Latest / MIDDLE GROUND - Real Conversations on Faith, Identity & Becoming — Through Brynne's LDS Lens of Curiosity, Love and Doubt / You Were Divinely Designed to Succeed: Body Mapping, Energy Healing & Faith Expansion — Angela Nusbaum

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You Were Divinely Designed to Succeed: Body Mapping, Energy Healing & Faith Expansion — Angela Nusbaum · MIDDLE GROUND - Real Conversations on Faith, Identity & Becoming — Through Brynne's LDS Lens of Curiosity, Love and Doubt

• Brynne Erickson (01:07) Angela Nussbaum. Thank you so much for being here. How are you? Angela Nusbaum (01:11) I'm good, life is good and it's a beautiful day. Brynne Erickson (01:13) Well, wonderful. Angela helps people heal their body and spirit connection so they can empower their soul. I thought that was so beautiful. And you work through so many different modalities that we're gonna be touching on. But before we do that, let's talk a little bit about what it is you do in your words. Yeah. Angela Nusbaum (01:36) in my words. So I feel like if I were to sum it up, it really is that we heal the connection between body and spirit so you can empower your soul. Satan is after your soul, not your body, not your spirit. He wants the connection. We just had Easter a few weeks ago and I contemplated the thought, how incredible is it that Christ, the greatest of all, knew the value of the body so much that he came back for it. if I could have you understand that you were created spiritually before you were physically, but everything about you, your proportions, your symmetry, even down to your aches, your pains, everything about you is telling you about your gifts, your talents, your struggles and your triumphs. And once you understand that, you can change your world. Brynne Erickson (02:29) Yes, you truly could. And that's very deep. Angela Nusbaum (02:33) I have never been accused of being shallow. Brynne Erickson (02:38) I love it. Well, soul work is deep work. Like so much of our life is on the surface, right? And so to go inside and truly connect with that inner part of us is it's hard work, especially in these days where everyone is telling you what you should think, who you should be, what you should do. Yeah. Angela Nusbaum (02:45) Mm-hmm. B. my friend will tell you, stop shooting on yourself and remember that when you know better, you do better. But that is actually what I love about what I do is because it's so easy to focus on our physical stuff, right? Like your body speaks to you in one of two ways. It'll speak to you through pleasure or it will speak to you through pain. And when you stop listening in pleasure, it screams at you in pain. And so, Brynne Erickson (03:08) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Angela Nusbaum (03:32) That's a lot of how I started. I started working with people who I don't know if you're familiar with the Emotion Code by Bradley Nelson. Brynne Erickson (03:41) I'm familiar, a little bit, yes. Angela Nusbaum (03:43) Okay, so shortly after I graduated and started my massage therapy career, I had a gentleman come in who he had migraines and pain so bad he would miss three to four days of work a week. And his wife came in, she was just getting to know me a little bit. She was actually the Relief Society president at the time. Heard that I can help people with migraines. And she's like, my husband's gonna see you. And so he did, and we worked on him and like... The massage helped, but there was something more. And I was like, what if we just tried this abotional release? And we went through. I don't even know how many emotions and it got to a point where instead of seeing me every two days so that he could work, because he would be able to work after I'd work on him. And then he was seeing me once a week and then every couple of weeks. And then I went for months without seeing him. I ran into him. I said, hey, what's going on? I haven't seen you. He says, oh, I don't get migraines anymore. I said, oh, OK, so it worked. Brynne Erickson (04:47) That's amazing. Angela Nusbaum (04:48) But he had gone to specialists, MRIs, done all the things medically, and they kept telling him that nothing was wrong. And I think that's the power of kind of that holistic model and allowing yourself to recognize that you are more than a body and allowing yourself to heal on a spiritual, mental level. And that's a component of what I do. Brynne Erickson (05:19) And how did you find yourself in that space then? drew you to, so massage therapy was kind of your foot in the door. Okay. Angela Nusbaum (05:26) the door, absolutely. The school that I went to, taught me Reiki, they taught me Shiatsu, Tai yoga, crystal healing, lots of those different ones. So I had an exposure to it. It was actually really interesting. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time and I watched. So crystal healing, they'll use crystals to balance your energy. And so they were doing me and they could not get my center to to balance and my teacher finally came over and said, well you're trying to balance her and her baby wants to be balanced. And so she did a whole little thing on my stomach and my baby balanced and then it was fine. And it struck me like how important it was like here I am growing this baby inside of me and she needed love and attention too. And it was so obvious. It also helped me recognize some of the gifts and the, um, some of the spiritual gifts that I was already utilizing, even as a child. Um, I could feel my family's emotions as if they were my own. And then I got to a point where I remember, and this is kind of sad, but, uh, my mom had made some comment to her sister on the phone about, well, Angela and Rachel are really good kids. We were the oldest I were. And, but Lisa just gets me. And I was like, are you kidding me? I have been doing all this stuff to emotionally help you and you don't even notice it. And so I shut a lot of those gifts down. And so actually going to Massage Therapy School helped me open up and remember them again and to consciously choose in. So that was really fun. It was also, I live in a world where I've done like the energy healing conferences and several things like that. And there's a stigma, either you're like all in or my mom is one that's very skeptical of such things. And she says, Angela, you have to be so careful. You could lose your testimony, you could fall away. Brynne Erickson (07:31) Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (07:38) And so being very aware of my spirituality and my relationship with God was absolutely essential. And so it took me on this path to say, how can I make sure that I am truly aligning with my faith in God, but also using the spiritual gifts that I believe he's blessed me with to help the other sons and daughters of God? So I consider what I do to be very sacred work. Brynne Erickson (08:10) And how did you answer that question then? Angela Nusbaum (08:12) to my mom or so the. Brynne Erickson (08:14) or to yourself even. How am I going to balance this? How have you found that balance? Angela Nusbaum (08:19) some days I do and some days I sit there and I say, okay, what, where am I at? I think, well, okay, so faith, we're gonna define faith. And I would love to hear your definition of faith. Brynne Erickson (08:35) Do it. My definition of faith. To me, faith is belief and it is what you choose to guide you. So it's believing in something and then allowing it to guide your life, I guess, in an essence, in a nutshell, let's say that. Angela Nusbaum (09:08) I love that. I would also define belief as to be alive in. So if you are alive in what you are guided by, that's beautiful. Faith, the one that the definition I grew up with is to believe in something that is not seen, which is true. So I focused a lot on truth growing up. In fact, one of my defining stories as a child is my dad. We went on. Brynne Erickson (09:18) There we go. Okay. Mm-hmm. Yes. Angela Nusbaum (09:38) a vacation to Nauvoo, Illinois, and saw the temple open house at the time. And of course we went around and we saw all the historical sites and a lot of them were owned by the FLDS church. Keep in mind, I'm like, I don't know, 12, 13 years old and very much a daddy's girl, want him to be happy with me, et cetera, et And he says, well, Angela, what did you think of? the FLDS church, we'd gone to their museum and they'd given us a little museum video, was like 15 minutes long, telling us they had a whole 10,000 members. And I was like, that's so few. How can they think that that's extent of their progress? It was my 12 year old brain. And he's like, well, what do you think of it? I was like. I think I'm offended that they think they have the truth and we don't. And my dad, the wise man that he was, sat there. He says, Angela. You never have to be offended by truth. And the truth will always stand on its own. And it allowed me to actually look at other people's faith and other people's belief systems in a way that recognizing that they have found truth. And how could I, in my limited knowledge, judge them for something that is so beautiful? So I look on that a lot. You how am I defining my faith? How am I sitting in the truth that I know? Because truth can be circumscribed into a great whole. I don't pretend to know everything and I'm excited to learn more. And some days I get people who come in and challenge my faith, whether it's, had a client recently who informed me that He says, I don't think that life has hit you hard enough for you to understand where I'm at yet. I said, let's talk about that. And we went through this whole experience. He's gone through his living hell, And. I can't discount what he's gone through and still be authentic to the faith that I believe God loves us. And regardless of what you have gone through, he has a plan for it. It's not that it's part of God's plan, it's that he has a plan to make it all right. That's how I balance it. There's a whole lot of self-introspection, suppose, and recognizing that I do not have all the answers. But God does, and I believe in Him. Brynne Erickson (12:33) Mm-hmm. I love that you reframed some things for me that I, I guess I are our newer. areas of concern for me as far as the language goes and how I used to view things. So my definition of faith was pretty much the exact same as yours. So then when my foundation of truth began to crumble, it, it was like, well, what do I have? Like, what is my faith? And so that's why I had kind of eliminated that part of it. And now I am becoming more expansive in my view of truth. And that is for whatever reason, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the true, but all the other churches and beliefs had parts of the true. And, but ours was still the most true. And that has been, that was my belief. However, that came about, I don't feel like I have to put blame. Angela Nusbaum (13:39) True. Right. Brynne Erickson (13:48) I don't have to find a source of where that came from, but that's how I perceived it until the past six-ish years. And it has served me really well to believe that truth is all over the place and, everyone has truth to offer. And if it brings light and goodness and I love what you used to describe, Angela Nusbaum (13:50) Absolutely. Amen. Amen. Brynne Erickson (14:15) We all seek, what did you say, pleasure or pain? Like that's how we experience. There it is. Okay. Could we label that as either traditionally what we have said is good or bad? Would that be the same extent? Okay. But I love how you said pleasure or pain because then it doesn't make it a moral dilemma. Angela Nusbaum (14:20) bodies will speak to us in one of two ways. pleasure or pain. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, and that leads into like our whole sexual experience. Like, I think that's been a huge awakening for so many people because, you know, we say sexual sin is bad and then you get married and you're supposed to do it all of sudden. But to put it in a framework that says you can have pleasure, you can have joy, or you can choose something different. then it really comes back to the most powerful gift we have, which is our gift of agency. And we literally fought a war over that, so I figure it's pretty important. Brynne Erickson (15:19) Mm I thought that too. Um, that comes up quite often in this podcast where we have to, we remind her, I share with the audience, you know, and the earliest theology before we came to earth, there was a war and we had to choose, um, we're going to follow Satan or we're going to follow Christ's plan. And Christ wanted to give us agency and Satan didn't. And we're here because we chose to use this agency. And I don't know if that's really true or how it happened, but I really like it. Angela Nusbaum (15:31) yes. Brynne Erickson (15:48) And I like that agency was so important that that's why we came and that theme keeps popping up. And I've been talking to a lot of people and reading a lot of things about inner authority lately and how us as mankind are just craving and wanting to be able to use our agency like fully. And it's a beautiful thing. And I am all, I'm all for it. Angela Nusbaum (16:11) Absolutely. I love the idea of agency and I actually read something a few years back and it talked about how essential opposition is in order to create growth. And so it was kind of a different view on LDS theology, like you said. it was, Satan was not a name. Lucifer was not a name. It was a title. And so was literally the occupation of Lucifer to create opposition in order for the rest of us to create expansion and growth. It's essential. Absolutely. And how beautiful is that? Like, and then I, because I believe that we are all God's children and the idea that Christ can Brynne Erickson (16:51) It's essential. Angela Nusbaum (17:09) can live a sinless life and I can't. Something in me says, okay, but how can we improve upon that? And so to come back to this idea that, well, what if part of my existence, part of my creation necessitates a different type of learning and a different type of growth, just as Christ's growth was. quote unquote perfect, which by the way, if you look up in the dictionary, have you ever looked up the 1827 dictionary of perfection? Brynne Erickson (17:44) haven't but I have looked up like the Greek in Hebrew and it doesn't mean without sin or flaw. Angela Nusbaum (17:47) Okay. No, it doesn't. I'm curious, what does it mean in Greek and Hebrew? Brynne Erickson (17:55) the one that stood out to me the most was becoming whole and complete. Angela Nusbaum (17:58) Yep. And that's what the 1827 is, to make whole. Right? Brynne Erickson (18:01) Yay. Okay. And you have to have both. Like one of my favorite conversations is with my friend Robin, talk about contrast and she teaches you like you have to have both and they're both information about who you're becoming and how you experience things and the choices you're going to make based on this contrast. It doesn't always mean stop. It doesn't always mean this is bad, right? Angela Nusbaum (18:25) Yes. Brynne Erickson (18:30) is information to help you make choices, which is what agency is. Angela Nusbaum (18:36) Yes, absolutely. And choice is essential to our growth. That is another component of who I believe God is. God will never take away your agency. If he does, he would cease to be God. So when you're asking, why do all these things happen? Because he won't deny you your agency any more than he would deny anyone else's. Brynne Erickson (18:43) Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Brynne Erickson (19:05) Hey, really quick, if you're listening to this podcast, there's a good chance you're in the middle of something. Questions you haven't said out loud yet, a faith that feels different than you used to. And I've actually built a community. It's called Faith in Process. It's exactly for people like you and like me. It's actually the space I wish I had when I was in the middle of my big questions and when my faith was shifting. It's a membership community. Specifically for Latter-day Saints who are expanding their faith and want to do it in good company. And if that sounds like you, come and join us. The wait list is open at Bryn Erickson.com/slash wait list. I hope to see you there. Brynne Erickson (19:47) Okay. So you are striving to help mankind connect with their bodies and souls to live their most empowered and beautiful lives. You use a couple of different modalities used, introduced a couple that you learned through your, your massage therapy work. But you also mentioned to me that you would do breath work, body mapping and tantra tantra. That's a new one for me. Angela Nusbaum (20:09) Yep. Tantra. Tantra means to be, yeah. First of all, tantra means to make whole. So a lot of people know it as like a sexual practice because when you are working to become one with your partner, it can be a very intimate act. A lot of it's breath work, a lot of it is sitting in the space. Brynne Erickson (20:14) Let's touch on all of those. Yeah. Angela Nusbaum (20:36) But what I do is I teach you to do it with yourself first. If you cannot be intimate with yourself, how do you expect to be intimate with a partner? You don't even know who you are in that scenario. And bless you and I love you. So if you cannot sit in one minute by yourself, do not blame your partner for not being intimate with you. There's my soapbox. I won't get too much on that. Brynne Erickson (20:52) Yes. I love that. Angela Nusbaum (21:06) I do too. So there's several practices that I teach people with Tantra just to help you get to know yourself better. A lot of it is sensation, which now I'm going to go there. I think it's so interesting that we talk about the garment in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being a protection, a shield and a protection. But what if the garment is actually your coat of skin? What if it actually is your body? And I'm talking, and I'm not saying don't go wear your garments. I'm not making a stance on that. I'm saying what if you allowed your sensation, your body, to literally become so aware and the sensations to be so conscious that it literally is a shield and a protection to you. You can nod that a little bit, but I think it's beautiful that God created something of such vital importance and made a way for us to always be sheltered and protected. Hahaha Brynne Erickson (22:22) That would make sense because we say that. the Holy Ghost, which I don't know the difference between the Spirit and the Holy Ghost anymore. But the Holy Ghost is a voice that can give you warning or insight or, you know, essentially guide you. It's a guide. And so when you say that we are so in tune with our bodies, the physical, the soul part, the inner part, that it would be a shield and a protection to us. that makes complete sense to me. Angela Nusbaum (23:08) Me too. And I spent, this is one of those things that I sat with and I really had to examine for myself, like, am I genuinely seeking God? Because if this is of such vital importance that I'm supposed to wear it all the time, then what does that truly look like in my relationship with God? Brynne Erickson (23:33) That's a beautiful thought. Angela Nusbaum (23:34) Yes, and I can totally get on tangent. then going back to the others, let's see. All the thoughts. Body mapping was created by Laurel Houston. And it's basically your body, your proportions, your symmetry, everything about you was created for you. And so, Brynne Erickson (23:40) Yeah, I love it. All the thoughts, bring them to us. Angela Nusbaum (24:03) If you ever look at a map, there's that little key in the corner and it tells you this is what this means. This is how many miles per dot or however, that's your key. Well, your body is your key to your map, to your spiritual gifts and your talents that are so essential to your growth that God literally left you with the map, the key to your map so you can remember. Brynne Erickson (24:30) Okay. So our bodies have this key that that's awesome. I love that. That visual is really beautiful. And then a map. I'm, kind of having a hard time. What would the map be? Angela Nusbaum (24:45) So the map, the map is, no one came with a manual, but everyone has a map, right? We wish. Mom of four kids here, I'm like, really wish you came with a manual right now. I just look up this one little thing about obstinance or... Because in the good times, you're like, I've got this. It's the times when they're like, I have asked you to clean your room five times and you're still sitting here. What is going on? Brynne Erickson (24:50) truth. Yes. Yes, yes. Now what let's crack the code here. How do I make you do what I need you to do? Right. Angela Nusbaum (25:18) And so much of that body mapping actually helped me with that. My son. It's funny because part of it, he has a very strong jawline, which means that he will say what he means and he'll be very direct and forthcoming. But his nose is just a little bit flatter and a little bit wider. And so among many other things that it means, we talk about how his definition of value is a little bit skewed. So when I tell him to go and clean his room, he has no problem telling me. I don't really want to do that. But the value, he sees how I value it. He does not. And so, but he's willing to invest a lot into any relationship. And all that is seen in his nose. It's hard to tell that on audio because I'm like, I want to show you how the proportions work. But he has a lot of value and he shares a lot of value. But because he is not defined in it. and he will say what he means. He's like, I don't care to do that. So then to say, okay, Zach, it's important for me that you get your room cleaned today. You have, I know you have to do your homework and I know you need a snack because he's a growing boy. So here's your snack. I need you to do this. Can you do that for me? And say, yeah, I'll do it for you. He will not clean his room for him, but he will clean it for me. Brynne Erickson (26:32) Mm-hmm. interesting. interesting. Angela Nusbaum (26:57) because he values my relationship with him. But not the clean room. In fact, he will spread his books out as a kid. would get all of his Dog Man books and his Percy Jackson and they'd be face up, littered across the floor. So there's like 50 books. He's like, look, I organized it. And I'm like, you have a bookshelf. Brynne Erickson (27:00) Mm-hmm. interesting. like, yes, I can see that and I can appreciate it for now, but put it away. Yeah, absolutely. Angela Nusbaum (27:26) put it away. But he valued that. And so it had to be in his face. And he couldn't understand how that wasn't cleaning. Values differently. Brynne Erickson (27:35) Yeah. And there are so many different forms. I mean, this is a tangent, but I've seen that there are so many different ways of organizing a space and there's names for like how people have organization in it. For a lot of people, it looks cluttered and disorganized. And yet that person knows exactly where everything is. Right. So that, and that is such an interesting part of being a part of a family too, is because you realize everyone operates differently. Angela Nusbaum (27:39) Absolutely. Yep. Mm-hmm. Brynne Erickson (28:02) but we also need to have cohesion and some of us value organization and cleanliness a little bit more than others, right? And it's not just, and that's something I tell my kids. I'm like, look, you get to do, when you have your house, you can do it however you want. But let me tell you why I value this way. And one day you don't have to do it this way if you don't want, but for now. Angela Nusbaum (28:09) Ha Brynne Erickson (28:28) We'll compromise and I'll let it become a mess for a few days, whatever. But at end of the day, it needs to be put away and organized and clean. And so it's just, yeah, it's been a different conversation rather than no, this is the way you do it because you live in this house and this is the expectation, but it's a little bit more, I don't know, just overall evaluating my own beliefs has helped me. allow other people to have their beliefs as well, even with my children in every aspect, not even just religion, but like how they keep their room clean and how they wear their, my seven year old is now wearing his outfit that he wants to wear the next day to bed so that he doesn't have to change and then go to school. And I was like, whatever, like you're in clean clothes. You're not getting them dirty before you go to school. You don't smell funny. Great, do it. I think it's weird. Angela Nusbaum (28:58) Great. Hahaha Brynne Erickson (29:21) I would not choose that for myself, you know, so it's allowed me to like loosen my grip on so many things where it's like, no, it has to be done my way and allowing my children to utilize their agency as well, because it matters so much to me now. And so that was a tangent on its own. Sorry. Angela Nusbaum (29:30) Great. And it helps you feel more free too, doesn't it? Brynne Erickson (29:43) Yes, really does. Because then I don't have to like hold myself to this standard of like, no, this is the way it is and I have to fight you on this to make sure that we're all meeting this standard up here. Because that's the way it's supposed to be. We're supposed to be this way. And it has been freeing. Yeah, and like my kids, at mealtime, they're up and down and up and down. And I used to get so frustrated and sad at mealtime because We weren't all sitting and having a conversation with the four-year-old and the seven-year-old and the one-year-old. And when I just realized, you know, there are a lot of different ways for families to have family dinner. I need to figure out how my family has family dinner. Angela Nusbaum (30:28) beautiful. So what does it look like now? Up and down. Brynne Erickson (30:31) up and down, it still does because I was like this one day they will be teenagers and they will probably sit here or they won't even want to be here. I don't know. And one day I will be begging them to go run around outside. One day I will be begging them to engage like in banter and I'll miss talking about farts and burps and you know, like, so it's like this balance of being present. Angela Nusbaum (30:54) Yes. Brynne Erickson (31:01) and realizing that we can readjust as we go, but finding beauty in where we're at in this moment and that there doesn't have to be anything wrong with how we're doing things in this moment, just because it's not how so-and-so does it. And that's how I used to think we were supposed to do it. But how does my family, how does the Erickson family look at dinnertime? And it can be. I have given us permission to look totally different than every other family in the world. And I think that's the whole point. Like we all came here completely different for a reason. And yet man, the natural man says, no conformity. All of us have to be the same way. And I do, I do find rules to be helpful and traffic laws to be helpful, you know, but there, I don't think that it's that rule. all the time in all spaces. Angela Nusbaum (31:59) Right? I love the quote. I think it was from Camelot. And don't quote me on that because I have not seen it since I was in high school. But he says there are laws that bind men and there are laws that set them free. So when you find the laws that set you free, those are the ones you want to follow. And I love that you pointed out everyone came here differently. Like no one is exactly the same. And I just want to point that out because so many of us get stuck in this Brynne Erickson (32:06) Good one. Angela Nusbaum (32:28) thing of, I have to be perfect. I have to be as good as and, we measure ourselves against somebody else. And this was really, almost violently brought to my attention this last weekend. My daughter, we told them, okay, we're to go to the movies on Saturday. So we need to get up and make sure the house is clean before we leave. That's the rule. And so my 16 year old got up and she was busily cleaning the kitchen and she had the kids on board, but they come back and forth. have four kids. So, The 14-year-old was sitting on the couch, the 12-year-old was in helping her, and the nine-year-old was in and out of my room. was like, I don't even know what's going on. Like, just give me a minute, you know? So I'm like, I'm literally brushing my teeth and my daughter comes in. She's like, Mom, why am I the only one who cares? I was like, what do you mean? She says, you said that Caitlin is passionate and she always gets stuff done, but I'm the only one cleaning, aside from Emily. I was like, Sweetheart, just because I noticed Caitlin's passion doesn't mean that I missed your persistence. And we got to sit down, we got to have a conversation about how she's not her sister and thank God for that. But she has something that is of so much value and so much goodness in her that I would never want her to stop being her. Brynne Erickson (33:42) Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (33:59) any more than I would have my my nine-year-old stop being the pushy bossy person that she can be. Brynne Erickson (34:08) Yeah, isn't it so interesting how our kids are listening to us even when we think they're not listening to us. And even when we don't say the words, they're paying attention to our tone and our demeanor. And just, they're so observant even when we think they're not. Angela Nusbaum (34:29) Right? Well, and that was done, just ironically. I had been talking to my neighbor outside. She was inside and somehow she like registered that in her brain. And this was important that Caitlin was the go-getter and somehow that made it so that she wasn't. And I think that's like so often we do that comparison, right? Like, well, so-and-so is really good at that. So I'll never be as good as they are. I had a... I went to an event one time and it was a beautiful thing. The guy was teaching color profiles and all this really interesting, amazing information. My mentor was there and she does body mapping and breath work and all these things. This lady hurt her back. So I went and I was helping her. I made some comment about, I'm really sad that you're missing out on all the things that they're teaching. She says, No, I think I'm exactly where I need to be. I've learned more from you in 15 minutes than I have from them in two days. And it struck me that I could still have value. could still have a space where I touched people's lives, even though the people I admire were in the room. Brynne Erickson (35:46) That's really powerful. And what we need in one moment, well, a couple of thoughts come to my mind. Like, it's so cool that we think we need one thing, but then that can change. I'm learning. That's what I think is the avenue that I need to get what I need. I end up learning something different from being in that room or working with that person or visiting that person. When you went there with a certain intent, but you left. being filled by something else. And that's why I love following that intuition, that inner knowing, because it will guide you to where you need to be, even if it's the most roundabout way. that's what faith is to me, is just taking that next step that feels right, that looks right, and trusting that it will be. And for me, it's never failed me. Even if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to be, I learned something important in that step of my life. Angela Nusbaum (36:54) Absolutely. Years ago, just to prove your point, we had prayed that we would, my husband moved a lot with his job. And so we were praying that we would get on a job where we would stay there a little longer. Like there were a few jobs on the docket that were going to take two to three years. And we really wanted to be settled for a little bit of time. And so we prayed and we prayed. And the next thing we know, my husband comes home and says, I just got laid off. And I was like, excuse me. We have a six-week-old baby. They told us they were moving us. We turned in our 30-days notice. We have three weeks to find somewhere to live. And this is your answer, How dare you? And I remember waking up at two and three o'clock in the morning, going out to nurse my baby and just sitting on the couch crying and saying, God, what? We've done everything right. How could you betray us? And ironically, within, he had job offers within the week. We'd accepted a week later and then we had to find a house. And that was a whole experience. looking for housing in Salt Lake Ogden area during the Ogden tornado. This was 10 years ago. I don't know if you remember the tornado 10 years ago, but we were driving around in that. And again, I thought, we've been completely forgotten. God doesn't care about us anymore. In my very postpartum brain, suppose. But I was like, why? And yet... Brynne Erickson (38:26) yeah. Angela Nusbaum (38:32) We were able to move on time. We found a house and it actually was a block and half from the home where we now own. All of this worked in conjunction to make it so that we had a very literal answer to a prayer that we wanted to stay in one area for a while. but I was convinced that we've been forgotten and that everything had turned against us for a few weeks. And it was literally the miracle we thought. Brynne Erickson (39:06) Yeah. So good. I thought this is going a different direction, but I thought I had when we were talking about your kids, how much of our trauma is, cause there's the trauma of people being, of acting upon you against your will. And then I sometimes wonder if there's trauma that we create based on our perspective of what someone said or did and how we interpreted. that. Thoughts on that? Angela Nusbaum (39:36) Absolutely. So trauma is created when we don't move through it. So it's created by an emotion that gets stuck in our bodies. PTSD or like we all have trauma and our brains don't have a meter that says this is worse trauma and that's better trauma. It's all trauma. It has no way of... So my husband yelling at me could be the equivalent of someone else having someone wave a gun in their face. Brynne Erickson (39:51) Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (40:06) because that's just not done, right? Like that would be the level of trauma. So how we cope, our coping mechanisms influence it, but also like how we perceive it. So... the things that you're going through right now. You have the gifts, the talents, everything about you was built to help you master and have success in your life. So when I look at the things that you go through, I'd be like, I'm so glad that I'm not you. Right? And you might look at me and say, I'm so glad I'm not her. It's not that we're going through less trauma. It's that we have the gifts and the set knowledge that will help us through it. But when we deny who we are, When we go into a trauma state, it's because we have perceived that we are not capable of moving through it. And that's what keeps us stuck, is our own faith, our own belief system. And sometimes it requires someone to help us learn or remember the things that we need to in order to move through it. Brynne Erickson (41:18) which essentially is you are enough to get through this. Angela Nusbaum (41:23) Not only that you're enough, but you were designed to succeed. Specifically when I work with clients, I work from four pillars. And because they were so essential for me to understand to move through my own struggles in life. One, you were created by a divine being. You were designed for a specific mission and purpose. You were designed to succeed. And your agency is paramount. And if you can understand that you were created by a divine being who is so immersed in your creation that he knows how many hairs are on your head, then surely he would design you to have your greatest outcome. Because I don't put that much effort into something I don't love. And if I love something, I want it to succeed. you were designed for a specific mission and purpose. If we look at, if you've ever studied frequency, this is really fun. Are you familiar with Dr. Omoto's messages in water? Brynne Erickson (42:32) No? Tell me. Angela Nusbaum (42:33) No. Okay, so he was a scientist. He took water samples from all over the world and he would freeze it and take pictures of the crystals that it would form. And then in addition to that, he started doing samples where he would expose them to different frequencies. He would expose it to the word joy or hope, and then he would expose it to anger and hate. And the ones that we consider negative motions, when he froze those samples of water, they would come out as just these blugh, bubbles and like no structure in the water. But when you had the Joy and the Peace, when the Hue would freeze those samples, they would come out as these beautifully symmetrical crystals. Now, if you think how much water we have in us, do you think that maybe frequency influences our lives a little bit? Brynne Erickson (43:27) I already believe that. Yes, without even knowing that cool fact. Yes, very much so. Angela Nusbaum (43:29) Hahaha Right. So if everything around us is shaping us and making us more organized, more symmetrical, or less organized, then whatever circumstance you are put into, you are the frequency, the answers that resonance. And the thing is, is once you master your own frequency, you actually get to heal that entire board. Brynne Erickson (44:11) That's really powerful because I was actually, I think a lot about, especially in our religion, because that's what I know, but there's always been like these set things like you avoid this, you avoid this, you avoid this, you do this, you do this, you do this, then you will have the outcome that you desire. And yet as I've gotten older, I'm realizing that that formula isn't adding up for a lot of people. And there are certain things and spaces that we said, no, no, no, no. And a lot of people are actually like, well, actually that helps me and that brings me connection. And I'm saying yes to these things. And I'm actually saying no to these things that we said we were helpful because they're not for me. And that has been, that created a lot of dissonance for me as I was sorting that out. But, Angela Nusbaum (44:56) They were required. Yeah. Brynne Erickson (45:06) Just kind of a funny example, my husband and I went to a club, a concert at a club this weekend on a whim and it was a little more intense than we anticipated, but it was quite the adventure and a lot of fun. And I talked to my husband on the way home. was like, you know, growing up for me being in a space like that would have been an absolute no, because I was taught that when you're in these spaces, you, the spirit can't be there and it leaves you. And so we talked about that and I was like, I don't feel any different. In fact, I had a lot of fun and I loved observing the people that were there and how they were enjoying this experience and how they were partaking of it. And I wouldn't, I wouldn't choose to do a lot of the things that were taking place around me. But does that mean it has to be wrong for me or for them just because I choose not to. And that has been really interesting. Angela Nusbaum (45:56) Mm-hmm. Brynne Erickson (46:07) for me, but again, like allowing people to use their agency and be an observer without judgment or criticism has just been such a more beautiful and empowering experience. And then taking more ownership of my own. And I don't remember what you said that made me think of that, but I hope it relates. Angela Nusbaum (46:31) I'm not sure either right now, but I'm sure the person it was for, it'll ring and they'll be like, yes, I know exactly what that was. Because that's the beauty of it, right? Like we hear the things that we need to hear. And I truly believe that we are blessed. Well, and we can even look at the science of it, like that retinacular filter, that filter before you get to your subconscious and back to your conscious, like it filters out the things that are not relevant. And it says, this is what you need. Brynne Erickson (46:43) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (47:02) like focus on this and that's what heals is our ability to be true to that voice that can that can resonate through both the conscious and the unconscious. Brynne Erickson (47:18) Well, I guess the reason I thought of that is because when we were talking about trauma like I wouldn't take on your hard because that would be too hard for me, but you you were set up and designed to be able to handle this so I guess that's kind of like what I was thinking that there isn't one Roadmap, I love the body mapping thing, you know for that is designed for each person and that's why sets of rules really Can be a guide Angela Nusbaum (47:26) yes. Thanks. Brynne Erickson (47:47) But it doesn't mean that you were designed to follow that exact roadmap or those rules. I guess that's where that thought came from. Angela Nusbaum (47:55) Yes, which I truly love. Like, if the truth can stand on its own, then... to the best of my ability, you that same judgment that you judge, you shall be judged. Well, this is what I know and I understand. And if it is helping me create a relationship with God that is more authentic, then let's go for it. Brynne Erickson (48:07) Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (48:19) Just that simple. more than anything, I want that genuine relationship with my Creator because that's where I find peace and joy and love. And the more I connect with that, the more loving and peaceful I can be in my own life. Brynne Erickson (48:36) Absolutely and that was said so perfectly because so many people I am Talking to were showing up not only for themselves and for the world and for God as the perfect flawless beautiful You know the person that we think we're supposed to be at all times and that's exhausting Like and so that's why so many people are like I'm out like I don't want to do this anymore because it feels awful and I'm Angela Nusbaum (48:57) It is exhausting. Brynne Erickson (49:04) I'm realizing that the person I really am is pretty awesome and I want to be them. And if God doesn't want me to be that person, well, I'm choosing me, you know, instead of we've kind of skewed, we've skewed very much what God, how God views us and what God expects of us, if anything. I don't even know that there are any expectations. Angela Nusbaum (49:17) It's different. Well, and how much of it? Right? And I think that it comes down to there are laws that bind men and laws that set them free. But if we can't be authentically ourselves, I think we're actually denying God. So I don't know if you've ever read the book, Punchinello. It's a children's book. Brynne Erickson (49:49) It's been a minute, but yes, with the stickers. Angela Nusbaum (49:50) Wait a minute. with the stickers, the puppet, he goes out and all he gets is dots. There's dots and there's stars and he's all scratched and he doesn't have anything. He's not good enough to ever get stars. And then he meets someone who doesn't have dots or stars. And she says, we'll go up and talk to Eli, a synonym for God. And that's how I don't have any stickers. It's because I talk to Eli every day. And he goes up and he talks to Eli and Eli just reminds him, he says, who are they to judge you? I made you and I think you are special. Actually, that's the name of the book is you are special. And Fentinello leaves and he thinks, I think he really means it. And a dot falls. We get so caught up in this culture and the society that says we have to be and we have to be part of the herd and we have to do X, Y, and Z. Brynne Erickson (50:31) You are special. Angela Nusbaum (50:50) But truly, if we, okay, belief, gospel according to Angela, if we truly understood our own brilliance and our own identity, we would never settle for what anyone else told us we should be. Brynne Erickson (50:55) Okay. Amen. Angela Nusbaum (51:09) And I will stand on that rock. Brynne Erickson (51:12) I love it. I'll stand with you because I believe it. And as I have really reflected upon the beliefs that have come up that no longer serve me, I keep coming back to that. Like God just loves me and wants to connect with me exactly as I am and to bring my whole self. And imagine if we could do that in our relationships too. Angela Nusbaum (51:41) It's so much fun when you do. Brynne Erickson (51:43) And that's where your work comes in and that's why I love people that are so willing to whether it's coaching or therapy or counseling that there are people out there with the skills to help us connect with ourselves so that we can connect with others in authentic and loving ways and allowing other people to do the same thing. Angela Nusbaum (52:06) Yes, agreed. I love it. And there are so many good people out there that truly are voting your victory. And I'm grateful that you are doing what you're doing and sharing that. Brynne Erickson (52:10) So good. Yeah, yeah. Well, thank you in my little way. It's exciting. Before we wrap up, are there any experiences that you want to share of people you've worked with or yourself that come to mind? Angela Nusbaum (52:37) I mean, I've shared a few. Brynne Erickson (52:38) Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (52:46) This has been really fun because it's allowed me to just kind of share as we go. Brynne Erickson (52:55) If not, that's okay. Angela Nusbaum (52:55) So one of my favorite clients actually came in the first time he met me. He came as a massage client and I said, okay, what do you want to focus on today? And he says, well, you my shoulders hurt, my hips hurt. I do this and this. And so I have a lot of shoulder and neck pain. I said, okay. He says, and by the way, I'm atheist. So none of that. You'd seen my mantle when he came in and there's a picture of Christ on it. none of that other stuff, like you're doing a massage so you're not talking, but just so you know, I'm atheist. So, okay, well go ahead and get on the table. And it was so much fun over the next few months. He shared a lot of what he was going through and his struggles. He was actually raised LDS and had a hard life and blamed God for a lot of it. So after a couple of months he comes back and he says, well, I think I'm agnostic. I said, okay. Well, go ahead and get on the table. And a few months later he comes back and he says, I'm a Taoist. I don't know what that is. He says, well, basically, and I'm gonna swear, he says, God put us on this earth, but he doesn't give a damn about us anymore. I said, okay. Brynne Erickson (54:19) You Angela Nusbaum (54:21) Well, get on the table. A few months later, you know, we've talked about several things and like he ended up mentoring with me over, was about nine months. And he comes in and he says, Angela. I think I'm a Christian. And I was like, great. Get on the table. And it was so much watching his progression and his healing journey. It wasn't just the physical release, but he had so much to heal spiritually and to be in a state where he could come in and stay. And it wasn't about going from atheism to Christianity. That wasn't the theme. But what he did was he healed. Brynne Erickson (54:37) Wow. Mm. Right. Right. Angela Nusbaum (55:04) the part of him that wanted the faith, that wanted to be alive in something different than the pain and the chaos that he was going through. So whether you're atheist or Gnostic or deist, I love the conversations that help us heal our spirit and our physical because truly I believe that that is where we empower our entire society. Brynne Erickson (55:35) Yep. I'm right there with you. I think mankind is craving that and we want that and we got to figure out a way to do it in conjunction with religion because that's how a lot of us were raised to operate is religion and practice. Correct. It's structure. So that's why it's not like totally disregarding it. Like, how can we do this in Angela Nusbaum (55:54) Well, in religion is structure. Brynne Erickson (56:05) unison with whatever that looks like for you, but this is like the structure and the framework that a lot of us have. So let's use that to help us rather than hurt us. Angela Nusbaum (56:17) Yes. Because like any tool, if you use it wrong, it hurts. Brynne Erickson (56:23) Yeah, absolutely. Angela Nusbaum (56:24) I would never use a hammer to do a screwdriver's job. Brynne Erickson (56:27) Yeah, exactly. For sure. Angela, this is so great. How can people find you and what do you offer? Angela Nusbaum (56:36) So I'm currently offering a three month package where you come and just work with me one-on-one. We do that in person or on Zoom. I have a lot of people that have actually preferred the Zoom. It allows for a little bit more flexibility in their day. You can reach me. My website is empoweredsoul.me. The dot me is important. Or you can reach out to me through Facebook. You can just look up Angela Nussbaum. And I have a group page that you can find as well, Aligning with Angela. So yeah, reach out to me. I love to have conversation. I'm very passionate about what I do. And I truly, I want you to see and remember who you are. Brynne Erickson (57:27) I love it. I think we all want that too. We just want to be loved as we are and love ourselves, which is such hard work. But once you start putting it in, you're like, man, it is hard for me to love me as I am. And who am I? Like it just starts this beautiful journey of growth. Angela Nusbaum (57:45) Well, and then when you get to the point where you're like, why wouldn't I love me? I'm phenomenal. Thank you very much. Like to get to that point and to feel that healing where you're no longer dependent on someone else's perception of you because you know so deeply who you are that you can't. It's well, I love the scripture in Helaman 512 where it says, remember, remember my son, that is upon the rock of your Redeemer whose Christ the son of God that you must build your foundation. Brynne Erickson (57:51) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Angela Nusbaum (58:15) A foundation where on if men build they cannot fall. If you are built on the foundation of who you are in Christ, other people's opinions don't matter quite as much. Brynne Erickson (58:30) awesome. Okay, well let's get everyone working with you. That'll be great. Empower all the people, right? Angela Nusbaum (58:37) And even if you don't work with me, just remember that you really are so phenomenal. Brynne Erickson (58:43) I love that perfect note to end on. Thanks so much, Angela. Angela Nusbaum (58:47) Thank you