Latest / Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul / You Do Not Have to Walk This Alone: Releasing the Stigma Around Support

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You Do Not Have to Walk This Alone: Releasing the Stigma Around Support · Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul

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  Welcome to Rise and Realign, conversations for
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  the sensitive soul. I'm Melissa, and this space
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  is for those of us who feel deeply, love fiercely,
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  and sense the world in ways that are hard to
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  explain, but impossible to ignore. Here, we honor
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  your sensitivity as a strength. not something
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  to fix. Through reflections, realignment, and
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  soul -led stories, we remember how to move through
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  life in a way that feels true to who we really
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  are. This is your space to rise, to realign,
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  and to come home again and again. to your own
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  wise, sensitive, authentic self. So last week,
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  episode 43, when a door closes, feeling the intensity
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  and trusting divine timing. In that episode,
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  I reflected on living in the now. rather than
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  living by calendars or even astrological expectations.
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  I shared what has been shifting in my own world
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  with the eclipses, both the solar and the lunar.
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  There's definitely been a lot coming up for not
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  only me, for those closest to me, in addition
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  to the women that I'm supporting. And we're talking,
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  you know, grief, sadness. disappointment you
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  know not only what arises when something we poured
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  time money love and attention into comes to a
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  close but just also like what is being stirred
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  up within many of us sensitive individuals so
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  as always you know i share from my heart and
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  what's coming up for me in the moment. And, you
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  know, as I contemplated how much to share about
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  my own personal journey in this episode, because
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  it has been very intense, you know, what came
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  up primarily was to just remind us all, you know,
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  that, you know, having somebody to talk to somebody
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  to process our experiences our thoughts our feelings
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  right strong emotions like this is natural and
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  normal um and yet many you know um have either
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  been raised to believe or have felt that there
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  just is this stigma right if somebody reaches
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  out to work with a therapist, right? Whether
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  it's a therapist, whether it's a spiritual counselor,
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  right? Prayer practitioner, whatever it is. And
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  I just want to remind us all that We don't need
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  to have a serious mental health illness or diagnosis
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  to benefit from having somebody in your corner
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  who's listening to you, who's supporting you,
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  right? Who's reminding you of all that you have
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  lived through, right? Like helping you to remember
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  the strength. the courage, the resiliency that
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  is alive within you, even when it feels like
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  you don't have anything left. So we really want
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  to honor, you know, the ability to say, I'm caring
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  a lot right now and I need support. And whether
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  that's you finding it through a friend, through,
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  you know, a support group, a community circle,
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  or, you know, working with someone like me, who's
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  a holistic psychotherapist or does, you know,
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  therapy intensives or spiral guide, right? Like
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  gatherings, like. Just know that you deserve
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  that. And any stigma that may arise, just allow
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  yourself to feel that and release it and remind
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  yourself, right? Like there are dentists in this
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  world. Do you think that you don't go to a dentist
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  unless you have some serious, you know, dental
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  infection or, you know, you know, trauma, right,
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  to your teeth or jaw? Like, no, we find it acceptable
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  to go to dentists to receive their knowledge
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  and their care with what's going on with us,
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  right? And do you think that dentists do not
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  see other dentists, right? Like, they can't work
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  on their own teeth, right? So just like, you
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  know, your primary care or, you know, whatever,
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  naturopathic physician, whoever that physician
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  is, right? Like they also have their own difficulties
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  and health challenges. And sure, we can tend
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  to ourselves and our own needs to varying degrees,
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  right? Based on our knowledge and our intuition
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  and all of that. But Physicians also go see other
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  physicians. So I just really want to offer this
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  normalization, right? That speaking with a mental
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  health professional does not need to have a stigma.
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  It does not need to feel secretive, right? you
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  know, whatever judgments out there, right? I
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  just say, let's just clear that, right? Because
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  it's important to receive support when you need
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  it. And I personally, as a sensitive woman, right?
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  Like the depth of caring that our hearts feel,
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  experience, right? The intensity of pain, That
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  is real and it is raw and it is so important
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  that you have somebody who can be with you as
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  you share what you're experiencing, what you're
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  carrying, how hard it is, how challenging it
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  is, right? you know, sometimes I'm really honored
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  that I was guided into this mental health career
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  from high school. You know, I've just always
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  felt honored to be somebody who can hold space
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  for somebody to share their experiences, right?
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  And there are many individuals who don't have
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  like a loving parent or adult in their life who
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  can really listen and hold that space. So I just
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  want to speak to all of you who are listening.
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  If you've ever been told, you know, why do you
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  see a therapist? What good is that? Or maybe
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  you're somebody who hasn't seen a therapist,
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  but maybe you've heard people say, oh, you don't
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  go to therapists unless you're seriously mental
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  ill. Like, That's really not the case. There
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  are such a wide range of therapists and who we
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  support. And some do focus on what we would consider
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  more serious mental illness. And then there's
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  others who focus in other areas. And I personally
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  am a holistic psychotherapist. So I'm bringing
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  that mind, body, spirit connection into sessions
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  because I recognize that we're whole beings.
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  And so we can't compartmentalize, right? But
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  it's truly an honor to walk the path with another
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  sensitive woman who's understanding, you know,
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  that she carries a lot because she cares so deeply.
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  And remembering that we're in the minority, right,
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  roughly 20 % of us. It's really tough when you
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  are giving your all and you are doing your best
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  and maybe you're not recognized. You know, maybe
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  the qualities that you offer as a sensitive woman
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  are really high in certain areas. But then in
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  other areas, right? Like maybe that's where a...
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  colleague or a professional um may point out
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  something um and i just i'm somebody who's here
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  to say i know how hard it is when you care so
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  deeply and yet others don't see what you see
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  and they want to point out where maybe you need
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  to be stronger in another area and know that
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  as a sensitive individual that criticism is really
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  taken in deeply in your heart and that hurts
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  and so again this is truly a quality of being
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  a highly sensitive individual um and i just i'm
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  a voice here you know i'm somebody who We'll
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  continue to speak about this because I've not
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  only lived it, right, but I've walked it with
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  others. They're just, there's so much depth of
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  caring, so much that you're processing that others
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  just aren't. Really 80 % of the population roughly
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  does not process as deeply as you do in the caring
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  department, right? In the ability to see patterns
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  and what's not working in the world or in your
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  immediate, you know, situation and your. continuous
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  desire for something better for yourself, your
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  family, right? The work you do. There's truly
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  an evolutionary reason why we're designed this
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  way. And again, it's not easy being in the minority
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  and being misunderstood and being somebody who
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  feels something so deeply and that you can't
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  even explain oftentimes, right? I mean, I feel
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  truly honored to have the awareness that I have
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  of when I'm feeling something so deeply and intensely.
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  I have a parent who's been hospitalized and,
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  you know, that's been really, really challenging.
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  You know, my mom almost. lost her life about
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  three years ago and that was truly traumatic
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  for me um my brother passed in 1990 and i've
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  of course had you know grandparents and you know
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  uncles uh or an uncle um who's passed since then
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  right but having the scare of one or both of
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  my own parents has been really really um intensely
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  overwhelming um and so you know things just come
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  up in these types of challenging situations for
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  us and and again why or when we choose to reach
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  out and start getting support from another person.
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  Like that's unique for each of us. But I really
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  do want to normalize that, you know, we all live
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  very unique lives, right? And at different points,
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  at different times in our journey, we're dealing
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  with different painful right traumatic experiences
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  and we need another who can care and who can
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  provide that space right and who can also not
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  just support us when we're feeling the deepest
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  pain but also be that type of support that says
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  well remember how you got through you know, whatever
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  that other situation may have been, or, you know,
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  and it's not always about reminding us about
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  how we've gotten through tough times before,
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  right? Sometimes it really is just be with me
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  in the intensity, in the pain, in the heartache,
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  right? Because, you know, I'm somebody who talks
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  about, we need to be here now. We need to be
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  present with what's arising. And sometimes the
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  pain or the load is really challenging to go
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  it on our own. So I just want to remind you,
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  you know, you do not have to walk through those
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  dark, heavy periods alone. You know, reach out,
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  find whether it's a therapist, you know, a prayer
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  practitioner, a church. right counselor whatever
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  that path is for you but allow yourself to receive
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  support because truly, we're not meant to walk
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  the path alone, right? I mean, yes, we need to
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  connect with and understand our own inner guidance
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  and connect with our own compass, right? And
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  have our own inner authority. You know, that's
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  something that I do talk about on the podcast,
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  you know, but I also want to remind us all that
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  we're born into this world. to be held, right?
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  Whether that's immediately by our mother, our
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  father, whoever our caregivers are, right? In
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  those early days, months, and years, right? We
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  are held, we are carried, right? And so I just
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  want to remind us that we need each other, right?
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  And again, if you have family and loved ones
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  who you can talk to, like that's... wonderful,
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  right? But if you know somebody, maybe they don't
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  have somebody that they feel confident and safe
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  to share their deepest, darkest fears and pains
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  and sorrow, right? Like support them in speaking
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  with a counselor, right? A therapist, whatever
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  professional they need, because again, we all
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  have very unique journeys, but let's normalize,
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  you know, mental health is a crucial part of
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  our wellbeing. the mind -body connection is inseparable
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  right so we just we need to understand more about
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  ourselves and each other and just allow each
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  other to receive the support and the guidance
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  um you know in whatever path that may be of course
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  in in the highest and greatest good for each
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  other But that just feels really important right
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  now, you know, because, you know, when I think
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  back to times when, you know, I experienced depression
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  in my life, you know, when my brother passed,
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  when my unborn children passed. Gosh. postpartum
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  depression, you know, like these are serious
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  experiences that many of us go through. And we
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  don't all realize that like having someone to
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  talk to consistently, you know, is supportive
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  and is important. And, you know, we're definitely
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  in an era where there's a lot more research.
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  There's a lot more that's being discovered about,
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  you know, why so many of us experience depression,
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  you know, whether it's premenstrual, right, pregnancy,
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  postpartum, perimenopause, like all of these
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  different times. And so, again, there's different
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  reasons. why we experience what we experience.
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  But I really encourage us all to see mental health
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  as essential care, right? Whatever that looks
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  like for you. I mean, some people like to do
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  therapy intensives and really cover a lot in
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  a full day, where for other people, it's weekly.
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  Having that ongoing, consistent support is what
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  feels best to them. And then depending on what
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  you're going through in life, right? Sometimes
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  it's every two weeks or once a month, but just
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  knowing that you deserve support, right? And
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  without stigma, without, you know, judgment,
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  right? Like, again, we all need care. We all
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  need love, right? So connecting with the friends,
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  the community, the professionals that you feel
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  comfortable and safe with to receive support
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  is really what I'm encouraging and inviting today.
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  So let's take a moment now to take a break and
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  breathe love. So if you're not familiar with
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  that, take a break and breathe love. It's something
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  that I have been speaking about for, I don't
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  know, 10 or more years. Um, because again, as
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  a highly sensitive woman, um, I'm also Gemini,
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  I'm a manifesting generator type. Like there's
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  a lot of go, go, go, you know, when you can see
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  a lot, when you can see what needs to be done.
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  Right. And we really need to take more breaks
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  to breathe love, right? Like connect with that
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  divine spark within our heart that connects us
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  to whatever we call source, whatever that is
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  for you. And to understand that sometimes when
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  things feel really intense and really challenging,
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  like I'm acknowledging, is something that I'm
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  experiencing. And one of my dearest friends is
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  experiencing this, obviously my family members,
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  right? It can feel more challenging. Sometimes
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  we can feel even more alone and more separated,
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  right? But the more we can take a break and breathe
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  love, we bring ourselves into the present moment
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  and we slow down, you know, what that mental
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  activity is. It just brings ourself back into
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  this moment. So I invite you, wherever you are,
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  be safe. If you need to keep your eyes open,
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  keep your eyes open. But even just lowering your
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  lids, as long as you're in a safe spot, or closing
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  them completely, just helps tune out what's going
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  on in your environment. And I encourage you just
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  to notice your breathing. No need to change anything.
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  Taking a break and breathing love is not any
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  specific breathing practice or technique. We
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  don't have to change everything, right? Like
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  just bringing your attention to your breath,
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  to your body is hugely beneficial. So just notice
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  the air coming in through your nostrils. Maybe
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  you can feel it touching the roof of your mouth.
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  And then as you exhale, if you're exhaling out
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  your nose, maybe you notice a temperature difference
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  there. And if you're exhaling out your mouth,
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  again, just long and slow. Just honoring where
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  you are. But again, tuning in to your breath
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  and your body. I invite you to place a hand on
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  your heart. That can also help to tune you into
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  your heart space, right? Connect you to that
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  divine spark within your heart. And just breathe
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  into that. And again, you're breathing love.
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  So every inhale, you're receiving more love and
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  light. And every exhale, you're releasing more
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  stress. and tension. And again, just following
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  your own breath's rhythm, just allowing you to
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  come into this moment to be more present with
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  you, with your breath, with your body. And just
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  be aware what feels true for you right now. Because
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  there's nothing you need to fix. Just notice
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  what's here. You know, maybe while you're tuning
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  in, you could even ask yourself, you know, am
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  I feeling supported? Do I need more attention?
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  You know, whether that's with my body, Whether
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  that's having someone to talk to, you know, tuning
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  in and just checking in with yourself. You know,
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  what is it that you need at this point in your
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  journey? And honor that. Honor what is for your
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  highest and greatest good. Because you deserve
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  goodness. So if something in today's conversation
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  resonated with you and you'd like to explore
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  working together with me, as I mentioned, I'm
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  a holistic psychotherapist and I'm licensed in
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  Massachusetts, California, and Arizona. And so
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  residents of those states can reach out. And
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  I also offer an embodied somatic therapy intensive,
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  which is a full day, which I find is really supportive
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  for sensitive women because it allows that depth.
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  You know, it allows the time to really connect
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  you with that deeper sense of caring and processing
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  and feeling. All of that. And if you're somebody
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  who's more curious about your physical health
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  right now, right? Like, do you need to reach
• 24:48
  out to your health care provider? You know, are
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  you due for labs, a checkup? You know, is there
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  something that you just need more attention with?
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  You know, reach out to them. And if you have
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  any interest, I also am an integrative health
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  clarity consultant. I'm both trained in integrative
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  mental health and quantum biology for health,
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  right? Understanding the importance of our mitochondrial
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  and metabolic functioning is so essential to
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  both our mental and physical health. And so I
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  certainly love to support individuals who are
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  just wanting to understand more, right? Like
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  want that education around lifestyle changes,
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  around maybe what their labs say. Again, it's
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  just a way to support you as you learn more about
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  your physical health and what would be supportive
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  to you. And then also I offer spiral guide for
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  sensitive and strong women and actually um the
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  second monday of the month i have the realign
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  circle for sensitive and strong women in their
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  20s and that's a monthly membership that you
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  can join and then there's a private chat in between
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  sessions or meetings um We also have the upcoming
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  sensitivity realignment spiral for the fall equinox.
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  And then after that, we have the, your sensitivity
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  is intelligent design six month realignment group
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  starting. So wherever you feel, if any of that
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  calls to you, you know, feel free to check it
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  all out at realignwithmelissa .com. But again,
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  the most important thing is that, you know, you
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  remember how to tune into you and to trust your
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  own inner guidance about what you need. And just
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  to remind you, you know, where the heart leads,
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  the body remembers and the soul awakens. And
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  that we are here together to rise, reclaim, remember.
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  And as always, I am so grateful that you're here.
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  You are important. Your voice, your presence
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  matters. And you're just always welcome to walk
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  this sensitive and strong path with me. So take
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  good care of you. Much love and light.