1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Hello everyone, and welcome to The Courageous Journey. My name is Paula and I am so excited that you are here. I just want to tell you that this is an off the cuff, not planned episode. You know, you complain as much as you want, but sometimes life just gives you what you need to talk about. And you have heard me talk. If you've been following me for any length of time about like, the power of one, and sometimes it's one person. Sometimes that's one conversation. And I know that this is going to not be a popular topic with some people, but I kind of want to just talk today about the power of one prayer. And that's because my, like, my life was so changed in inspired by a group of people yesterday that got up and put on their running clothes. And we're just going to do A5K up in Toledo, Ohio. And they just they inspired me so much. So I have been rebranding myself over the last, you know, a couple of weeks. I know my lane. I know with every inch of me like the direction that I want to go. You know, I've weaved in and out of like, do I do the brain injury thing? Do I do the domestic violence thing? Do I do in, in, you know, I found where I need to be. And the one piece that I was trying to figure out is I created in my on my professional quality Walter's page on Facebook, I have created two Facebook groups. One of them was for survivors. It's called the Courageous Survivor Community. And the other one is for the professionals who are working with survivors and victims of domestic violence, child abuse, you no human trafficking like that trauma type of stuff called the Courageous Professionals Network. And like, I wasn't exactly sure, like I knew what I wanted to do with it. I just didn't know how to kind of like frame that for people. And so I want to tell you about what I witnessed yesterday. So there I am, like working as a paramedic for this five K and this this running group as people finished in this, in this big running group at different stages throughout this five K, I started noticing like some of them were going back and they would go back with other people in the running group and come, you know, come with them. And then like they kept doing that and then like at the end, all of them, like a huge amount of them crossed the finish line, like went back for the person who was going to be the last one to cross the finish line and did that with them. Like, how amazing is that? That is absolutely. I like I wanted I was inspired so much that like, I, I want to do, I want to run with them, you know, so if you've been watching me for any length of time, you know, I did a half marathon and in that a marathon is on my bucket list. And like next year I'm going to try to do that in Toledo in September. And I really want to like I want to join them, but like, I just don't think that they know. And so here's what I'm going to talk about. Like, you never know when you get up, how you in the way that you live your life and who's watching and and the way that you may impact them. Like I, I took a picture of them. I asked the permission. I made a post about them on my page. Actually, I think I did too, but like there, now I'm a motivation board and they like watching. What they did made me. Realize how I wanted to structure my survivor group. And that was an answer to prayer. Like that. Prayer has been on my prayer list for months. And so like, it's it's just it's just truly amazing because they kept going back and they over and over and like, that was their community. And like, I saw people who were just like, just because I finished doesn't mean I'm done. Like that was amazing. They went back for those people. And so, you know, there we go. I talk and teach about these, you know, trauma and domestic violence and strangulation and brain injury and nervous system health and healing in my my mission has been to help people understand, you know, what's happening inside somebody when they've been through that. And like, I know what that work is supposed to look like, but what am I supposed to do with this community? And truly, they answered it because as I watched those runners, I realized, like, that's it. That's the community that I want inside my survivor's group. Not a place where you're standing in front as a person who is supposedly has, you know, kind of worked through your healing, how do you figure things out? No, not people comparing, like who is healed more. How did you do it? You know, not trying to get people to do it the same way you did, not competing over whose trauma was worse. But like, listen, this is what I wanted to look like. Someone who has learned how to establish boundaries can go back for someone who is struggling to set their first one, like someone who has learned to understand their trauma. Responses can walk beside someone who still thinks that something's wrong with them, someone who has found their voice can encourage someone who hasn't found theirs yet. Someone who has learned to live with peace can encourage somebody who's nervous system still is believing that you know chaos is home. And sometimes I'm going to be the one going back for somebody else, but sometimes I'm going to be the one who needs somebody coming back from me in that group. Because healing isn't linear. Nobody becomes so healed that they never need community again. Like I. If you've been watching me for any length of time, I've had to go back out to functional medicine. Things have happened. And some steps forward, some steps back, some steps forward, some steps back. You know, we heal at different pieces. So we got to go back for each other because nobody needs to be left behind and nobody needs to walk healing alone. And so if somebody is listening to this and you know you are a survivor and you want community center around and centered around healing and understanding and encouragement and connection. Go look for the courageous survivors community. We actually are going to be working together the first two weeks of October, which is Violence Awareness Month, and we're going to do a reset together in the group, me included. But like I does, runners didn't only answer a prayer about something that I had already created, they planted a seed for something completely new. So. In 2019. I was really struggling significantly. I was trying to heal from trauma. I was trying to understand like what was going on with my brain. I was kind of still dealing with addictions on unhealthy coping mechanisms. I was being told how sick I was and like I had had my driving privileges restricted and I wasn't able to function fully as a paramedic. And then there was this moment that kind of hit me and stop me in my tracks, and I was told that I probably wouldn't see 50 like. I didn't I didn't know what to do with that. But I knew, like, I knew something wasn't right. Like, I, you know, they're telling me I have an aggressive form of Ms.. And they kept giving me all these diagnoses and trying to put me on all these medications and like are and that's when I began to fight and I began to research. And, you know, I had Bill smock, who had told me in 2017, like, I think that you could have a brain injury from this near-fatal strangulation. And so I started like, really, you know, knows in the books and in computer actually researching. And like, I decided that I was going to go see these functional medicine doctors and like, my life changed. You guys, like in the matter of eight days of an intensive it it led me back to work and all this stuff and like to prove those doctors wrong. You know, I came back, I was back to work. I was doing so much better. And I'm like, I'll show them. I decided to do a half marathon. And, you know, it was a part of motivation, but, you know, it was also disturbing this because, you know, it's it's like in some way I wanted to prove that I wasn't sick as, as they were trying to tell me. And so, like, there's something about when I finished that half marathon in 2021, two years later, that was just amazing. And then there's now, like, I'm 52, I'm I made it to 50. I am still here in many ways. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I am in one of the most healthy places, if not the healthy. I would actually, I would just feel completely appropriate saying I am in the healthiest that I have been in my in my life and I'm not done. Ever since I have marathon, there has been something else sitting on that bucket list, and that's a full marathon. If you've been, you know, following me closely, you've seen that I've wanted to do it and I haven't done it. I don't personally know anyone that runs except for, you know, one person and. Didn't live close to me in running hard. You guys like. But I've thought about it and thought about it, and it's I've kept that marathon on my bucket list. And so yesterday, while watching that group that came alive again. And so I decided that next September I'm going to work towards completing that at a marathon in Toledo. And actually, if you're a runner, I would really, genuinely love for you to join me. If you're in, you know, around Toledo, there's a Garmin that's usually ran in September. I would love for you to go and listen. If you're a runner, I would love for you to let me know. I'm going to need to. I'm going to be starting when I get back from Texas on Thursday. Like I need a couch to marathon in one year. But those people inspired me. Like.&amp;nbsp;It was crazy. Because what I realized that it takes courageTo do something like that. It takes courage to move towards something, but it also takes courage to move away from something. And so I thought about that courage in motion. And guess what? I made it. Another Facebook group called Courage in Motion. Now it is not at all a survivor group. That is kind of where the survivor, the courageous survivor community, is where survivors can go to support each other. But I want something away from my trauma, cause I am so much more, so much more than my trauma. And so I made this courage in motion. Inspired by that running group. It's anybody can join. It's not a fitness group, it's not a running group. It might have I might have a running group. But Courage in Motion is for people who are ready to move towards something or away from something. BTW each name of the 3 facebook groups above in the transcript has a live link to each group, so just click and you're there!&amp;nbsp; Maybe you're going to decide to move towards A5K, a marathon, taking a trip, starting a business, going back to school, improving your health, trying something that absolutely scares you. Doing. Doing something that's been sitting on your bucket list forever. Or maybe it's going to be moving away from something. Sometimes that takes courage and unhealthy habit and addiction. Constantly putting yourself last, something that you're using to cope. Something that you know is keeping you from becoming who you want to become. I'm doing both, actually. I'm moving towards my marathon, and I'm moving away from my addiction to overworking. I am overworking addiction addict and the other one's going to be I have a tendency to use sugar as an easy way to get those feel good chemicals that I talk about, rather than intentionally using all the things that I have in my toolbox to meet that need. Look, I'm not going to be the person running the group because I don't have it all figured out. I am not starting Courage in Motion because I've mastered any of this. I'm starting it because I haven't, I? I want a place where people can say, this is what I'm working towards, this is what I'm trying to leave behind. And I'd really like some people to walk beside me when I do it. Listen. Different goals, different pieces. But moving forward together, choosing something, starting somewhere. Don't do it alone. Sometimes we have to go back and walk beside people like that group did. Monday's will be an opportunity to check in like not. Did you succeed or fail? But like what are you moving towards? What are you moving from? What step did you take this week? And maybe it's hey, how can we encourage you along the way? Again, the courageous survivor community is specifically for survivors. Focus on healing, understanding, connection, learning about ourselves, supporting one another through things that other people just don't understand. So that's a very unique group. But courage in motion is for everyone. Goals, growth. Change. Bucket list. Dreams. Healthier choices. Doing the hard things when other people around you don't. That group inspired me because we both have things in common. We go back for people. I don't know you guys. It's crazy. I've always been on this part of this road. You know, walking my brain injury, walking like, eating healthy and all this stuff in. I feel very isolated, and I. And I feel very alone with a lot of that. And so sometimes, you know, like, I'm going to be in both groups myself figuring both groups out, that is an admin. But like, as somebody that's trying to just wake up tomorrow and figure out what do I need to figure out? So come join us. If you're a survivor, come see us at the creative survivor community, and everybody come see us at Courage in Motion. It's going to be fun because there's going to be hopefully a lot of people that like will say, come, come on, I'll walk with you. And.I don't know, like, I think that we miss the opportunity to understand how much we influence people with what we do. Like that group you guys like, they they didn't understand that when they put on their running shirt and they're running pants and they're running shoes, that they were going to completely change my life. That like I wrote about them on my on my pages, I wrote a blog about them. I'm recording this podcast, but I've made notes about them in my book and they, like, made the foundation for two groups that I'm going to be doing and like, that's it. The power of one, like one person started that group and now look how many they are. Like one person started. They like the person who finished first went back, and then they just gathered more and more. Going back, we talked so much about influencers today, these people who content creators and all that stuff. But sometimes the most influential persons aren't. People, aren't the ones with millions of followers. They're just simply people doing good things when they don't know anybody's watching. And that's hard because, you know, as I've been doing my speaking in, in talking to people that are trying to help me, you know, reach more people you're told to that likes to matter, shares matter and all that stuff. And I started to get bothered because I don't have the growth that I probably should as far as what they tell me. And I realized that it doesn't it doesn't matter. It's the seeds that you plant, just like those people didn't know that they did, that they would have never known had I not said anything. And most people won't say anything. So, you know, I don't know if any of those runners believe. Some may believe in God. Some may not. That's not the point. I believe God used that group to answer a prayer that they didn't even know I had. And that is powerful, because you just never know where when our absolutely ordinary actions become somebody else's answered prayers. To that running group. And if you're listening, I really say thank you. You thought you were running a race. You didn't know someone was watching. You didn't know you were answering a prayer. You didn't know you were helping shape a survivor community. You didn't know that you were inspiring an entirely new community. You certainly didn't know that some random 1552 year old woman watching was going to decide that. Now she's going to finally decide to run her 26.2 miles next year, because how much you inspired her? She has just simply showed up for each other. Look how far that traveled, you guys. You all have the capability for that. Maybe there's something that you've been wanting to do. Maybe there's been something that you've been wanting to stop. Maybe there's something you've been waiting till you're ready. Maybe there's something that you've been wanting. But you're scared. Maybe you've been waiting on someone to do it with you. So consider this year invitation. If you're a survivor, come join the courageous survivor community. If there's something that you're ready to move toward or away from, come join Courage in Motion.And for those of you that are out there that are listening, that maybe a marathon runner, please come find me in. Help me figure out how in approximately a year how I'm going to figure this out. Because I got a feeling that I've gotten myself into something. But it's going to be fun, and I look forward to sharing this training journey on my socials.So guess what? Choose something. Start somewhere. Don't do it alone. And when you find yourself a little farther down the road than somebody else, go back for them because that is having a courageous journey. Thank you. Thank you for being here. And be well. &amp;nbsp; The Courageous Journey https://thecourageoussurvivor.com/ <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/42384795/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/42384795