[00:00:00] Hey, my friends. Welcome to another episode. I have had the craziest past couple of weeks. And I will tell you, there are some fun episodes coming up here because I have some amazing and ridiculous stories to tell you including losing my voice when I was supposed to give this speech at my brother's wedding and my voice is still trying to recover from that, so if I sound a little off today, you'll know why...
[00:00:27] But today, I want to share with you a few beautiful insights that I feel have been tailor made from God over the last few weeks, many of which have come together over this last Easter weekend. Now this Easter has been a little bit different for me in a lot of good ways. Honestly, there's been some low lows and some high highs. But it really has been symbolic for me of the lows and the highs that God helps create in my life because of Jesus Christ.
[00:00:57] And it all started with an invitation from some of my church leaders to really purposefully celebrate Easter. We put in so much effort and energy into Christmas and yes, it's beautiful that we celebrate the birth of Christ. But without Easter, Christmas doesn't matter. Right? And that really hit me when one of my church leaders said that to me, I just felt this depth of reverence for Easter, that I had more space to receive this year. So I've been pondering and exploring different traditions, different ways that we can make this season come alive and really focus on what matters, what it means to me—feel that deeper sense of gratitude, that commitment, that willingness to apply it to my life. And it has been a beautiful journey. And if you want any of my ideas or my thoughts, shoot me an email and I'll tell you about how my Easter has been.
[00:01:52] But today, I want to talk about that process, that opportunity to really look at something that you already value, something that you're already putting time and energy and emotion into, but looking at it in a new way that brings new life. And isn't that really the essence of Easter or of spring or of this season of the year? It's that newness of life, that opportunity for growth. Opening yourself to renewing the energy seeing things in a new way.
[00:02:26] Not because you're doing it wrong or feeling shame that you should have been doing better at this already, or even trying to find the perfect way that checks all the boxes that you feel like you're doing it right. No, no, no, no. None of that.
[00:02:40] *This is a curious, open exploration: an invitation to renew. *
[00:02:46] Whether it's your relationships with yourself, with God, and with others around you. Or maybe it's how you spend the time that you have on any given day. Maybe it's the messages that you say to yourself about the beautiful gift of the body that God has given you.
[00:03:02] It could be how you're choosing to use your voice. The way that you talk to other people or discipline your children. The way you choose to hide or share a message of faith.
[00:03:13] That last one has really been calling at my heart for me to look at the way that I'm sharing messages in the world and make sure it's aligned with what I truly value. And with what God is asking me to do.
[00:03:29] *I'm feeling this call. Can you feel it? *To realign, to renew, to revive your life in a way that has more space for the light of Christ to be with you, to flow through you, and to shine in the world around you.
[00:03:48] I want you to take a moment and think about a time where you shared a message, that wasn't really the message you wanted to send. Maybe it was a presentation that you did, or a tough conversation you had with a loved one or a friend or a spouse. Or maybe it's the way that you talked to your child in one of those moments that could have been beautiful, but really went south. Those times where you have that message in your heart but it just doesn't quite come out your mouth, and you're left feeling like you weren't the person that you wanted to be.
[00:04:20] Think of one of those moments for you. How did that feel? Did you feel unsettled or like somebody punched you in the gut, like, "Oh, that was awful!" Or maybe you're feeling just that worry, that anxious, you want to clarify. You want to make sure that they know what you really meant because you didn't mean it that way.
[00:04:41] So often we have these regrets because we don't show up in a way that we wanted to show up with our thoughts, with our feelings, with our actions, with our words, with the way that we spend our time, our talents and the things that we have been given. We simply sometimes fall short.
[00:05:00] *And that's part of being human. And I'm not inviting you today to try and be a robot.*
[00:05:07] But I do think that this is a beautiful time of year, a beautiful opportunity this spring, this Easter season to create a life (the thoughts, words, feelings, actions) that truly honor the values that are in your heart that help you shine that God given light that is within you and helps you become what He knows that you can become.
[00:05:34] Deep down inside you I know there's that feeling. That yearning to just be a better you. To be able to really clean up those things in your life that get in the way from you feeling peace; joy; love; relief; safety; connection; confident; clear.
[00:05:57] So many of these things that we want to create in our lives, that we desire to feel that pulls us forward to become, to renew, to reconnect to a bigger purpose.
[00:06:11] I've been feeling that pull on my heart lately very strongly. Especially when it comes to the messages that I share with you. I've been feeling a pull on my heart for years, knowing that God needed me to use my voice to share some of the things that I have learned that have brought more light to my life with the women of the world who faithfully are striving to move forward, but feel stuck sometimes.
[00:06:40] And if you've followed me for any amount of time, you've seen some of how that message has evolved, but there are some things that have been there from the beginning. I knew right upfront, literally handed from me by God, the thing that I needed to focus on was light. And that is why I chose to be called the Light Coach. Not because I am the light or I have a light that you need to get from me. But because I want to give you access to the light that is already available to you, to open up the doors and clear up the clutter that gets in the way for you to access that light.
[00:07:18] *Because you are important! You! Your message, your light, your gifts, your beauty that you add to this world, it is important. God cares about you. *
[00:07:31] He values you, He wants you to thrive and He sees everything that you can be. And I know this because He's given me glimpses of it. When I work with them, amazing women that come into the coaching programs with me I see it! I sit in these coach calls and He brings that love into my heart. And I just can't help but pour it out on the women who come so willing, so ready to create a life of light.
[00:08:01] But the problem is we live in a world with so many negative messages of darkness and fear and confusion and doubt and overwhelm. And it can be the big messages and the outside world. But it can also be the small messages. Inside your brain that nags you and won't leave you alone about how you're doing it wrong and how your kids deserve to have a better mom and you should be more patient with your husband. And look at all those people who are volunteering more than you. You aren't doing enough and you never will be enough. Do you hear those voices? I hear them. All the time. And just because I know how to process my thoughts and be aware of my feelings does not mean that all of that is deleted from my life.
[00:08:45] No, it just means I have more awareness of it and what to do with it and how to create more empowering cycles on purpose to bring more of that light, to dispel more of that darkness, and to feel that forward momentum that can move you through any struggle that you may be going through.
[00:09:05] That's the purpose of my message of everything that I do on this podcast or the things I post on Instagram, the newsletters I send, the one-on-one coaching, the courses, all of the things that I'm trying to create in the world are for you to add light to your life.
[00:09:22] *Light that can cut through the darkness and shine through the everyday struggles and the really, really hard ones*.
[00:09:31] Those moments when you are just not even sure that you can do this another day. Where you feel overwhelmed and stuck, confused, and just flat out worn out.
[00:09:42] But somehow that light, that gift that each of us have that you have within you can cut through that struggle. That guides you to the resources that you need to, the support people that are available to help you through it, and connect you to other people who have light as well. So that together we shine brighter through the ups and downs of everyday life.
[00:10:10] Because, my friend, you have ups and downs. And so do I, there are no exceptions. We all get, have a good ugly cry sometimes. And some days are just super overwhelming. And there are even times and seasons where it feels like things are going better, but we're still afraid or we're still feeling down on ourselves and we're not even sure why.
[00:10:33] And that is why it is so important that you are fueling yourself, your life, your mind with messages of hope, of renewal, of that spring, Easter energy that comes from that light of Christ that is in each of us, that is in you.
[00:10:56] *The light that shines through any darkness. *
[00:11:00] *And, my friends, that's what I want you to hear every time you listen to this podcast: messages of light that help you shine through whatever darkness, whatever struggle you might be going through. *
[00:11:14] So after some spring cleaning and some Easter energy and honestly some intense heart to hearts with God, I have felt that the name of this podcast isn't Life After Therapy. The name is Shining Through. Because no matter what's going on in the community, in the world and your home, even in your own mind God can help you shine through anything. And I'm going to do everything I can to help you shine through too.
[00:11:46] So starting next week, look for a new image and title of Shining Through on this podcast.
[00:11:53] And honestly, I don't know everything about what that means yet. I'm still exploring how that's going to change some of my messaging, some of the things I'm trying to put out in the world, but as I've explored a lot of it's really honestly what I'm already doing, it's just more aligned to the message that was already there. That light that was already growing. And can I tell you, I'm actually really excited about some of the things that are going to change some of the things I want to just give you an offer to the world. And I'm going to be doing some rolling out of that and doing some brand reveals and sharing some exciting new things to boost the energy and really make sure that our community is getting stronger. So make sure you follow me on Instagram @stephaniethelightcoach, or you're subscribed to my newsletter because I want to make sure that you are connected and getting the materials that will help you add light to your life as together we shift to have more of the vision of what I've always hoped for you as The Light Coach.
[00:12:54] *Now, my friend, I want you to just take a moment and breathe in gratitude. *Gratitude, just feel it. Gratitude for the power of the light of Christ in your life. For the opportunity to renew, to realign, and add new life. For that divine light that you have within you, that can help move you forward in every step of your journey.
[00:13:23] Gratitude for the things you are already doing to show up and add light to your life, recognize them, celebrate them, share them. I want to hear about them, so do others! Because when you shine your light and you share your experience, it inspires other people and helps them believe that it's possible. Especially when you have your human moments and you still have faith.
[00:13:47] I went to Pilates the other day and I was telling my friend about the crazy things that happened to me these last few weeks. And then I just naturally at the end said, "But God made it work and it was totally okay." And she just looked at me and she said, "You just always have space to bring God in it. And I love that about you." And I just really felt grateful that she knew that God is important to me and hopeful that that's adding more opportunities for her to see God's hand in her life too. And I'm not perfect at it. I totally have my negative moments too. But my invitation for you is to see where you're already doing it. You're already connecting to God, seeing that divinity in you using your gifts to bless this world in whatever way that looks for you. And, my friend, I promise that together we can shine even brighter.
[00:14:40] That is my hope for you. My belief in you. I know that you can do it. And I am super excited to see what comes next for you, for me, for this podcast, for the world, for the ways that God is adding more light to help us all get through the ups, the downs, the crazies, and those moments, or we just need each other.
[00:15:07] Thanks for showing up today; thanks for shining through. Have a blessed day, my friend.
[00:15:13] Are you getting my TLC Tuesday emails? They are filled with tips, insights, and invitations to help you add light to your life. Go to www.thelightcoach.com/subscribe and make sure you're included. Because big things are coming and I don't want you to miss them. *Together, we can create confidence, connection, and clarity in life after therapy.*
