of Elizabeth's EI Method, available at this link.
Visit Our Website: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/
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Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs
Transcript
Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and
2
:determination all converge into
an amazing, heartfelt experience.
3
:This is Speaking From The Heart.
4
:Joshua: Welcome back to episode number
82 of Speaking From The Heart, and this
5
:is an episode that will strike you to the
heart because of what this next guest on
6
:our show will be sharing with us today.
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:My guest is Elizabeth Meigs, and she is
an overcomer and a fighter who knows her
8
:purpose is to inspire, provide hope, and
encourage those going through the toughest
9
:challenge of their lives not to give up.
10
:She was born and raised in a small
rural town in southeast Kansas, where
11
:her family raised horses, and she was
always an outdoorsy type of girl who
12
:enjoyed fishing and riding her horse.
13
:Her dreams and goals were coming
true when the world was turned upside
14
:down in a car accident one week
into her first year of high school.
15
:That night, everything for her and
her family stopped abruptly, and she
16
:learned, from that moment on, how
to overcome the hard obstacles, but
17
:deep down, knew there was a purpose
for all that she was going through.
18
:Not only did her dreams change, but a new
purpose was revealed, so no matter whether
19
:you're dealing with job loss, a failed
marriage, a divorce, an abusive marriage
20
:or relationship, physical challenges, or
other setbacks, the natural solutions and
21
:strategies she teaches as a coach that
she does today in her work, can help you
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:stay focused on achieving your dreams.
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:Now I have to say, that even with all
these things that I've shared about her
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:bio, nothing will compare to the fact
that in this interview, I have never
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:been struck by so many different things
that have happened to a guest, but yet
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:has kept on getting back up and kept on
persevering no matter what, and has such
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:a positive outlook, that to me, it just
shows that even with the severe things
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:that we go through in our lives, it's just
a matter of what kind of attitude that
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:you take in order to keep moving forward.
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:I will say in this episode that it might
be a little bit hard for you to understand
31
:what Beth is saying, but you'll quickly
understand why once we start getting into
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:the conversation, so I encourage you,
if you need to, please use the episode
33
:notes that are located on my website,
speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm,
34
:or visit my webpage,
www.yourspeakingvoice.biz/podcast, in
35
:which you can access the link directly.
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:I think that you will be blown
away by this woman's tenacity
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:to keep moving forward.
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:But with that, let's go to the episode.
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:All right, we have
Elizabeth Meigs with us.
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:Elizabeth, thanks for sharing
your heart with us today.
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:Elizabeth: Thank you very much for
allowing me this opportunity to share my
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:heart with you and all of your listeners.
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:I'm excited to be here today.
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:Joshua: I am so excited just
because of our conversation before
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:we even got started today to talk
to you, and I'm really pumped,
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:so, Elizabeth, I love asking this
question when I start out with guests.
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:Can you tell us a little bit about
your backstory as in how it got you
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:to where you are today, because as
I shared with the audience already,
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:you're an inspirational speaker.
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:You do a lot of awesome things for
what you do to serve others in that
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:realm, but can you tell us a little
bit about yourself to kind of get
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:the picture of essentially why
you're doing what you're doing today?
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:Elizabeth: Sure.
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:I would love to, so I was a
beautiful 14 year old girl.
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:I was chasing after my goals and my dreams
of becoming a country music singing star.
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:I had been performing and singing since
the age of seven, taking voice lessons.
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:I was known for my voice.
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:I was very popular; played
every sport, cheerleader.
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:Everyone wanted to be my friend.
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:I always had a boyfriend.
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:In the spring of my eighth grade year, in
fact, my voice teacher saw my gifts, my
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:talents, and she arranged for me to be in
a recording studio, cutting a demo tape.
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:I had professional pictures taken, with
everything moving full speed ahead for
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:me to graduate high school and move to
Nashville to pursue my singing career,
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:but then, one week into my freshman
year of high school, my life was
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:completely turned upside down when I
was severely injured in a car accident.
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:My best friend, her mom, was driving
us to the movies when all of a sudden
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:we were struck from behind which sent
us into a tailspin and then proceeded
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:into a barrel roll multiple times.
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:With every roll, my head
was at the point of impact.
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:Joshua: Wow.
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:Elizabeth: I had to be cut from the
vehicle, resuscitated multiple times
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:at the scene, then I was transported by
ambulance to the nearest rural hospital
74
:that was not equipped to take care of
all of my health needs, so I was then
75
:life flighted to the nearest trauma
center an hour and a half away by car.
76
:My parents were given a very
dim prognosis; less than a
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:25 percent survival rate.
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:My brain was swelling rapidly, and
the doctors didn't give me much hope.
79
:I was placed in a drug induced coma,
which I would remain for three weeks.
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:Once I came out of my coma, I basically
was reduced to that of an infant, and I
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:had to relearn to do everything again.
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:I couldn't even sit up on the
edge of the bed by myself.
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:Joshua: Wow.
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:Elizabeth: Therapists would get me
into the recliner at my bedside, and
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:I would stay to sit up for 30 minutes
and then sleep the rest of the day.
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:It was going to be a long road
of therapy and intensive rehab
87
:in order to get me back to caring
for myself again independently.
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:Joshua: Wow.
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:First off, wow.
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:I mean, to have that kind of trauma
early on in life, let alone have it
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:that you have to relearn everything,
especially at a young age, I can only
92
:imagine the difficulty that you've had
to go through to get to this point,
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:which I have to tell you, it was shocking
to me to even just hear that because
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:I've known of people that have been
in traumatic accidents, gotten out of
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:their cars, no injury whatsoever, and
for you to go and have this opposite
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:sort of situation happen to you.
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:I mean, I noticed that you grew up in
Southeast Kansas, and you said something
98
:along the lines of not really having
that ability to really get a really
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:good medical treatment, I guess, as
a result of that, I mean, if things
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:were different, even if you had the
best of care, do you think that you
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:would have had a different life?
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:Would you have been able
to be a country singer?
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:I mean, do you feel that that
would have been your calling?
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:If not, do you feel like you've fulfilled
with what you're doing now as a result?
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:Elizabeth: Oh, definitely.
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:As I reflect back on my life, my
experience with singing, actually all
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:leads up to me being a speaker on a
stage because I know how to work a room.
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:I know how to work an audience
and make them feel like I'm
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:singing directly to them.
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:I spoke in May of 2023 and a
couple of people from the audience
111
:said, "Beth, I felt like you
were speaking directly to me.
112
:There's a room full of us right here,
but you spoke directly to me, so it all
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:definitely led up to what my purpose
was as a result of this accident.
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:Joshua: Walk us through what it meant
to be rehabilitated, because you started
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:to mention some of those things, like
relearning the aspects of probably
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:speaking, which I'm sure our audience
has already noticed there's a little
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:bit of a difference between some of
our guests that we've had and what
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:you go through, and that's to commend
you for the fact that you're able
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:to have conversations with people.
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:That is incredible in itself.
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:I have to commend you for working so hard
and being persistent, but outside of that,
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:from what we can hear, what other things
have you had to go through and relearn?
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:Elizabeth: I had to relearn everything.
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:It was 43 days before I even spoke a
word because of the ventilator that
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:was in place for two and a half weeks.
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:My vocal cords were very weak, so
when I did speak for the first time,
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:my voice was nothing but a whisper,
and it would be months before I would
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:be able to talk in full sentences
without my voice cutting out.
129
:It was a long road, and honestly,
the rehab portion and the relearning
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:to walk and care for myself again,
being either able to bathe myself,
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:dress myself, that was not the
most difficult part of any of this.
132
:It wasn't until I was back in school
after three months of hospitals and
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:intensive rehab that I discovered
that I was going to be facing the
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:biggest challenges of my life.
135
:I was not the same girl that
I was before the accident.
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:I was a new person and I
had to rediscover who I was.
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:I wasn't able to sing.
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:I could barely speak sentences
without my voice cutting out.
139
:My parents actually had begun to
wonder if I would ever speak again.
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:They were concerned because of the
fact that I was known for my voice.
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:Everyone knew me for my voice.
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:That's who I was.
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:Once I got back into
school, my life was over.
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:My friends lives had gone on.
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:They were still playing the sports
we loved, still going out on the
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:weekends, working their part time jobs.
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:I had to do outpatient therapy
after school every day of the week.
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:We had to hire tutors to help me
to stay caught up with my classes.
149
:My mom had to help me
with all of my homework.
150
:She had to read everything to
me so that I could remember it
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:in order to pass my classes.
152
:I was alone and isolated.
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:I dealt with judgment because people
would see something physically wrong
154
:with me, and if they didn't know
me before the accident, they would
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:decide that I wasn't worth their time.
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:That hurt.
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:Joshua: Man, I feel like I can
resonate with that so much.
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:I've always been overweight.
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:My listeners have heard this in other
episodes about my struggles with school
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:and trying to deal with bullies and trying
to overcome that stigma of what other
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:people are saying about me or judging me.
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:I can so relate to what that feeling is,
which it took me decades to go through
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:that process to just get to where I
could love myself, and I can only imagine
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:what that could feel like for you.
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:Was there something that really
stood out to you when you were
166
:going through that, that really
left a lasting impression on you?
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:Was there somebody that really did
something really bad that maybe reflected
168
:on, maybe this is going to be a tougher
road than I thought towards recovery?
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:Elizabeth: No one really
did anything to me.
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:It was just the judgment in general.
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:It took me years to learn that
if people are going to judge me,
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:I don't need them in my life.
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:It took me years.
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:I would come home from school multiple
times a week for four to five years
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:and burst out in tears, screaming and
crying and tell my parents I should
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:have died; I wish I was dead; I want
to kill myself, because I knew this
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:world would be better if I wasn't in it.
178
:I thought everything would be easier.
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:Little did I know, I didn't
see that that broke my parents
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:hearts every time they heard it.
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:I was just in, in my own little world,
feeling all of the pain, all of the
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:heartache, all of the difficulty
that I had to face on a daily basis.
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:I'm telling you right now, if
you're listening to this, you're
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:listening to this for a reason.
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:I want you to know that you are
worth so much more than any of the
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:people who may be judging you and
you do not need them in your life.
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:You are worthy of being loved and being
in this world and you have a purpose.
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:I didn't know what my purpose was
at that time, but the voice in my
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:heart that brought me nothing but
comfort and peace was the voice of
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:God saying, "I have a plan for you.
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:You can't stop.
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:You have to keep going."
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:I knew that if I had been able to talk
to someone who had been through what I
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:had been going through when I was going
through it, It would have made a world of
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:difference in my life, but I didn't have
that, so I knew I couldn't quit because
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:I needed to be that for someone else.
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:Joshua: Speaking of which, I mean, I
know our listeners have already heard
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:so much about what you had overcome
at a young age, but if that wasn't
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:enough, I understand that you went
through a marriage that was kind of
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:messy in itself and also lost your
job and had other sort of setbacks.
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:Can you just touch on some of those
things that later on after you recovered
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:or had continued to do the recovery
process that really helped to motivate
203
:you into what you're doing now, because
my goodness, I was literally just
204
:talking about in episode number 80,
I had Lorayne Michaels on the show.
205
:We were just discussing that sometimes
just the number of things that we go
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:through would have left people for dead,
but yet they continue to keep going
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:forward and keep being strong, and I just
sensed that there's just nothing that's
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:going to stop you, but yet you had this
happen to you, so can you describe a
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:little bit about that for the audience?
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:Elizabeth: What got me through was the
voice in my heart every night before I
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:went to bed, no matter what had happened
that day, I would pray to God, thanking
212
:Him for my life and my blessings, and
asking Him to lead me and help me to
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:make the right choices so that I could
help those He placed in my path, and
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:I prayed for everyone in this world,
because what I was going through,
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:I wouldn't have wished on anyone.
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:My faith in walking through the
doors that He has opened in my life,
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:fully trusting in Him and his plan
for my life, is what got me through.
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:I graduated with my class by the
grace of God, went on to college,
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:which changed my major four times,
going to school for eight years before
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:finally graduating with my associate's
degree in occupational therapy.
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:It was when I walked into my
first patient's room, who had
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:suffered a stroke, and they told
me that they couldn't do this.
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:They couldn't get through the recovery.
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:They had lost hope.
225
:The fact that I could sit across from
them and share with them my story,
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:that gave them hope, and they would
hug me on the day I would discharge
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:from home and say, "Beth, I couldn't
have gotten through this without you.
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:Thank you."
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:That kept me going.
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:That was the first part of
me discovering my purpose.
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:I had the opportunity to move
to Waco, Texas in June of:
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:God has guided my path for
the last two plus decades.
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:He will use anything to get you where
you need to be, even online dating.
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:I was on an online date in July of
:
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:I didn't know where this
town was; this church was.
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:It was in a suburb of Waco.
237
:I had heard of it, and one of
my co workers lived there, but
238
:I didn't see God pointing me to
that church, so I never went.
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:November of 2016, I ended
up moving to this town.
240
:Every time I passed the church,
I would think of the invitation,
241
:see the gentleman's face who had
invited me, but still didn't see
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:God pointing me to that church.
243
:In January of 2017, I was
in a Walmart before 7 a.m.
244
:in the morning, buying cooking ingredients
to do a cooking task with my patient.
245
:As I am walking away from the cash
registers, I hear a familiar voice
246
:talking to cashier behind me.
247
:I don't know where I know this voice
from, but I turn around, and it was the
248
:gentleman who had invited me to church.
249
:Joshua: Wow.
250
:Elizabeth: I slowed down.
251
:I waited for him to catch up.
252
:We recognized each other.
253
:We did small talk after our vehicles
parked right beside each other.
254
:Saturday morning, I sent him a
message in the dating app saying,
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:"I moved to Spring, Texas.
256
:What time is church?
257
:I have yet to find a
church I feel at home at."
258
:It would be by joining this church
that I would find friends that would
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:become family; friends that saw me.
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:This was the first time in 17 years since
the car accident that I found a place
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:where I really felt like I belonged.
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:Two weeks after I joined this church, I
found out they had a Celebrate Recovery.
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:I didn't know much of what Celebrate
Recovery was other than drug, alcohol
264
:abuse, depression, anxiety, and I
knew that me sharing my story from
265
:the stage would bring hope and
I would be able to help people.
266
:That's what opened the door for me
sharing my story on a much bigger level.
267
:Joshua: That's incredible, because for
some people to get even that opportunity,
268
:which I do public speaking coaching
amongst other things, trying to get
269
:broken into that market can be very
tough, because not only is it highly
270
:competitive, but you also have to have a
unique niche sometimes to understand how
271
:to connect with your audience and also
different people, but to hear this kind
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:of fall on your lap, especially with the
way in which God built that for you, is
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:nothing short of not only interesting,
but really is an important lesson for all
274
:of us, I think, as I'm writing this down
and to share even later on, I think that
275
:it's so important to never lose faith
in even the biggest of situations that
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:might seem like chaos, to put it bluntly.
277
:Beth, I really am curious.
278
:You could easily say, "Yeah, I am
a victim of this", and not give up
279
:and keep doing what you're doing
and keep living a normal life.
280
:Why be a speaker?
281
:Why inspire others with
what you've been through?
282
:It's so easy to just dismiss it and just
say, "Yeah, I'm just like other people.
283
:I just want to fall into place with
where everybody else is at", but
284
:you kind of resisted against that.
285
:What was your motivation?
286
:Elizabeth: I was broken.
287
:I was broken.
288
:I was lost.
289
:I wanted to end it all, but I have a
purpose, and my purpose is to provide
290
:hope to those who feel broken, feel lost,
feel like there's no way to keep going.
291
:I'm supposed to inspire them.
292
:There are strategies that I learned
going through the darkest moments in
293
:my life, through the car accident.
294
:These strategies actually
helped me in my marriage.
295
:I continued to do online dating, and
I would meet my husband in:
296
:had insecurities that he hid from
me while we were engaged in dating.
297
:Insecurities that wouldn't come to
the surface until five to six months,
298
:eight months into our marriage.
299
:God was continuing to open the doors for
me to be able to grow as a speaker, and
300
:mold my message and get it out there to
everyone who needs to hear it, but my
301
:husband would tell me multiple times a
month for over two years, no one will ever
302
:pay you to speak; to share your story.
303
:The only financial security that
you will ever have is through
304
:your degree, but I knew better.
305
:God's voice was always so much stronger
in my heart than his voice ever was.
306
:In March of 2023, I would have the
opportunity to do a two day speaking
307
:seminar, where I would learn to outline
my talk, and be able to share it so that
308
:I could get paid speaking opportunities.
309
:This two day seminar was going to get me
a professional demo reel for my website
310
:to share with potential conferences and
organizations that I wanted to speak at.
311
:It was going to get me professional
pictures for my website.
312
:I had to get permission.
313
:I had to speak to my husband on three
different occasions to get him to
314
:allow me to use my business money in
order to invest in this opportunity.
315
:He finally agreed.
316
:After I shared my story, in that five
to six minute clip from that stage,
317
:everyone in the audience was crying.
318
:I was getting applause.
319
:I got a standing ovation.
320
:One gentleman stood up and said, "You
need to take your story nationwide
321
:today because you can help so many
people who are lost in this world."
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:I felt great.
323
:I went home after the second day.
324
:My husband didn't even
remember that I did it.
325
:At the end of that week, I would hear from
that friend who invited me to church that
326
:I hadn't seen in over three and a half
years, hadn't been close to in over four.
327
:He reached out to one of my best friends
in Waco and asked how I was doing.
328
:He was the first person that God had
brought into my life that I knew without
329
:a doubt saw me, the beautiful person
I was on the inside, because he told
330
:me he saw the beautiful person I was.
331
:He would continue to tell me
that through:
332
:2018 and not let me forget it.
333
:He was placed in my life to
help grow my confidence and
334
:what God was calling me to do.
335
:On Monday, April 3rd, I would get a call
from the speaking coach who did that
336
:two day seminar where I was told that I
was chosen to be gifted the scholarship
337
:for his four month speaking coaching
program to get me to where I learn how
338
:to get paid speaking opportunities so
that I could share my story with many
339
:more people and help so many more people.
340
:Joshua: I have to stop you for a second
because you've seen my various reactions.
341
:I'm like all over this camera right
now thinking, "What the heck is
342
:happening?", because who would ever
say to somebody else, me being a
343
:public speaking coach, mind you.
344
:Why would anybody ever say that you
don't have a story and that you have
345
:to be stuck in your degree that you've
learned and your education that you got?
346
:First off, you blew my mind.
347
:It exploded, honestly, and just so that
our audience understands this, this
348
:happened in the last year, correct?
349
:Elizabeth: Yes.
350
:We got married.
351
:Joshua: Holy moly!
352
:Elizabeth: We got married in 2020.
353
:I would be told from 2021 to 2022,
beginning of:
354
:would ever pay me to share my story
with the economy the way it was.
355
:It was the enemy using
my husband to stop me.
356
:My husband came home from
work the evening of April 3rd.
357
:I knew that the conversation about the
scholarship wasn't going to go well.
358
:I had fear.
359
:I was sure that he was
going to make me cry.
360
:I made dinner.
361
:After dinner, I shared with him the story,
how I got the call about the scholarship.
362
:His response to me was, "Until I see in
writing that there are no fees involved
363
:with this, you are not allowed to do it."
364
:I immediately broke down, started crying.
365
:He glared at me and in a nasty voice
said, "Why are you crying?", and
366
:I said, "Because this is who I am.
367
:This is what God has called me to do, and
now he's opening the doors for me to do
368
:it, and you're telling me that I can't?"
369
:I knew in that moment, God has
consistently used one person over
370
:and over again in my life since 2016,
always get me where I needed to be.
371
:He needed to consistently use that
one person so that my eyes would be
372
:opened in this moment and I would
see that I didn't make the best
373
:choice when I chose to get married.
374
:Now, I wouldn't be where I am in my
speaking career if I didn't get married
375
:and hadn't moved to Dallas, but God
brings people into your life for a reason.
376
:My friend that God has continually
used was how he opened my eyes.
377
:I saw in that moment the manipulation,
the verbal and emotional abuse I had
378
:been enduring for over two years.
379
:I realized my husband never saw who
I was, and the one person that has
380
:always seen me, God used that week to
open my eyes and I knew I had to leave.
381
:God moved mountains for me that week.
382
:I was able to, within 24 hours, transfer
from the hospital I was working as
383
:an occupational therapist in Dallas,
to their sister hospital in Waco.
384
:I was able to find an
apartment that I could afford.
385
:I did all of this in secret.
386
:I made my plan to escape.
387
:I had to protect myself because I
had been living in constant chaos and
388
:confusion for all of our marriage.
389
:I lost my peace when I got
married and moved to Dallas.
390
:I had grown further away from God,
because I had to work two to three days
391
:a week so that I could pay my half of
the bills, and the only two days that
392
:I could count on were Saturday and
Sunday, so I hadn't been going to church.
393
:I hadn't been feeling the Holy
Spirit, which I felt every Sunday.
394
:As soon as I got back to
Waco, I found my peace again.
395
:Joshua: I'm sitting here and I'm like,
not only shocked that somebody would ever
396
:say to someone else, first off, that they
don't have a message and I'm not going to
397
:pay you to give it this message because it
costs money, but just the sheer fact that
398
:you're sitting here, with a straight face
with me, like, I'm determined to do this.
399
:I see that fire right now, and I know
that I can hear it from you, as if this
400
:is something that you were meant to do;
whether that is God, whether that is some
401
:higher calling, whether that is something
that has set you up to where you're at.
402
:It's something that, even in the
public speaking business, I like
403
:to call it not only your message or
your story that you're selling about
404
:yourself, but it's really the punch.
405
:It's the punch in which that one
sentence just radically shifts the
406
:whole audience into a completely
different mindset, and that's literally
407
:what happened, I just got punched.
408
:I literally did, and not
even through the camera.
409
:It's one of those things that I sit
here and I think about what I've
410
:been through to get to where I'm at
today, Beth, which we were talking
411
:about a little bit before we started.
412
:It is so interesting that sometimes
these waves of different things that
413
:have happened in our life get to where we
ultimately need to be, and it's just, I'm
414
:amazed that you have still conquered that.
415
:Beth, we're almost at the end of our time.
416
:I can't believe that we are, but this
is so impactful that I think there's
417
:many takeaways for it, but my final
question to you is this: What if there
418
:was this opportunity to be a country
singer, going back to that a little bit.
419
:Hearing everything that you said, if
you were able to sing, do you think
420
:that it would make a big difference
in how you communicate your message?
421
:Because even for my public speaking
audience, I always think that it's
422
:really cool to be able to not only have
this special talent that you share,
423
:but It's always cool to radiate in a
different way that maybe people aren't
424
:expecting, so, if you belt out a singing
tune right now, this will be just the
425
:clincher to this overall interview, I'll
tell you that much, but in all honesty,
426
:and maybe to rephrase the question, if
you were given the choice, even with
427
:everything that you've been through,
would you still be a public speaker,
428
:or would you rather have been a singer?
429
:Elizabeth: I would not change anything
the last 23 plus years of my life.
430
:If I had made it to the country
music stage, my life would not be
431
:near as rewarding as it is today.
432
:I'm still pinching myself.
433
:When I shared my story from the stage
in:
434
:come up to me after they heard me speak
would say how much hope I gave them.
435
:One night, there was a woman who came
up to me and said, "Beth, I wasn't going
436
:to come to church tonight, but something
was telling me I needed to be here.
437
:I know now that that was God.
438
:I needed to hear your story
because it gives me so much hope.
439
:Thank you."
440
:I am doing what I was called to do,
and I wouldn't change any of it.
441
:I have learned to grow, become
stronger, become the resilient woman
442
:that I am today by facing all of my
challenges head on and not giving up.
443
:I encourage all of you who are
listening, I know it seems hopeless.
444
:You feel lost.
445
:You feel like you can't go anymore.
446
:You don't believe in yourself.
447
:I want to tell you, I believe in you.
448
:I know you can do it because whatever
is on your heart, God put there
449
:for a reason, and I promise you, He
has placed everything within you to
450
:make your goals and your dreams a
reality, whatever is on your heart,
451
:you can do it, but you can't give up.
452
:I know you have what it takes.
453
:Joshua: Definitely true words from
a very appropriate podcast called
454
:Speaking From the Heart to be on
to share that important message.
455
:Thank you for that, and either
way, I think, Beth, you are
456
:doing your calling, like I said.
457
:I know that was sort of a foolproof
question that maybe had an obvious
458
:answer, but I think sometimes we
have to pinch ourselves to realize
459
:that we are doing what we are set
out to do, and I'm really inspired
460
:by your story and what you shared.
461
:Thank God that you're here to
be able to tell it because it is
462
:something of great significance.
463
:To wrap us up, I would give
you the last few minutes.
464
:How can people book you as
being an inspirational speaker?
465
:How can they contact you?
466
:I know that you do some coaching that we
didn't even get into, but if they would
467
:be interested in something of that nature,
I would love for you to share it with our
468
:audience, but I'm going to give you the
last few minutes to go ahead and do that.
469
:Elizabeth: The best way to reach out to
me is to go to ElizabethInspires.com.
470
:You can see all of my social media,
Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.
471
:You can send me a message
through any of those platforms.
472
:You can also download my free
strategy that I am offering
473
:to all of my listeners today.
474
:It is the EI method.
475
:It's one of the strategies that
I had to learn facing the most
476
:difficult challenges of my life.
477
:I wouldn't be here today if I
hadn't learned that strategy.
478
:In fact, I have created a 30 day
course so that I can help teach these
479
:strategies to anyone who is struggling
with anxiety and depression, and if
480
:having any difficulty with overcoming, I
want to help you to find your strength.
481
:I want to help you to become
resilient, just as I have.
482
:These strategies work.
483
:I am living proof of that.
484
:Joshua: You are living proof of
definitely a lot of things, that's
485
:for sure, and I think that it's
really impactful to hear all this.
486
:For those that are listening, Beth
did give a free resource which I'll
487
:put in the episode notes, go check
that out along with her website
488
:and everything she's mentioned,
but Beth, I want to end with this.
489
:It is always amazing to me, that I'm up to
episode 82 when we're doing this, and it's
490
:always been amazing to me just the number
of guests I've had on the show that have
491
:talked about what they have gone through,
whether it's going on a movie production
492
:set to going through drugs, going
through domestic abuse, going through
493
:some of the trials and tribulations of
opening a business, even finding their
494
:voice to be a public speaker, but I
have never encountered somebody quite
495
:like you that has gone through so many
different things: divorce, abuse, neglect,
496
:accidents, being on a recovery mode,
still dealing with some of those things
497
:even to this day, but yet, still have
the power and the will to change other
498
:people's minds, hearts, and souls with
the message that you have, and for all
499
:those reasons, I've really enjoyed what
you've shared with our audience today.
500
:Thank you for being on
Speaking From the Heart.
501
:It was really a privilege and an
honor to hear your story, and I
502
:can only wish the best of success
for you and your speaking career.
503
:Elizabeth: Thank you very
much for inviting me on.
504
:It was such a blessing to be able to share
my story with your audience, and please,
505
:if you are feeling lost and if you can
relate to any portion of my story, don't
506
:hesitate to reach out and don't hesitate
to download my free strategy today.
507
:Thank you.
508
:Joshua: Thanks, Beth.
509
:I really appreciate it so much.
510
:Thank you for what you shared today.
511
:Tragedy can strike at any time, and I
think that no matter what you're going
512
:through, no matter what is broken and
lost, you have to find a way in order
513
:to gain that strength back, in order to
gain that attitude of inspiration and
514
:hope, so you can keep moving forward.
515
:Those are just some of the many lessons
that I think we all heard from Elizabeth
516
:Meig's story today, and I really want to
thank her from the bottom of my heart for
517
:being part of this show, and just showing
the fact that no matter where you are,
518
:in this vast world that we live in, that
there's a lot of different opportunities
519
:to learn about what's involved with just
staying the path and moving forward, no
520
:matter what circumstances take place.
521
:Now, I've had a lot of people on this
show thus far, in which we've talked about
522
:so many different things that have been
challenges and obstacles, but nothing
523
:like a physical impairment, just like
I had growing up as a kid, to shake you
524
:to the core and remind you of how many
times it can be a challenge to understand
525
:and rediscover the ways in which when
things go upside down, you know that
526
:you still have a place on this earth,
in order to find the ways to navigate
527
:through them, which really leads into my
first question that we should all start
528
:thinking about, immediately: is it better
that you are not part of this world?
529
:Is it better that you are
not part of this world?
530
:I think that we all want to
say, "No, we absolutely don't
531
:want to say that to ourselves.
532
:I think that's an absurd question, Josh.
533
:Didn't you talk about this in so many
other episodes?", and yes, I have, but
534
:sometimes we have many people, whether
we want to accept it or not, that have to
535
:ask that question every day, especially
if they're going through some of the
536
:most challenging things, whether they're
physically impaired, socially inept, or
537
:financially behind in their bills and
obligations, then it might be better off
538
:asking that question more than anything
else, but what if you lost everything and
539
:you just need to keep pushing forward?
540
:Could you do it?
541
:I think for many of us, we might not
even be able to take on that question.
542
:It would be a struggle, no matter what
would happen, to try to address what those
543
:things are, and I think that we have to
find the ways through the broken pieces
544
:that might be left, especially from a
car accident in Beth's case, in which
545
:we have to find that purpose, but being
told what you want to do in your life
546
:from somebody else, I think that even
for my guest today would say that that's
547
:not something that is entertainable in
our lives, and I think that sometimes,
548
:trying to address those big challenges
that stay in front of us, no matter
549
:what those causes are, can create
some of the most biggest ramifications
550
:that we often don't want to face.
551
:It's almost as if we're putting it off
because we know that the decision that
552
:we're about to make might change radically
the direction of our lives forever.
553
:I recently had that happen to me, in
which, I think that we all think about
554
:the ways in which we want to be the most
encouraging type of person in the world.
555
:We really want to find the ways in which
we can navigate all these different
556
:challenges and be our best cheerleader,
even if being the best cheerleader
557
:means being able to encapsulate that
feeling of success, means that we
558
:often have to take a big step back
and think about all the blessings
559
:that we have in our lives, in which
sometimes there are too many to count.
560
:There might be even so many
different things that are happening
561
:in our lives, that really, we
don't know what to do with them.
562
:I like to call those things, fame
and fortune, because, if you think
563
:about it, some of the most successful
people, especially in the United
564
:States and even abroad, if you're in
my international audience, you think
565
:about all the celebrities and all the
influencers, that are on social media,
566
:that are able to have that success.
567
:They're able to understand and
capitulate all the different types of
568
:opportunities that they have, but they
have a platform in being able to do that.
569
:While some of the Joe Schmoes,
like yours truly, your podcast
570
:host, might have to resort to
other devices, such as a podcast.
571
:With all joking aside, Isn't it
true that sometimes we're left with
572
:very little choice in terms of the
options that we have available to us?
573
:While some people might think it might
be as easy from going from name brand
574
:to maybe the cheap generic brand at
the grocery store to buy our items,
575
:some people have to make the decision
between what we can actually eat and
576
:maybe what kind of bill that we have
to pay because of the limited resources
577
:that we have and I think that is what
the crux of this whole conversation
578
:today with Beth has really been about.
579
:Who is really opening your eyes?
580
:Who is saying no in your life and
when you don't have the opportunity
581
:to really make that choice, because
some people don't even get to
582
:make that choice for themselves.
583
:There are other people that make that
controlling factor happen in their own
584
:life, and I've had one or two guests,
if you've been a long time listener,
585
:that have had that situation play out in
their own lives, and you've seen where
586
:they have come, from zero to having
it all because they stopped letting
587
:someone tell them what they are not.
588
:Beth went against the grain
of society, and said that, "I
589
:want to make that influence.
590
:I want to inspire others.
591
:I want to bring healthy
alternatives to the table."
592
:That is what you need to be doing to be
able to give yourself that calling of
593
:what you are potentially able to do; to
be able to say to yourself, "I am worthy."
594
:that I am able to make such a big
difference in what other people are
595
:saying about me, and I'm going to dispel
them no matter what, but I know that
596
:nagging question: Do I know my self worth?
597
:Do I think it's better that I'm not part
of this world, might be some of those
598
:questions that you might be asking, and
by all means, if you are having those
599
:sort of thoughts in which you want to
act upon them, I still encourage you to
600
:call 988, especially if you're in the
United States, or seek out your local
601
:health alternative in your country that
you're living in, and determine why you're
602
:thinking the way you are, because I know
that situations like this, the financial
603
:security, the ways in which your income
might not be bringing enough in because of
604
:the vast amount of expenses that you have.
605
:In this world that we live in still
plagued by inflation and all other
606
:troubles that we have in our lives, the
things that we got going on that we might
607
:need that prayer to be sent to us, those
sayings in which we have to be able to
608
:understand what is it that we are able to
do to have that significance in our life.
609
:It does take a lot of contemplation and
a lot of strength to keep moving forward.
610
:I think the question really is, instead
of asking yourself, "why is it that
611
:I should live on this earth?", should
be, "What purpose can I continue to
612
:have on this earth, given the God given
talents that I was provided?", and
613
:I know there's going to be skeptics
out there that say, "Josh, why do
614
:you keep bringing religion into this?
615
:I thought this was a non partisan, non
religious show.", but the truth of the
616
:matter is, we all have some sort of
faith, whether we believe in religion
617
:or not, in the choices that we're going
to make, and in itself, that means we
618
:have some sort of religious ideation.
619
:Whether you believe it or not, it's about
really rediscovering those choices that
620
:we have in our lives that we continuously
make, whether they are from the outside
621
:in or the inside out, we are making that
conscious decision every single day.
622
:We, in other words, are trying to make
the best version of ourselves come
623
:alive from the things that we do, but
Beth challenges the status quo, and
624
:I think today we have to really think
about what if we did lose it all?
625
:Will we have the faith that Beth has?
626
:I think that we all have those
moments in which we fall down,
627
:but we need to get back up.
628
:It's almost like Rocky Balboa, the
famous fictional character played by
629
:Sylvester Stallone in the five Rocky
movies, plus all the extra movies
630
:thereafter, that have talked about the
importance of tenacity, to keep moving
631
:forward, to keep pushing, even when
you've been shoved down to know your
632
:self worth, because sometimes the world
ain't all full of sunshine and rainbows.
633
:We have to keep fighting, especially if
we get knocked down, but being told what
634
:you needed to do and being told what
you need to say means that you are a
635
:subservient to some other voice, to some
other pattern, and I think that you have
636
:to understand that there is much more in
this world than just thinking that you
637
:are just a servant to some other whim.
638
:You do have a voice.
639
:You do have something that says something
even stronger than what you are hearing
640
:right now, and if you are in that negative
headspace, just remember, that isn't
641
:just about what you're feeling today.
642
:It isn't just about the short term,
but it's about what you're creating
643
:as your long term success plan, and I
think that you are able to make that
644
:success plan happen if you're just
willing to stay committed, so don't wait.
645
:Fame and fortune is not
everything that you need in life.
646
:I think that it's a lot more than just
what is in the material sense, the
647
:physical interpretations of what we have.
648
:It's about what we're willing to do,
even if we're broken and lost, to find
649
:our purpose because serving our purpose
is what really counts the most, and
650
:I think that you all have purpose,
especially in Beth's case, to keep moving
651
:forward, so dust yourself off, pick
yourself back up, and keep on fighting.
652
:Keep on striving, keep on learning, keep
on growing, and keep on, keeping on.
653
:Thanks for listening to episode
number 82 of Speaking From the
654
:Heart, and I look forward to
hearing from your heart very soon.
655
:Outro: Thanks for listening.
656
:For more information about our podcast
and future shows, search for Speaking From
657
:The Heart to subscribe and be notified
wherever you listen to your podcasts.
658
:Visit us at www.
659
:yourspeakingvoice.
660
:biz for more information about
potential services that can help you
661
:create the best version of yourself.
662
:See you next time.
