The Courage Chronicles: Week 5

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I don’t look nervous at all. Or do I?

Hello, you bold, brave, fiercely authentic, Uplifters!

This week, my courage took on different forms:

🥇Remember the girl who wouldn't run even if a bear was chasing her for the first 25 years of her life? Well, she (that's me!) somehow ended up with a silver medal at a National Championship race on Sunday at age 49. Every mile, I thought of Kathrine Switzer and Edith Zuschmann telling me to “run fearless”. Read more about that HERE.

🥈I attended several cool book launches. What's so scary about that, you ask? Plenty! The usual questions popped up: What will I say? Who will I talk to? Where do I look in a room of strangers who all seem to be talking to one another? The default answer? My phone! But that's not super courageous, and definitely not "in the moment".

So, I committed to not looking at my phone while navigating the awkward, aimless uncertainty of social gatherings. Instead, I challenged myself to keep my thoughts focused on the present moment.

The result? I saw a bunch of old friends and folks I've met over Zoom but never in person. I met people I've admired from afar. Instead of feeling that "Ugh, I chickened out in an awkward social gathering" regret afterward, I felt a total full-body, full-heart buzz from engaging with others, reigniting creative sparks, and feeling a surge of optimism for all that is to come.

Anddddd I got to be a part of celebrating some fantastic new books from Uplifters. Let’s lift them up by purchasing and reviewing their books, friends!

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Daisy Auger-Dominguez

’s new book Burnt Out to Lit Up is a vital guidebook for anyone who has ever felt burned to a crisp, is on the verge of being fried, or cares for someone who is.

📚You Are Not Broken: Stop “Should-Ing” All over Your Sex Life by

Dr. Kelly Casperson's Substack

is the book I didn’t know I needed, but am so excited to have now.

Shoutouts

Big ups to reader and friend Annamarie, who is running her first marathon now that she's retired. She said:

"Getting out of bed for those long runs takes every ounce of strength and motivation, but I am doing it! This is harder than anything I've ever done, and I am counting down the days until taper week..."

We have so much more strength than we know, friends! Would we believe it if we just got out of bed and proved it to ourselves over and over again? If we made the effort of doing hard things the goal itself? Oooh! We'd feel so badass!!!

Have you listened to Lakeisha Hodge on the podcast yet? She may be one of the bravest people I've ever met. As a young child, her family was often homeless. When she had her own children, she found herself in and out of homelessness. When she met her husband, he was also struggling.

But everything changed when they set long-term goals for themselves and built a map for themselves and generations to come. Now they've spent the last 20 years coaching others in their community, especially at-risk teens and their families, to break cycles of poverty and homelessness through radical self-love.

I've already listened to this episode five times, and I think I may go back and listen to it again, because her wisdom gives me such a huge boost.

For another story of an incredibly courageous person tackling homelessness, listen to the story of Lisa Halverstadt. This episode won our Signal Award last year and is the most personal episode of the podcast to date.

Your Turn: What Did Courage Look Like for You?

So, what did this week teach you about courage, friends? Did you discover new things that scare you? Or maybe you gave yourself a little proof point of what your courage can yield? I want to hear all about it! Every story you share lifts me up and makes me feel braver and bolder. Let's keep rising higher together!

Aransas

P.S. Our listener survey is still open. Will I ever close it? TBD. It’ll take less than 5 minutes to complete and you’ll have a hand in shaping the future of The Uplifters Podcast and Substack.

P.P.S. I’ve been nominated for a Women in Podcasting Award! It would mean so much if you’d vote for The Uplifters in the Motivation and Inspiration category. This is the final push. Voting ends Oct 1.

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