Latest / Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson / Reclaim Your Power with Dr. Crystal D. Woods: Healing Through Forgiveness And Self-Leadership

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Reclaim Your Power with Dr. Crystal D. Woods: Healing Through Forgiveness And Self-Leadership · Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_04: This is where ideas spark, connections grow, and collaborations fuse success.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_04: Tune in for inspiring stories, expert insights, and game-changing conversations.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_04: Let's build, connect, and thrive together.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_04: Remember, collaboration is the key to success.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, welcome to the Ready Set Collaborate Podcast with Wanda Pearson.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: But welcome back to a transformational episode of ReadySet Collaborate with Wanda Pearson, where collaboration is the key to success and healing is a journey we take together.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Today I have an honor speaking with Dr.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Hear me?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal D.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Woods, speaker, coach, and advocate for personal empowerment and emotional healing.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Her signature motto is forgive, release, and let go.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: It has helped countless women step into the life of authenticity.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Always have a problem with that word, authenticity, emotional strength, and unapology purpose.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Today we will dive into forgiveness, resilience, self-leadership, and how to rise even when life has tried to break you.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much, Dr.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal Woods, for coming onto this podcast.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: So say hello to the audience.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, hello, everyone, and hello to you, Mr.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Beautiful Wanda.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you for having me here.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: This is this is a treat, especially when we get to talk about impactful conversations, have impactful conversations that can help heal lives.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I love it.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: We've been trying to get together for months now.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been a while.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad we're here.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: All things in divine timing is what I absolutely God knows when he's ready to get us together.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So here we are.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you for coming on the show.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: It really is a pleasure to have you on here.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm going to read Dr.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal's D Woods.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: What does D stand for, Dr.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: D stands for Dion.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: And on Facebook, I my signature name is I am Crystal Dion.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: So D is for Dion.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, it's funny because my middle name is it says M.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: We were talking about that on the things I was doing with Nishika.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: She said she said it was for money.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, it actually means Monette, but I take money.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, abundance flows.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Bring it all.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: But no, that's lovely.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal Dion.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like Dion Warren.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Dion named for her.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, cool.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have her voice, but I do have her name.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: My mother, she was out of well, she had me, so the nurse named me Wanda Monette.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And she was Italian.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I said, That has a nice ring to it.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't like it at first because I didn't have nothing to have Wanda on it.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So now every a lot of people's name is Wanda.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I have not named Wanda.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Wanda Monette.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's who I am.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it's very different.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna get into it, but my daughter, I named her my youngest daughter, Tori Lynette.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was so mad because nobody, none of her girls, I have four granddaughters.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't name them my middle name, they're their kids' names.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: So then she said, Why did you name me Monette?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: I said, I didn't think about that.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: My sister-in-law named you Tori Lynette.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: I guess I could have okay.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just listening to this connection here because my brother's nickname is Tori.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Really?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Wanda.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: See, we were divine to be together to talk.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's all it is.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let me get into your bio because girl, we can be talking forever.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: We can't.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: We totally out subject, but let's go.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Let me remind.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about Crystal D on Woods bio.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: So Crystal is an author, speaker, advocate for justice, and transformational life coach.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Her she is an award-winning author, visionary speaker, and certified transformational life coach whose work sits at the intersection of personal growth, justice advocacy, and mindset mastery.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: With the case of his parents helping individuals reclaim their power, she challenges and narratives that keep people disconnected from their truth and guides them back into the divine alignment and authentic purpose.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: A recipient of an honorary doctor of humanities, Crystal is known for her ability to blend spiritual wisdom with real-world strategy, offering a grounded yet liberating approach to transformation.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Through her signature coaching, she supports women in leadership who are overperforming, yet international, internally ununified, guiding them to remove the mask, rediscover their authentic identity, and elevate to their next level of purpose, power, and impact.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal speaks with conviction, compassion, and clarity, reminding audiences that healing isn't just personal, it's powerful.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: I love that, Crystal.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's hey, it says it all.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I say international, but you are speaking international, right?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I am.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: I will have my first international conference with the voices of change, which is the visionary behind that is Tarea Vision of Ont.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: This year I decided I'm going to be a part of that.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Ghana is like my home.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: My ancestors called me, so this will be my first time in Africa.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: But it's so it's going to serve multiple purposes for me, but I will be there at the Voices of Change conference.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: The actual conference is on January 1st, but we'll be there from December 28th up until the January 7th, bringing in the new year.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's going to be a phenomenal experience.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know I'm in the book, but I'm not getting to Ghana here.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I it's funny because when I did my my ancestry.com, I didn't realize I was from Africa.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Ghana was one of the ones that was from my ancestries or from Ghana.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think my great-grandmother was okay.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: So you just never know.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Never know.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I told my daughters.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: We have to write about Africa.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: I said, We're not from Africa.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm from Chicago.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: I never did my my history in in connection to the motherland, but it's it is an ancestral connection that I always feel.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Whether I'm looking at something, talking about it, I just it's just an overwhelming emotion that is connecting me back to Africa.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Not no, not sure what country yet, but definitely the motherland.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I know mine's Nigeria, it's all different countries in there.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Also, England, I we got all kinds of stuff mixed up.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, my spirit pulls me towards Tanzania, but I'm not quite sure.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'm quite sure I have some ancestors there, though.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Very interesting because when we grew up, we don't know where our families are from.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know I'm from Chicago, but my mother's from Tennessee.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: My father's ancestors from Georgia, uh, Millisville, Georgia.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's where my great-grandmother came over from Africa and my grandfather, but then I have my main name is Abrams.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Jewish, half Jewish.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know, I don't know.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, girl, I told you we can get it off subject.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Look, we can talk about that for a whole two hours.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get back to the conversation.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into this real good conversation.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Woods, your message around reclaiming your power is so inspiring.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Can you share the journey that led you to this work?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I uh this has been a personal transformational journey of mine.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: And in 2018, Spear downloaded to me that I needed to write a book.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: But I didn't know this was the book I was gonna write.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: So 75% of this book was channeled through me.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: So what led me to this was really in my 20s.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say the entire 10 years of in my 20s.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: It was a very traumatic period, but it was my greatest period, if you can kind of understand that.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of trauma, a lot of hurtful experiences I went through and really harbor that.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So that going into my 30s, I found myself in a space of just searching, constantly searching, because of the disconnect from the trauma.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: You banish that, you go through life, you set goals, you think you're over it because you're suppressing these experiences, you're suppressing all the memories behind it.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you think you're over it until one day it catches up to you, until one day you have to face it.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, in my facing, first chapter of the book is called Reflections in the Mirror.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: In my time of having to face myself, I talk about that and it's reclaiming power of the journey back to self because there was a time where I had to return to myself.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I told the story at the workshop in 2009, I was again in that space where I was just searching for something, deeper meaning, an escape of something, and I decided to go skydiving.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: The skydiving, the symbolism in that is I'll be closer to the heavens and we'll hear from the most high.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: And in fact, I did.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: I went skydiving and suspended about 22,000 feet in the air, and I'm looking out at the vastness, this beauty of the world and the earth beneath my feet, and the most high spoke to me very audibly and said, Everything that you're searching for is within you.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Everything you need is within you.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Just come back home to me.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, in that, and then of course, you take those messages and you move on with life.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: And just so then in 2018, when I met my publisher, she said, Okay, just send me an outline of what you're gonna write about.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: So when I sent the outline in my mind, I thought I submitted an outline where I was gonna write a book towards high school kids in their career path.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: But what she received, she called me immediately.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: She said, Why did you change your mind about where you're gonna write?
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, No.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: She said, Do you know what you sent me?
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, No.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: When I went back and looked at, she said, Don't change it, keep going with it.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, what happened during that time, 75% of this book was channeled through me because it was in those moments where I had to face a lot of things in order to elevate to my next level?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: So this book talks about it's a it's it's a guide towards empowerment, forgiveness, and renewal.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And we go through these stages where we have to, like we're talking about today, forgive, forgive.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: But were we ever taught how to forgive?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Were we ever taught the importance of forgiving ourselves?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: And when it came to the time for me to write the subchapter on forgiveness, I said, I can't do that.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: I wasn't ready to do that.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I wasn't ready to face what that looked like because what it meant was I was gonna have to take some responsibility, I was gonna have to make some decisions, and I was gonna have to let go of all the things that I held on to for comfort for so long.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oftentimes we we find ourselves in victim consciousness, and when we're there for so long, we get comfortable and we like telling that story, and we repeat that story for empathy, for sympathy.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: But we don't someone to really look at the story as someone observing the situation and say, Hey, you know what?
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not uh it's not to berate ourselves, but it's for correction.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: We have to own our role in whatever it is we experience because the most high gave us power of a choice, we can always choose, and then we can choose again.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, oh my god, you are speaking my language here because the same thing happened to me, and I didn't understand when God had me because I actually one of the ladies called me and said, Wanda, I want God told me to call you, I want you to be in my book.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm never gonna write a book, but that actually helps me help me to really start remembering because I bury things so deep inside, I didn't want to remember things, and you talk about forgiveness, and that's my next book is coming out.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's why we have this series on forgiveness, yeah.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um because why should I have to forgive myself?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: They did that to me, and like you said, the victim mentality.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: But that's when I realized that I had to forgive myself up because we hold on to so much inside and don't release it.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Once you release it and give it to God, that's when your blessings flow.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we're talking about here.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: So no, you are talking about language.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: So your motto is forgive, release, and let go.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: What does each part of that process mean to you?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: So with the forgive, release, and let go.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible said, in all things, get an understanding.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: So when we go through these experiences, I think that we have to understand it in different perspectives.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: And oftentimes when something bad happened to us, we say, Why need?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Why did this happen to me?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: Why have you forsaken me?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't do anything wrong.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Versus what I've learned how to do.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, what is it that I need to learn?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: What is it that I need to know?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And what is it that I need to do next?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because there is something about this experience that I have to learn and grow through in order to help whoever I'm about to encounter in the future.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: So that was a growth process.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: But in writing this chapter in the book, but again, I resisted it because I wasn't ready.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it took me a year.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: It took me a year to finally say, okay, I need to, I really need to deal with these things.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And these were some traumatic things.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm talking about a lot of loss, a lot of abuse.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: I've I was assaulted in high school, and that assault is a lifelong impact because I'm not able to have children.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a lot that I had to uncover, I had to face, and then I had to say, okay, I forgive myself for the guilt that I harbored because of these things happened to us.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Oftentimes, depending on what happens, we feel guilty.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: We feel shame.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: When we internalize it to the point where it affects our health, our mental, our self-worth.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: And the forgiveness is I had to release and forgive myself from the guilt and accept that, hey, you know what?
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: Depending on what it was I was dealing with, I had nothing to do with this.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not going to carry this responsibility anymore.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not going to carry the shame.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: But what I am going to do is use this experience that's going to help empower somebody else.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: So once I was able to make that decision to forgive myself, then I had to release it.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: And what I released was the emotion tied to the event.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Not forgetting the experience, not relinquishing the them from their part in it, but separating the emotion from the event.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that's releasing it.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: So now I can talk about it, it's not going to create.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you explain forgiveness to someone who feels it excuses what happened, such as it's happened again?
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: They're not ready to a person who is still caught up in the pain of it.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: They're not ready to see themselves beyond the pain.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: So now it's time to do a deep dive into the pain.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And that's hard.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: It is hard.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: When you have an injury, you go to the hospital, they have to open up the wound and clean it.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: So same thing with these traumatic experiences.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: We have to open up the wound to release it.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that is, God, that is so true.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot in common as far as things, and that's what's going on.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why, God, forgiveness is such a big word, but a small word, but we understand it.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I love how you said to release it.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know how to release it.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: I buried it deep down and that's what we do.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I bury.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: And God, He wasn't ready for me to do that.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's how I got to where I am today.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: That was years ago.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: But when I actually went to a total forgiveness class and I talked about that, and and whew, I had no idea.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'd been holding on to this unforgiveness in my heart for God, 30.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: I was at Southwind College when I finally the man had died, you know, my stepfather.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: And God put it on me.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: I moved to Atlanta and He put his name right in front of.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: I said, Oh my God, I thought I forgave this man 40 years ago.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if it was 40 years ago.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: But it's just something that it was time for me to let go.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, release it and let go.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: And when I did, that's when I started having a clear vision of what I was supposed to do, what his plans were for me to do.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it is it's something.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I the book I'm writing, it's it's needed because every day we got to ask God for forgiveness because it comes back.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: You remember things, right?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it comes back to you.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so this is still good.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to add to that when you do finally make that decision to let to forgive, and like and then you can reflect back over your life and you can see where sometimes a lot of things didn't work out in certain areas of your life.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it's tied to that suppression, it ties to just constantly forgetting or not wanting to deal with or those triggers from that experience.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: And when you let it go, we can say, Wow, now I can understand, right?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: I can understand why that happened in my life or why I didn't prosper in that area because I was holding on to this resentment.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Resentment, that's a good word for it.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, that's exactly what happens.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: We resent and resent that person.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: And the thing about it, that person going on about his lived life, and they're not thinking about anything else.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: And you're just like, and then they say, What did I do?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: What did you do?
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: And we've been holding on to it for so many years.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: And when we finally let go, it's just like a breath, like I said, it's a breath of fresh air, but at the same time, you got to continue to ask God to help you to keep that forgiveness in your heart.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll share this, and I've never shared this with anyone.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: I guess I'm gonna share publicly now, right?
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So the moment I realized that I was completely healed in operating in a space of forgiveness for this for the assault incident, was this person popped up on Facebook as someone I may know.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: I had not seen this person since the incident happened.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: And when this image popped up, before I even saw the name, I saw the face.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it was like a lifting.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I sent a prayer to the children, his children.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: I just said a prayer to the children exed out of no, I don't know this person, so it'll never pop up again.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: And this was some years ago, this was a couple several years back.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I just said after that, I said, Thank you, most high, for my healing.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it really is hard because I tell you the same thing happened to me.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Oh my god, I hadn't seen him in years, and I didn't know really what he looked like afterwards, but but you're right.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like all of a sudden that unforgiveness came in my heart again.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: How could you say happy birthday?
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: Blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: But but anyway, but you're right.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: When you know you released it and you just gone about your business, then you know you have done your forgiveness of that person.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but yeah, listen, girl, we run it.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta have you on my show again because this is really it's at that time already.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: Almost.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Most.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: So how can someone begin forgiving themselves?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: How can they do that?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: The first thing in my framework that I share with my clients is we have to do a self-assessment, a self-evaluation, not from a from the perspective of holding you responsible or guilt or shame in you, but just acknowledging.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Just to acknowledge what happened, the impact it's had on you.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of times we're even denial of that.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: The impact.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Just to acknowledge it.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then you ask yourself, these are self-equal, you're not asking yourself, you're asking your spirit, whoever, you know, your higher being.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's what you're asking.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, what does what do I do with this information?
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: How can I move forward?
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: How can I release this?
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: What have I learned?
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: Begin asking these questions to yourself.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: And once you find your own answers, it leads you closer to making the decision because the forgiveness starts with a decision.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: You have to decide to let go.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: You have to decide that.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: So until you're able to make a decision to forgive and let go, you're not going to.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it's that decision that you have to make.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you have to ask God to help you with that because we can do it personally.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: But if we don't have that faith to be able to release it and let go, we can continue to repeat it in our minds and keep thinking about what happened here.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm running through these questions now, girl, because I it's uh so much that I have to ask you that we like I said, you're gonna be on my show again here.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, what does reclaiming your power look like in everyday life?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: Reclaiming your power, reclaiming your power is anytime that you have something controlling you, whether it's your time, whether it's on your job, whether it's if something else is dictating your life, controlling your life outside of you, you've relinquished your power to that.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: It could be a person, it could be a place, it could be a thing, it could be an experience, it could be a memory, whatever it is that is controlling your decision, your behavior, your reaction to things, you relinquished your power.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: And when you're able to reclaim your power and take that power back, you feel empowered.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: And you can make those decisions and move towards forgiveness, self-forgiveness.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then you start operating in an alignment with who you are becoming.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's so true.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: That is so true.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, how can someone stop living for others' expectation and start living in truth?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: There are so many people who are sacrificing themselves, sacrificing their goals, their life, their happiness for the sake of someone else.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: And that has to do with people pleasing, that has to do with accept seeking acceptance and self-abandonment.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: So many of us, particularly black women, many people, but I'm focusing on black women who have abandonment issues.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't just have to be because daddy wasn't there, because my father was in my life, but it can be the abandonment of a relationship.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: It can be the abandonment of you losing something you've worked so hard for, betrayal.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: It can be that abandonment shows up in many different ways.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: When you're able to identify what's taking your energy, what's causing you to react and respond and control your reaction, your reacting versus responding, you've relinquished your power.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: And again, the first thing to correct anything is to identify it.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yep, exactly.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the hardest thing to identify it, is to make sure you got the right what you're identifying.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: It can be so many other things that you identify, but yeah, just happen helping to identify it actually takes you the next step to be able to so why do so many women stay silent about their pain?
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just women, it's men too.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: It is men stay so silent about their pain.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: Lack of support, I think, lack of understanding.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: Again, we're back to that.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: Lack of acceptance, fear, I'll say fear of acceptance, of judgment.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um and again, just no support.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: So many of us, and I have done that once upon a time, suffer in silence.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Went through all that I went through in my 20s.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: I was suffering in silence.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And we when we hold on to that, it shows up in our body, it shows up in our body in sickness and in high blood pressure, and then in our relationships and the that self-worthiness.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's never healthy to do that, but when you can find people with the right connection, the right spirit, the right intention for you, that unconditional love for you, and they accept all of you, it's easier to share and begin to open up and release that.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: As life coaches, of course, we're here for that.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: We're here to help because we've gone through these things.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we're here to help guide them through that process.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: There are some more traumatic issues where they meet need to seek license therapy, but there is there, just find your support system.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not gonna always be family and friends.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: They can tell you the wrong thing, somebody who's never been through it before, but it's once who's been through it, actually, you can understand the situation much better.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to someone who feels stuck between healing and moving forward?
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: I would ask them what's keeping them stuck.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: What is keeping you stuck?
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And what does being unstuck look like for you?
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: See, we lost our vision.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: We got to get our vision back.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: And when we can see beyond our pain, see beyond the problem, then we can find solutions to the problem.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: I love that, and that really makes sense.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, how does collaboration empower women and men on their healing journey?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: We're all reflections of each other.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: And just like you and I are talking, just from the onsite on look of it, we would have never known that we have so much similarities.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that we've experienced some of the same thing.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: But when we can share these stories with each other, and I can see how you were able to get through it and some of the clarity and understanding you've gotten out of the your experience, they don't have to be the same experience, but how you were able to manage it, how you were able to face it, how you were able to get through it.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: That is a sense of collaboration because now I can take what you've learned through your journey.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: You take what I've learned through my journey, and in somewhere in there, you may find some wisdom and answers to apply to your own journey.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, Chris.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'm talking to you.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: We got to do a seminar together.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: We do.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we let's do a seminar, and that's what collaboration is about because this is something that really in this world today, we definitely need to get some peace in this world because we can claim our life.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, what legacy do you hope your work leaves?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: My work is not only am I a transformational life coach, but I'm also an advocate for justice, which is a big part of my life.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: And with the two, it is definitely an alignment and it merges properly.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: But I hope that my legacy really is how I was able to inspire and impact someone else's life to they can live their best life.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so they cannot lead in fear, but leave and just thrive and just see the world as their open stage.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: And my motto is living your best life.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: Life is life is a journey of exploration, yes, experiences and self-discovery.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: There's a whole world out there waiting for you.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: Go live it.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, and don't let anybody take it away.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: I always told my mother before she died, I said, Mom, she was in a nurse, don't let nobody steal your joy.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you let them steal your joy, there steals your self-esteem, that still is your confidence.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what I want to say to people don't let anybody steal your joy.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: And Crystal said, reclaim your life back because you're wasting it on somebody that don't even care.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody's even remembering what happened.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: So not even say I'm sorry, and we still hold on to that.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't say they're sorry, they should say something here.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I do it with my husband.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: I said, You should say you're sorry to me, and he only knows what he did.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes people hold on to these traumas just to punish the other person, yeah, just to keep a hook on them.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's something, yeah.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: But we're gonna get together, we're gonna do a seminar on this.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna do something to help help people get back there, reclaim their life back, right?
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, reclaim your power.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: It starts with the journey back to self.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: The first law of nature is self-preservation, self-preservation.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: I love that, I love it.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I listen, I told you gonna be on my show, but you actually in my series here about forgiveness.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, what is one lie women must stop believing about themselves?
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: One lie that we have to stop believing about ourselves is that we're too much and we're not, we are just enough.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because we have been given the strength to birth children, we're the first teachers, we're the nurturers.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: So the way we were created as a reflection of the most high, we have an internal strength that allows us, and not, and this is not to take away from men because their strengths serve a different purpose, but we have to get away from thinking that we are too much.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a lot of people say that we're not enough.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: No, that you're too much, because sometimes when you're too much, you cower down, you dull your light.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: We need to continue to shine because we are the ones that are gonna heal the world.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, another thing, this is my last question because I can get onto some more questions, girl.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: We got it, we gotta mind that.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, what is one thing every listener should remember to live authentic authentically and powerfully?
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: I would say take the take time to journey back to who you are, the essence of who you are, before the world told you who you should be.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: Take the time to go back to self, to learn yourself, and to emphatically state what it is you want.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: So many people can't answer that question.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: You ask them, what do you want?
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: They can't, they know, but they're afraid to say it.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: You can't answer the question.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Be emphatic about what it is that you want, unapologetically.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because when you're honest with yourself, you can pursue the things that are in alignment with your best, the best version of who you're becoming.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely, and that means releasing the fear that we hold on to to hold on to it and not having that self-esteem and confidence.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: So Dr.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal, tell people how they can get in touch with you.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: And what's next?
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: What's next?
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: You said you're going to Ghana, so tell us what's next for me is actually.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: I just did an interview a couple days ago.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, what's next for me is oh my god, December is so huge.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: I got the author all-stars coming up.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll be one of the author all-stars there.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: And Ghana is at the end of the year.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: My birthday is coming up in the middle of the month.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: I have a billboard reveal that is coming up, but then once I get back from Ghana, I'll be moving more towards doing more workshops because my first love is teaching.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll be moving more to workshops, and we'll definitely have to align our calendar so we can make that happen together.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: But for right now, I'm preparing for a huge December that is unfolding beautifully.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, celebrating.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: I had to redefine the month of December because there was a lot of trauma attached to that too, with the passing of my dad.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I had to redefine that month and celebrate a lot of things, even his life.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm inspired, I'm excited.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and that's the celebration.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: He you're celebrating, and he's looking down from heaven and saying my father's the same thing.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was daddy's little girl.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, Crystal.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, Wanda.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Look what you're doing.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: Look how far, and I'm the same thing with you, Arthur All-Star.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Bill Borber's reveal, all these things that we never thought that could happen to us.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, look how God actually brought it into play.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: And one huge thing is the official ceremony of me receiving the gift of being honored as a doctor in humanities will also happen in December.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that just fell in my lap.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm super happy about that because we made it all done with the justice and the justice system.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I am so proud of you because God made it all happen this time.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: And look, it's a celebration, your birthday.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: You're celebrating all of this, all in one month.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that's something to be grateful.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you're grateful about it.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: Very humbled by everything that's unfolding.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, how can they get in touch with you?
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: You can get in touch with me.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: You can visit my website at crystal www.crystaldwoods.com on any social media platform.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_01: I am Crystal Dion or Crystal D.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_01: Woods.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think with Facebook, if you type in the name and it pulls up, whatever it pulls up.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: Facebook is so funny.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: On LinkedIn, Crystal D.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: Woods.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, you can definitely contact me for any speaking engagements for coaching and any type of advocacy.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's awesome.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, do you have a free hook item, like a free consultation, anything like that?
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: I do offer a 30-minute, a 30-minute consultation.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, you can purchase the book, Reclaim Your Power, The Journey Back to Self.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: It is on Amazon.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_01: You can purchase that.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, when you reach out to me and you mention this podcast, you'll definitely be entitled to a coaching session.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's going to be sending me all of that.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to be in the show notes.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: I sure will.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I am so excited.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is a oh my God.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is thank you, Dr.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: Woods.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Miss Wanda, for having me.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: This is beautiful.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you for such a beautiful and freeing conversation.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: It was definitely a friend of conversation.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: I even had to get in on some of it too.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: Here, your words remind us that healing is a journey.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: And reclaiming our power is a daily choice.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more about Dr.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Crystal D.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: Woods, be sure to follow her and continue her journey towards emotional freedom.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, listeners, remember you deserve to forgive, you deserve to release, and you deserve to let go.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is Ready Said Collaborate Podcast with Wanda Pearson.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, you stay empowered, while bowling your purpose, and make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel, ReadySet Collaborate Podcast, as well as follow me on Spotify, everything, but it's on every podcast platform.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: This way you can hear all of these great guests that I'm having.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_00: So until next time, stay in tune, stay inspired, and stay free.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: Freedom.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: Beautiful.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_04: That wraps up another episode of Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_04: I hope you found inspiration and valuable insights to help you build meaningful connections and successful collaborations.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_04: If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, share, and stay tuned for more great discussions.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_04: Until next time, keep collaborating and making an impact.