Ep. 43-2 Harmony Amidst Sunshine and Rain: Navigating Pain and Joy Together

Have you ever found joy and sorrow clasped in the exact moment we make our way through life's contrasting waves? This episode explores the bittersweet connection between loss and creation, inspired by my recent encounter with loss amidst the birth of a dream project. Together, let's navigate the tender coexistence of celebration and grief, armed with practical resilience strategies and a shared understanding that every emotion is a step toward harmony.

In this conversation, I'll discuss the experience of dealing with conflicting emotions. I recently had to say goodbye to a close family friend while simultaneously preparing for the launch of a self-love boot camp. I'll share insights on mindfulness techniques and the power of self-compassion that have helped me navigate these complex times. Having the support of a community can make this journey richer, so I invite you to join our circle of trust, where we can share experiences and support each other. Together, we can become more assertive.

As we come to the end of this emotional episode, I want to extend an invitation to all women to join the upcoming Smilie Empowerment Virtual Self-Love Bootcamp. It's a promise of a nurturing space where we can grow, bond, and rediscover the joy in self-care. Let's embrace this transformative experience together, remembering that we are never alone, no matter our feelings. Join me, and let's turn the page to a new chapter of empowerment and unity.

Last call to Secure your spot in our 5-day Transformational VIRTUAL Self-Love boot Camp from March 4-8, 2024, at 7 pm EST. Click the link here or in the show notes to learn more -   https://bit.ly/self-love-bootcamp. See you there! 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not substitute for therapy. We recommend you seek help from a trained professional for your specific situation.

Q&A: What are Your Thoughts on This Episode? Please message us at contact@smilieempowerment.com

Are you a leader dedicated to achieving success or a professional driven to boost your leadership skills, establish effective teams, and improve your personal and professional development? Look no further! Smile Empowerment coaching offers comprehensive and personalized guidance that caters to your needs, whether individual or executive coaching or team-building sessions.

To book a free 30-minute consultation, please contact us at contact@smilieempowerment.com. During this meeting, we'll discuss your goals and create a tailored plan to ensure your success. Together, we can make a difference and embrace a journey towards your ultimate potential!

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Transcript

Smilie Filomeno Rodriguez: 0:03

Hola Boschica. Welcome to the Smilie Empowerment Podcast. This is where we celebrate the strength, resilience and determination of Latina women and all women who are constantly on the go, pushing through challenges and achieving their goals. I like to call these women Boschica, like me. If you're a busy woman ready to be uplifted, inspired, and empowered to take charge of your healing journey and be a Boss Chica, you've come to the right place. We can all agree, life can be hectic and overwhelming, but anything is possible with the right mindset, attitude, tools and support. Let me introduce myself. My name is Smilie Filomeno Rodriguez and I am a Latina Life Empowerment coach and a social worker.

Smilie Filomeno Rodriguez: 0:53

I started this podcast because I know what feeling alone and overwhelmed with past wounds and challenges feel like. I want to help you with self-discovery, self-love and self-empowerment so you can grow and thrive. Do you sometimes feel alone? That's inte sola? Well, you're not alone. No esta sola. You have me, your coach, smiley. In each episode, I'll share personal stories of resilience, healing tips, practical advice, strategies for managing your time and priorities for improving your relationship with yourself and others, and insights on cultivating a positive and fulfilling joyful life. So grab your earbuds and tea or coffee, take a deep breath and get ready to be inspired and encouraged. Let's begin this journey together and empower each other to become the best versions of our lives. Let's get started. You got this.

Speaker 2: 2:08

Welcome back. Welcome back mi boss Chica, welcome back my fellow listeners, my beautiful people. My boss Chica, welcome back. We live in a culture that values positivity and happiness, and this episode I want to help you to navigate both happiness and pain, because, while the culture that we live in values so much positivity and to being optimistic and staying positive and being happy, we cannot escape from the sunshine and the rain, right? So we have to learn how to navigate pain and joy together. And in this episode, I want to bring you to a place that, if you're experiencing sunshine, I want you to embrace it and continue to cultivate, being enthusiastic and positive, and embrace that sunshine that we all have, because every day, the sun comes out, no matter if it's cloudy days, right, and you may see that there's gloominess. But if you are experiencing the rain, the storm, if you're in the middle of the storm, as well as experiencing some joy, I want you to know that you're not alone, especially if you're navigating through grief, if you're navigating through difficult times, whether you've lost your job, whether you're grieving the loss of a parent, the loss of a loved one, a spouse, a brother, whether you lost a best friend that you're no longer talking to and you had a fallout, whether you're experiencing health issues, whatever your pain is, your emotional pain. I want to offer you in this episode some tips, some practical tips that you can incorporate in your life right now to help you to navigate through pain and happiness, because it is a complex process, life right and I want to dedicate this episode to a very special family friend who just passed away yesterday. At the time that I'm recording this today, it was yesterday, february 25th, and I want to dedicate this episode specifically to him and his family, because losing this special friend of mine and family friend came to a shock to all of us and I'm leaving anonymous his name and respect to his family, who's like my family and there are good friends of childhood. But I wanted to do this episode with him in mind and other loved ones that recently I've lost and my family has lost very recent and it's hard. It's hard that at the same time that we may be feeling happiness and in a season of things going our way or having joyful moments where we're celebrating, all of a sudden life throws your curveball and you have a bad news where it provokes in you pain. So I was inspired to do this episode? Because right now, I am in a delicate place of pain and, at the same time, I have joy. Why do I say this? Because at the time that I'm recording this and at the time that I'm experiencing this, which I'm recording here with the purpose of helping you navigate through your pain and joy, especially if you're going through it in your life right now, in your season, where both of these emotions are coexisting, yet they're in contrast. But yet we have to be resilient. And how do we become resilient? How do we navigate through pain and joy together? How do we achieve harmony amidst sunshine and rain?

Speaker 2: 6:27

And I want to share the tips that I have that are really scientifically proven to be effective, and I've used them for myself, for my clients, but especially for me in this season of my life. And I was thinking who else is out there where they are navigating both joy and pain at the same time? And I'm excited because I launched the self-love boot camp, as you guys know, if you've been following the podcast and listening, and you can go to the show notes to pick up the ticket. This is exclusively for women. It's a five-day virtual self-love boot camp and it starts March 4th through the 8th and you would think, right, I am excited, I've been preparing and this can be happening to you, and that's why I want to share it. And boom, my family friend passes away unexpectedly and I'm a week away from facilitating a five-day virtual self-love boot camp, right? So while I am excited about that, life hits me with something so unexpected and this is why I wanted to record this episode today because you may be experiencing very similar emotions, where you got that raise, everything is going well for you and all of a sudden, you have a significant loss. All of a sudden, you are possibly let go, maybe, and you were experienced. You just got back from a beautiful vacation. Everything's going well. You're so excited. You fell on top of the world and you get hit with a pour of rain, actually a storm. However, you're still experiencing the sunshine each day. You're still experiencing the things that brought you joy. So how do you cope, right? How do I cope? How do you cope? And especially if you're a woman, right?

Speaker 2: 8:35

Women in society experience a lot of pressure to downplay our pain. Right, we have challenges and expectations to really honor our emotions. However, in this culture of positivity and happiness, especially women, we're told to downplay that pain or put that pain aside. The show must go on. So I want you to reflect on your own experiences. I want you to share with me in the comments if you would like, but I want you to think about a time when you found yourself navigating feelings of pain and happiness at the same time. How did you manage these contrasting emotions and what did you learn from the experience? I understand that in the society we live, right, it often emphasizes us to pursue and don't let go and pursue the happiness and positivity. But I wonder how much of this cultural pressure do we as women then suppress and minimize the experiences of the pain and the discomfort that we feel? That it's very much real.

Speaker 2: 9:55

I want you, if you are in this experience, whether you're a woman or a man, or however you identify yourself, I want you to honor all of your emotions. I want you to honor each emotion as they are, because each emotion has value and it has its place and time. So, when we're faced with adversity, we're often told let go, bounce back, you're resilient, and that can be true, and I do want you to develop resiliency and I want you to, in a healthy way, to cope with both of the emotions, okay, and I'm gonna do my best to get through this without tearing up as much as possible, but if I do, I know that I'm in a community where it's safe and that you will understand. Continue listening to the end, because I am gonna share seven valuable, very important strategies or tips that will help you to navigate through both the pain and the joy that you may be experiencing at the same time, because I want you to free yourself of guilt. Free yourself of guilt if, at the same time, you got great news and you're living such great joyful moments, but yet now you got a set of bad news, possibly a loss, possibly something that's very painful, and you're like, okay, how do I hold space for both? How do I hold space for pain and happiness in my life? So I want you to be open to the tips and the strategies that I'm gonna share. Each person is an individual and I always, always emphasize that if you already need a professional help of counseling, of a grief counselor, of a therapist, that you seek that, because there is no shame in that and nothing that I say here, any of the seven tips or any of the comments left, is substitute for the professional help that you can get. These are suggestions that I have for you, that I am using for myself, and I have also helped other clients with these strategies.

Speaker 2: 12:15

So let's explore the complexities of navigating through pain and happiness in our lives. Let's start with the first one. This first strategy is extremely effective and helpful. In the first step, I want you to acknowledge and validate your emotions. That is something I, in these days, have had to do and it's not easy to do, but it's extremely helpful. So, if you're experiencing pain and you're experiencing happiness at the same time in this season in your life, understand that that is normal. That's actually our human experience and it's important for you to validate your emotions, but without judgment, without feeling guilty, without allowing anyone else to make you feel guilty, and without suppression, without holding back your emotions.

Speaker 2: 13:10

Just today I was preparing to record this podcast and earlier in the morning I usually release it and I was just baffled and consumed with grief and emotion and still shock about my family friend that unexpectedly passed and I was sobbing and I was like, how do I get on a mic now and share with my listeners? And I was like, no, you know what. This is the best place. Let me gather my thoughts which that's another step that I'm going to share further on as to how to emotionally regulate right when you are in a time of desperation. When you're in a time of grief, however, you are still working on possibly, a project or having to go to work, or, at the same time, you have great news that a friend is having a baby girl and you're excited, but yet you're grieving at the same time. So that's why I wanted you to really pay close attention to these tips that I am sharing.

Speaker 2: 14:16

So, number one, acknowledge and validate your emotions. It's so important for you to say, yes, I am feeling grief. Yes, I'm feeling sad, yes, I am feeling what I'm feeling and, at the same time, I am excited about the new job I have and, at the same time, I am grieving the loss of my friend. So you see what I'm saying it's important for you to acknowledge and validate for yourself both emotions of pain and joy, pain and happiness, because they are in coexistence at this time. So I want you to learn how to deal with the coexistence of both of these emotions, and it could be very challenging to manage both the pain and the happiness at the same time, because it's a dual emotion, but yet it's in contrast, right, but it's part of life. So I hope that these tips, you do take them into consideration and always know that you're not alone. Many of us are enduring this, where we are navigating through happiness and joy at the same time, like a roller coaster, and it's so overwhelming and it could be very debilitating and it could make you feel like you are insane, like because the emotions are so strong and one may away the other one, and that's okay.

Speaker 2: 15:41

Strategy number two practice, practice mindfulness techniques, because the mindfulness techniques will help you to become aware of the feelings that you are experiencing and it's going to help you when you practice the mindfulness practice. It's gonna help you to have acceptance and, at the same time, make peace with the thoughts that are coming up for you, the emotions as well as the physical sensations that you may be feeling, right, and it could be an array of feelings physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, right All of this at the same time can be presented in your world at this time. So it's important for you to develop a deeper understanding of yourself, of yourself existing in this world and the world around us and other family and friends, right, but most important, I want you to develop a deeper understanding of what you are feeling at this time. We can also have compassion for others, but I want you to really focus on having compassion of self, because stress and anxiety could be very overwhelming. So it's important for you to continue to improve your wellbeing and, by you incorporating mindfulness techniques and practices during this time and make it a routine, it really can help you to not only grow personally and shift your mindset, but help you cope with whatever you're experiencing at this moment. That involves the pain and the joy.

Speaker 2: 17:27

So I want you to take some time to pause and breathe in and breathe out and focused on the present moment. At this moment that you're listening to me, I want you to be present. That's also part of the mindfulness practices. I want you to be present in your mind, in your body, in your spirit at this time. This is the step number two, right, I want you to practice accepting what is and embracing the peace within you and embracing the physical sensations you may be experiencing, like your throat. It's a smothering feeling.

Speaker 2: 18:10

If you're feeling anxious, you may be experiencing some colleagues in your tummy. That's all the anxiety and then you may be experiencing also excitement, for whatever is the good news that you're experiencing, at the same time, that can all provoke different physical sensations. So it's important to take a moment to pause and breathe. I would say even practice meditation where it's just sitting still and taking some deep breaths and noticing your heartbeat and the thoughts that come in that are negative. I just want you to observe them, that's it. They're not you, they're thoughts that are coming in that could be scary, that could be thoughts of guilt. Also, how can you be happy about X, y and Z when you're just experiencing, with your family and your friends, such devastating news? Right, you could be in that contrast and that's why it's important for you to pause and this I'm sharing with you because that's what I am literally doing as I am coping with this unforeseen, significant, huge loss, at the same time that I have launched my self-love bootcamp that's starting next week for women, virtually March 4th through the 8th and at the same time, I have such a significant, big loss, and you would think some.

Speaker 2: 19:32

My thought could have been should I cancel, should I postpone the self-love bootcamp? However, I decided not to because I said in honor of my friend, in honor of my friend, in honor of all of those people that we have lost, in honor of the people that are still struggling with health issues and are fighting for their life. And I am here present. I am committed to help people, especially women, become better. I am committed to spread love and kindness and awareness, as I've done for more than two decades, and now I'm doing it on social media platforms. So I am committed to that mission. So I will not cancel.

Speaker 2: 20:24

But for you, you may have to make a decision to cancel something right In your life because you need to cope. I don't want you to just because I am not canceling and I'm pushing through and getting stronger and stronger and working with these tips that I'm sharing with you, that I'm applying it to myself. You also have to be mindful of what is best for you, what is best for you in this season of your life. So understand that mindful practices are very, very important for you to incorporate in your daily routines so you can stay present and you can really do your best to manage those emotions that come up. But the more aware and the more self-aware and that you are understanding of your emotions, of your physical emotions, of your thoughts, the better you can work to regulate them okay, and to help you, to help yourself to reduce the stress and the anxiety as much as you can. Sometimes you still need professional help because it may be too much. That's one of the tips that I have also, and I just wanna keep emphasizing that. That is quite okay.

Speaker 2: 21:42

Strategy number three I want to help you to develop resilience, right. So I want you to develop your resilience, and that means just working on yourself to adapt to the changes, right. I want you to build your resilience little by little. I want you to be able to work to overcome some of the challenges that are being presented to you right now. I want you to develop a sense and a skill set on problem solving, and that involves and I know that it can be difficult when you're in the midst of the storm, but it involves you taking a step back and saying, okay, let me break down the problems that I have at hand into smaller and manageable steps, and also helping you when you slow down. That's why the step two mindful practices will help you to slow down a little bit so you can get a clear mindset where you can brainstorm in some creative solutions that may be available to you to address some of the feelings that you're having Now.

Speaker 2: 22:53

If you're grieving and it's a loss of a person and there are things that you cannot change right, that's a reality you cannot change. However, I hope that you can develop the resiliency that you need to help you to adapt to the new change and it's to help you to adapt to change that brings joy and to change that brings pain, because change comes right Unexpected at times and sometimes it's unexpected. Joy that comes with good news and good surprises, and then there's change that comes with heaviness and pain and heartache and heartbreak, and it's important for us to be able to take a moment and stay still and say, okay, let me think this through, let me see how I can problem solve some of the feelings or the situation that I'm in into smaller, manageable steps. Like I'm gonna give the example for me. I said, okay, do I address right now that I'm grieving and I have such a big event that's so amazing and exciting and I've been in anticipation for it and at the moment that, the same week that I am so close of doing something that I'm excited about and joyful about that, I know it's for significant change. I know that it's gonna make a difference.

Speaker 2: 24:16

At the same time, I got hit with such devastating news of my family friend unexpectedly passing. So you see how. Then I had to decide okay, do I move forward with recording the podcast? Do I move forward with launching, march 4th, the self love bootcamp? And I had to break down some of the steps on making that decision in smaller and more manageable steps for me in order to move forward. So, for you, I ask you to do that Develop your resiliency a little bit at a time by making significant steps, even if they're small, realistic steps, within your grieving process, within your current situation. Okay, number four definitely. This is a must.

Speaker 2: 25:06

If you don't do any of the seven steps, this one I would encourage you to do, and that is to focus on your self compassion. During these challenging times, it is super, super important I can't emphasize it enough to treat yourself with kindness, patience and understanding, and I had to apply this to myself. You need to be kind to yourself, you need to be patient with yourself, because when you are not, you only amplify the pain and you self injure, and I don't want you to injure yourself. I want you to develop compassion for yourself. I want you to practice self compassion as if you were speaking to your best friend, your sister, right, someone you love, and you're helping them by you offering kind words, by you embracing them as a whole, right With their imperfections, with their flaws. I want you to practice self care as if you were self caring for your best friend and a loved one.

Speaker 2: 26:29

I want you to practice self compassion, especially giving yourself patience and not allowing yourself to talk to yourself in a degrading way, to talk to yourself in a harsh way, and I don't want you to accept the negative thoughts that come about, the self doubt, the guilt. I want you to become an observer and just say nope, that's just a thought, that is not me, okay. I want you to find meaning and purpose. I want you to find meaning and purpose during this time in your life, during this season. It's important for you to find yourself within this situation, for you to find the meaning and the purpose and I know that this could be very challenging.

Speaker 2: 27:19

Actually, this one has been quite a challenge for me at this time Finding meaning, identifying okay. What are my values? Why am I here? What am I passionate about? What am I here to do? What is this pain here to teach me? What is this happiness here to teach me? So I am trying at this moment to create meaning and purpose out of these two emotions that I'm feeling right now, which is excitement and happiness for the self love boot camp that I'm going to do next week for a week with amazing, extraordinary women, and, at the same time, the pain and the suffering that I'm experiencing, as well as my loved ones that are experiencing and I have to watch them be in pain and feel this feeling of helplessness.

Speaker 2: 28:16

Right when you have a loved one, that it's an extreme pain like that, like my friend losing her brother and her mom losing her son and now we're witnessing this, aside from the pain that I feel myself, it is so overwhelming. How do we find purpose in that? How do we find meaning? So I want you to find meaning and purpose, because there is within this storm, within the happiness as well that you are experiencing, the pain and the joy, the sunshine and the rain. There's meaning in both, there's purpose in both. So I want you to do your best. Maybe you could write it down, identify some values right, Some lessons that's coming out of both the pain and the happiness.

Speaker 2: 29:06

I would say what I'm trying to do is to do my best to focus on the gratitude how grateful I was to have met and had this friend that passed away, this family friend, it's like family. How grateful I am that I experienced him and met him and saw him grow that's gratitude with his departing so unexpectedly. There's a lesson there for me and for all of us about not taking life for granted, which we often do as much as we recognize that we shouldn't, but it happens right. The lesson of love that goes beyond time and distance. The lesson of forgiving. I often talk about the 3L method that I've developed, about letting be, let go and love, and it's so important for us to embrace pain and love as well, because within that pain there's love.

Speaker 2: 30:14

So in step five, do your best to create meaning and purpose out of the pain and happiness that you may be experiencing in the season of your life. We're almost done. We have two more tips for you, and number six is important as well. They're all important. Number six I want you to surround yourself with supportive relationships. I want you to build a supportive community. You have the Smiley empowerment community here on the podcast, on the Instagram platform, on social media. You know that I'm always there to provide positive optimism, enthusiasm, but also real tools to help you overcome some of the challenges that you may be experiencing, as well as self-discovery and how to progress and how to be better and how to ultimately become the best version of yourself and live the most fulfilled life that you can. In strategy six, I want you to really build community. Be mindful of the people that are in your circle. Be mindful of your circle, nourish your circle, your people. Make meaningful connections with your friends, with your family members, with other groups, whether on social media or off social media.

Speaker 2: 31:47

Don't isolate and that's another one that I'm struggling with, because I'm always talking about community. However, we can feel so lonely even in the midst of community, right, as you're grieving, as you're going through different emotions, in pain and happiness, because I also know that when we are in success or in extreme happiness of things going our way, we also sometimes may feel, you may experience people in your circle your friends or your family, or people that are not supportive of your process, are not supportive, maybe, of your good news. So I don't want you to think that only in pain you may feel lonely. You may feel lonely at the peak of happiness, at the peak of success, at the top of the mountain, but it's important to know that you're never alone. I'm a person of faith and I believe God is always with you and your angels are always with you, and we have Earth Angels. I have Earth Angels. Those are my friends, the people that maybe are not as close to me, but yet they reach to me with a beautiful statement on social media, with a beautiful heart, with a beautiful message. So it's so important for you to build these communities, for you to be part of community, and also, it's not only what you can receive, it's also what you give. And that's one thing that my special friend, my family friend that I leave his name anonymous just for confidentiality of his family at this time If his family is listening at any point, they'll know.

Speaker 2: 33:27

But this individual was a beacon of light. He was always so helpful. He was always about family and friends and even if you were a stranger and he knew that he could help you, he would help you. He was always so giving and so forgiving. I remember there was many times where I would bump into him unexpectedly and he would always say to me hey, smiley, let's get together. When we're going to get together, speak to my sis, who's my childhood friend, my sister, let's get together. And you know what's interesting that so many times he mentioned that and there were times that I didn't follow through in setting it up, as he would say, but every time he saw me again, he never was sarcastic, he was never holding a grudge or holding this, you know being sarcastic or holding oh my God, I haven't seen you in so long. And the last time you said you were going to do this and we didn't get together and not so much about holding me accountable but making me feel guilty he never did that and that's a lesson that I have in his lifetime that he taught me about letting go and saying OK. I believe the best intention for this person is that we do want to meet up, but we haven't scheduled it. So it's OK, we're here now and let it be, and let's rock together for the time that we are now in person and not be so upset about what we didn't do in the past. He was so big on that.

Speaker 2: 34:57

So I ask you to just consider forgiving a bit more quickly, if you can. If there's no space for forgiveness in your heart, that's fine. And I always say practice safety and boundaries, because whatever has happened to you, your feelings are valid and it's always important for you to be safe, not just physically but also emotionally. So really make your own judgment on how you proceed with the people in your life who are in your circle. But for those that are part of your circle, the ones that you choose to be your friends, nurture them, nurture those meaningful connections, because one day, for whatever the reason, you may not have the opportunity to connect.

Speaker 2: 35:43

Okay, and lastly, I emphasize this tremendously If you are in pain and you're experiencing it in a level that has become too much for you to handle, or it has, or have you seen that it's significantly, significantly impacting your daily functions, your work, it's important for you to seek support from a mental health professional, and that could be a therapist, a social worker, a counselor. Please seek help. It's nothing to be ashamed of. So I hope that these seven tips on navigating both emotions of pain and joy has helped you, because I want you to be emotionally okay. I want you to be okay and as you cope with difficult emotions as well as emotions that are powerful as well, like happiness and joy. I don't want you to lose your joy just because you are also in pain. You don't have to drop one to do the other, and if you do decide to, that is okay as well. But I want you to know that you can coexist with both without feeling judged, without feeling that you're not honoring one or the other. You are one human being experiencing all of life Emotions that are difficult and emotions that are joyful, that are great. It's important for you to adapt and understand that you are a human being that feels and that your emotions are important because they signal what you are feeling and they signal and educate you on what you need. You may need rest, you may need to decompress, you may need to cry, you may need to scream, you may need to laugh in joy. Actually, everything is happening.

Speaker 2: 37:40

As I'm concluding this podcast episode, I wanted to share that look how life works and I believe in God and how God works so perfectly and divinely in guiding us that my best friend came into town, into the city, into New York she lives out of state and we met and we had a full, full day, which I wanted to post on TikTok and Instagram, but now with my friend passing, I'm just gonna reserve that for a later time. However, she came and we had we said you know what? We're gonna spend the whole day together because usually when she comes I have to share her, I have to share my bestie with you know, her friends and my friends that are together, my sisters, and this time we said you know what? We need our time, we need our one-on-one time. And we did it from early day, I think, from noon all the way to the evening. Then, at the evening, I shared her with my husband. We had a dinner, a beautiful dinner, but we were spontaneous. Some things were planned, other things we just walked upon and we just shared and we did. And it was just amazing and I'll probably share some pictures on Instagram at a later time.

Speaker 2: 38:51

Why do I share this with you? In the importance of cultivating community and bonding with the people that we trust in our life. I did not know that same day, that the day earlier that she and I spend the whole day together, that the next day I was already gonna have news about my friend, my family friend, not doing well and possibly not making it through the night. I had no clue that that was gonna happen. However, staying present with her, with my bestie, and celebrating life together, what we have guess what? That whole day we spend together has brought comfort to these next days that I am enduring right now. And because I'm holding onto those pictures, I keep looking and smiling how happy I was, without knowing that the next day I was gonna have so much devastating news. And then the following day, which was yesterday, february 25th even more horrible news because we lost him, we lost our beloved friend.

Speaker 2: 39:59

So with that I wanna share that every moment counts and they can actually help you. Each moment can help you to the next right. So, having that time with my bestie and now she's back home and flew back but yet I can hold on to the memories of the great day we had, to what we talked about, to our faith, to what we experienced, and now that's comforting me through my pain. So it's important to have friends. I also have close friends that are my prayer warriors, besides my bestie, my childhood friends that are my sisters, that we're all together in this. So it's important to cultivate these relationships because you never know when you're going to need that friend, that person, that relative, that family Life is a journey of ups and downs, of sunshine and rain. There's not ever one day that it's the same. However, we are here to work together. So I hope that you take these seven strategies and my experience and that it helps you in your journey, in your healing journey, in your journey of life, in your happiness, in coping with pain and joy. I wish you and pray for you pray more than anything for you that you have strength and guidance.

Speaker 2: 41:24

And if you're a woman and you've been wanting to change and want to get better and you want to connect and you want to build community and you want to work on your goals with other like-minded women, you still have time. You still have time to secure your spot. Go to the show notes in here in the podcast, and the link is there for the five days self-love bootcamp exclusively for women. If you are looking to making changes in your life, whether it's personal or professional or both. I know that taking action can be scary, but I want you to know that you can begin to make things different. You can begin to take action and create many opportunities to create a fulfilled life, to move from the stagnant feelings that you've been feeling the stagnant place that you've been, and get into a growth mindset, get into a developing mindset.

Speaker 2: 42:28

You're going to feel if you come to the self-love bootcamp you're going to feel connected with other like women. Welcome, you're gonna be seen, you're gonna be understood. I'm gonna facilitate five days of us exploring our feelings, exploring what's holding us, looking at our strengths what are the things that work for us, what doesn't and together we're gonna be navigating through our pains, our joy, but especially through our strengths, because we're going to together create greatness. And you're gonna be held accountable and you're gonna be loved and supported in the five days. So, if you have not made the decision yet to purchase your ticket and secure it, it's virtual, so it's gonna be in Zoom. Once you make your purchase, then I'll be sending you the link for Zoom and I'll be sending you also the five day workbook that we're gonna be working together. But it's interactive. It's not so much like a webinar where you're not gonna be seen and you're just listening. No, this is an experience that I want you to have, a transformational experience where you're going to be experiencing, with other like-minded women, the power of change, the power of self-love I'm going to be teaching you and we're gonna be working together how to self-love properly.

Speaker 2: 43:54

Many of you could say, oh yeah, I love myself, but do you love yourself properly? And when you come to the self-love bootcamp, as we are working together, you may soon learn that you are not loving yourself properly. So if you are ready to make change, ready to be in community to meet new people, new women, and you want to make a change whether you're in the midst of your pain, like I am, and at the same time, feeling hopeful and wanting to do something different, even through the pain, I invite you to go to the show notes, click the link and secure your spot March 4th through the 8th, and you will get replay for a limited time, but you will have replays. So if you are like I can't commit to all five days but I can do three of those days, march 4th through the 8th you will get a replay for each day, only for the bootcampers, okay. So I thank you for listening. Continue to embrace yourself. Continue to embrace harmony amidst the sunshine and the rain, and know that you're not alone. I hope these strategies help you to get through each day, whether it's a sunny or rainy day. I want you to cope, because you are worth it and you're not alone.

Speaker 2: 45:13

Let me know if you have any questions. Please like and follow. Please share this episode with another person. Please let me know your thoughts on this episode. If you have any questions, please let me know and if you can leave a review, please check and do that for me. It would help me tremendously. I thank you so much. And if you're a woman, please, and you also want to have a good time because we will have a good time in the self-love bootcamp and you want to do something just different this 2024, go ahead and make that purchase, go to the show notes, get the link in the bio and always join me on the master classes that we have at 7 pm every Thursday, except that the following Thursday, I believe, because we're gonna be having the bootcamp. We are not gonna have the live masterclass on that Thursday, but Monday through Friday, march 4th through the 8th.

Speaker 2: 46:11

If you're a woman, if you're a lady, the place to be is in the Smiley Empowerment self-love transformational bootcamp, the self-love bootcamp. That's the place to be, and it doesn't matter where you're at. If you're international, if you're out of state, you can join us virtually. It's not in person, it's virtual, so you don't need to buy an expensive airline ticket or you don't need to travel from state to state. We're gonna do this virtually, we're gonna have a good time and it's gonna be interactive, so it's not just you listening, I'm gonna be able to see you, you're gonna see me and the other amazing ladies. So it's gonna be fun and, at the same time, very meaningful. Till I speak to you again, make sure that you're taking care of yourself. Be compassionate with yourself, follow like comment. Let me know what you need and, most of all, practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself and each other. Take good care. This is your coach Smiley signing out besitos propagation.