This episode serves as a refreshing start to a bigger conversation about navigating life after major transitions, drawing wisdom from my morning scripture reading that beautifully aligns with our central theme.
Get ready to meet an old friend who radiates genuine joy and humor, someone whose authenticity has left an indelible mark on my heart. Despite the years and distance, her presence at a recent retirement party reminded me of the profound power of being true to oneself. Tune in as I explore how her natural, unpretentious way of living can inspire us all to embrace our journeys with a smile and a sense of authenticity, regardless of where we are in life.
This episode serves as a refreshing start to a bigger conversation about navigating life after major transitions, drawing wisdom from my morning scripture reading that beautifully aligns with our central theme.
Get ready to meet an old friend who radiates genuine joy and humor, someone whose authenticity has left an indelible mark on my heart. Despite the years and distance, her presence at a recent retirement party reminded me of the profound power of being true to oneself. Tune in as I explore how her natural, unpretentious way of living can inspire us all to embrace our journeys with a smile and a sense of authenticity, regardless of where we are in life.
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Speaker 1:
Hi, I am Christy Ballard-Fellaini. I am a certified life coach who found herself at 42, freshly divorced kids off to college and having never dated in my adult life. I was starting in the middle. If you haven't yet hit, start on your middle time in life, let's do it together. Let the journey begin. Hey there, friend, how are you today? I hope that you are having an amazing day.
Speaker 1:
I just went outside and I took my little scooter down the street. So if you are just now tuning into this podcast, if you just happen to come across it and maybe I'm rejogging your memory, back in April I had foot surgery and it's taken a little bit longer to completely heal up. So I use my scooter when I, you know, just need to go longer distances or if I'm doing something, you know that I just want to get done pretty quick. So the other day my scooter actually came out from under me. So as I was taking this quick little trip down the street, like I could feel my triceps and my biceps going. What the heck Like. Why haven't you used us in forever? And I think that it was because I was gripping so tight to that little scooter. You know, like I had that little traumatic experience from the other day that my brain kept thinking oh girl, you got to be super, super careful. So, anyway, and man, that little trip down the street. Holy cow, it is hot here in South Texas. I don't know if it is that hot where you are listening from, but, man, I just encourage you, please keep yourself hydrated. Find a cool spot when you can. And, yes, there are benefits to the vitamin D, the natural vitamin D that you get outside, but if you are in this extreme heat, you know, take caution with that, take caution with that. So I made it, made it back, but, like I said, my biceps and my triceps were like come on, girl, get it together. So that's my plan, I'm getting it together. So, today, what I wanted to talk to you about and I've been thinking about this podcast for a bit, and today I'm just like you know what Today's the day, and I know that today is the day because I was reading through scripture this morning and I was like, oh, this goes right alongside that podcast that you've been thinking about.
Speaker 1:
What I want to talk to you about today is a friend of mine. When I say friend, I mean she is an extremely friendly person. Her and I have known each other for several, several years. She is not a friend that I am super, super close with. You know that I would say that we would text back and forth or we might call each other on the phone, or she does live in a completely different state now and so, um, we are the kind of friends that when we get back into each other's presence, um, it's loving. We um ask each other. You know, hey, let's catch up. How are things going with you? Tell me about your children? Same thing, vice versa.
Speaker 1:
But I went to a retirement party last week and she was there and I was like this girl just joy, sweats radiate, whatever you want to call it, like beams of joy just come out from her, and when you are in her presence, you can feel it. You can feel it. You know she's always got something funny to say. I mean, she has always got just a hysterical outlook on whatever it is that you're talking about. So you can always count on her to say something funny. She doesn't pretend in any way, shape or form, like when you are in her presence you can tell that this is her being authentic, that this is genuinely her. Okay, so she doesn't pretend and, again, we're not that close and intimate, but just the way that I see her being in the world and the way that I have seen her.
Speaker 1:
My past experience with her is that this is not a showy, this is not for show, this is not. This is how I'm going to act when I get in public, you can just tell when someone is showing up in their most authentic form, and the funny thing too, is that she's such a free spirit that when you get into her circle, you're automatically going to get yourself a nickname, like no matter what, she gives everybody the funnest nicknames and, more than likely, whatever your name is, when she gives you your nickname, it might have Lou on the end of it, just saying but the thing that wanted me to present this to you and wanted me to talk about this to you is because every single one of us can have this. You know, back when I was in my 20s and 30s and that's how long I've known her back when I was in my 20s and 30s, my thought process was because I didn't know what this was like. I didn't know that this is how you could be all of the time. So my thought process was well. So my thought process was well, she must have a really great marriage. Well, she must have her finances all in order, she must have all of her ducks in a row. And that's why she doesn't have anything to worry about, right? Because we think that when someone is this happy, all of the time, they must not have anything to worry about, they must not have no troubles, no troubles, they must not have any troubles. They must have everything all together, always going for them. Nothing bad ever happens to them. But, as I mentioned, as I was reading scripture today and as I was thinking about this beautiful woman, I was reminded that this is for every single one of us. Every single one of us can have this peace, and that's what I figured out. It was today. That was the pinpoint. It wasn't that she doesn't have any troubles, that she doesn't have any worries, it's that she has peace. And so when you have peace, then, yes, this is how you can show up in the world. When you have peace, you understand that, yes, life doesn't always go the way that we want it to, but the peace, the acceptance, the trust that we have in our higher power, for me that looks like God. For you it might look like universe, it might look like mother earth, whatever it is, but for me it looks like God that when you have that peace, that trust, that knowing, then you're able to show up like this. And so this is something that I want to concentrate on this summer. This summer, I want to concentrate on cultivating peace, and so when I thought about peace, I thought, okay, well, not only is it trust and surrender and living knowing that there is abundance in this world, not only is it those things, but also the fruit of the spirit. And so part of my practice this summer is that I am committing to tapping more into the fruits of the Spirit. So Galatians 5.22 reads that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And so I firmly believe that when I am living more into calling up the fruits of the spirit inside myself and being this with my interactions in the world, being this with the women that I work with in my business, being this in my interactions within my Empowering Women Coffee and Connections group and, most importantly, being this for my own family my husband, my adult children, husband, my adult children, my elderly dad, my sisters being this is what is going to cultivate that peace. I've also been studying the book of Romans, chapter five, something my pastor said a couple weeks ago and it kind of struck me and I went back and I read the section one through 11. And so it's so interesting how all of this just kind of ties together, because inside this chapter it reminds us that there's going to be troubles, there's going to be things that are unexpected that come up. We are going to have tribulation in our lives. However, I firmly believe that when we go back to this idea of peace and remembering who we can be through the fruits of the Spirit, that we can endure any trouble, any trial, any tribulation that comes our way. But we can also do it with this peace. And so when we are living with this peace, can we sweat joy too, can we radiate joy as well, just like my friend does. So lots to think about here. Reach out to me if you have any questions, reach out to me if you just want to gab on this topic. It's super, super fascinating how one thing pops into mind this idea of you know just this beautiful woman who just exuberates all of this joy. And when I'm focusing on oh yeah, I want to do a podcast on that. It stays in my brain and then all these other little things kind of fall into place. That wraps it all up and brings it back together, and I think what is being impressed upon me here is is the peace that I want in my life. I work with many, many women who want that peace too. I work with many, many women who want to feel on the day-to-day the joy that is actually meant for us, the joy that we are actually meant to feel, and I know that times get tough. I know that we go through things. If you listen to my bio at 42, I went through a divorce after 21 years of marriage. I have experienced that loneliness that you feel when the children that you nurtured for 18 years are off into the world doing their own thing. I know what it feels like to have a child reject you, an adult child reject you when you feel like you've done nothing wrong. I know what it feels like to feel unsatisfied in a career and make a big decision to make a change. I know what it feels like to really, really want something so badly that you just can't seem to make it happen. I know all of those things, but I also feel like the biggest thing that helps me get through all of those things is continuing my relationship with God and continuing to educate myself and to continue to look for the peace that I want in my life, and that's what self-empowerment is all about. That's what personal development and personal growth is all about. It's about seeing and feeling a deficiency in your life and finding the help that you need to move forward in figuring it out. So, all right, you guys, I hope that, wherever it is that you are at, you're having a beautiful summer. If you want to connect more with me, we can certainly do so through Facebook. On Facebook, my handle is Christy Fellaini Coaching, or you can simply follow me on my personal page, christy Fellaini. On Instagram, I'm at TheMidlife underscore Rediscovery underscore Coach. Connect with me in either of those two areas or come and visit my website, wwwchristiefellanicoachingcom. Remember that this summer, we are doing the summer of you. So for June, tapping into who it is that you were truly meant to be Do you already know where you get your identity from? You might come June the 12th and you may be surprised on where it is that you actually do get your identity. In the month of July, we're going to be talking about the difference between self-worth and self-confidence yes, they are two separate things and, yes, they probably are affecting you. And then, in the month of August, we're going to be talking about your true purpose, uncovering what it is that you are actually meant to be here for. Maybe it is that you're already living it out and you want to be encouraged about what the next steps are. So connect with me on my website, wwwchristiefellainicoachingcom. If you want to join us inside the summer of you. All right, I hope you have a great week. Talk to you soon. Who is your life coach? I would love the opportunity to work with you as you are rediscovering the woman you were meant to be. Visit christyballardfelainicom for more information on how we can work together to ignite that passionate, enthusiastic woman who may have been tucked away for some time. Let's start in the middle together. Thank you.
