Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to youo Odyssey Podcast, where your guides, Tara and Karen invite you on a transformative journey toward wholeness and personal growth.
Each week, we'll discuss topics related to the human experience and offer insights to help you along the way.
Please note, this podcast should not replace medical care or advice.
We are not licensed health care professionals or mental health therapists.
If you enjoyed today's episode, subscribe so you don't miss out on our future discussions.
So, explorers, let's dive into today's episode.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Hey, explorers, it's Tara. How are you feeling as the year winds down?
If this season feels equal parts gratitude and weariness, you're not alone.
[00:01:06] Speaker C: Oh, weariness.
Yeah.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: Sometimes after these years or long seasons of vulnerabil vulnerability.
Okay, well, I'll explore that with my therapist later. Sometimes after long seasons of responsibility, up, giving and caring and keeping things moving forward, we forget how to dream for ourselves.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Yeah, we're so busy keeping the balls in the air that we don't even notice that those. First of all, they're not even our balls. I'll let you hang with that one for a second. And second of all, why are we keeping them in the air if we don't even want them?
[00:01:41] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. So, Explorer Karen and I invite you to take a breath, Get comfortable, and let's talk about what it means to give yourself permission to dream again. Let's do that. More dreams. Now, I'm really excited for the song for the episode, but let's just. Okay, episode first and then. Then we can do that. This episode is for all of you explorers who've been in doing mode all year, all season, whatever time frame looks like for you. And you've carried all of the details, managed the calendars, and held it all together as you sit and listen and as you think, you realize that your desires and your dreams have gotten lost along the way. So let's talk about how you can reconnect with what you actually want, not what you should want.
And how to soften the fear of disappointment from those around us. Or the disappointment in the dream itself that comes from dreaming. And how to rebuild trust with your own imagination.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: I love that idea. Because when you were explaining what people have been doing all year and the tasks and the calendaring. I'm exhausted.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:54] Speaker C: I'm going to dreamland.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: Let's go.
Yes. Into dreamland and into that place of possibility where we expand our realities and actually reach for our dreams again.
[00:03:08] Speaker D: Yes. Absolutely.
[00:03:09] Speaker C: Not saying you gotta throw the baby.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: Out with the bath water or just only stay in dreamland, you should visit it every now and then.
[00:03:16] Speaker C: You really should.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: It's really good. It's quarterly at least. All right. And sometimes after these hard seasons, we start to believe and feel like dreaming is impossible.
And it's not that we don't want it, but it almost seems impractical giving everything that we have going on. So we inadvertently switch into this protection mode where it becomes costly to dream. We try to protect ourselves from disappointment and when we do that, we shrink our imagination. It makes it go down really small because then we convince ourselves that, you know, wanting less somehow will make it so we hurt less, so life will be easier.
[00:03:59] Speaker C: I don't know. It's actually the inverse is true. Fueling your dreams and keeping that joy and stoking that hope and those desires, that's going to balance everything else out for sure.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: See, for sure.
The idea of dreaming seems like a luxury. Like it's almost indulgent to do that. Indulgent and irresponsible to dream when there are more practical things that we could be doing.
[00:04:24] Speaker C: And sometimes our listeners also do that with the self care practice that we talk about. We're like, oh, that's for other people. I don't have time for that. If you have uttered those words, then in fact, my friend, you must make time.
And for the dream. Stoking is part of self care.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: And I have heard as we are leaning into this season of gratitude, we should be grateful for what we have. As if being grateful for what we have, like having and holding that gratitude, cannot coexist with desire. Like we can't be grateful and desire or want more at the same time because it's gonna cancel the other thing out. They kinda need each other. The gratitude piece will ground you in being faithful with what you have. And at the same time, when you're dreaming and leaning into your desires, you're room for more.
[00:05:12] Speaker C: The gratitude for the things you have now is beautiful and really important for this cycle of generosity. And what you're experiencing right now is what you envisioned, you know, one, two, five years ago. So if you want more goodness and more expansion and more dream filling, this is the time now to fuel that. Yeah, it's not making you less grateful for what you have, it's. It's just adding gratitude for what you see coming or what you desire.
[00:05:42] Speaker B: Yeah, and if you've been in survival mode, it really makes sense how your dreams, how your dreams can get quiet and a little bit lost along the way. Because in that survival mode, you're protecting the tender, most delicate parts of yourself. We understand it, we support you, and we are here with you in that mode. But here's a gentle reframe. You're not actually disconnected from your dreams. You've just been protecting the parts of you that remember how to imagine. So what we're doing now, this is like a gentle calling out. If you are listening and realize like, oh, I haven't leaned into my desires or my dreams in a really long time, right?
[00:06:22] Speaker C: Like imagination and creativity, I. E. Desires and dreaming, that is such an important part of the human experience. Experience, it's such an important factor in our growth and our expansion, evolution and our sort of coming into who we are. And the joy of realizing who we are in total is so right on and is exactly why we're here. And it fuels and leans into our purpose as well. Humans love purpose. We love community, we love joy, we love gratitude. Thinking about what fuels me, what lights me up, what brings me joy, that's.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: An important ritual to be experiencing. Often I would say yes, because it doesn't always like this dreaming, this imagining doesn't always have to look like a vision board or a five year plan. It's just like you said, that gentle question, like, what do I want? Where are the things that light me up? And doing more of those things. Because this dreaming, this desire building is about curiosity, not certainty. It's opening your heart and your mind to all of the possibilities, the curious nature.
[00:07:30] Speaker C: That's the childlike growth factor. People, we become adults and we have to get serious and do all the adulting.
Actually what we are here to do is to grow and experience love and joy and to expand greater and more powerful and more lit up. And if you're not using the power, your power, creativity and imagination and dreaming and wondering and getting curious, then I don't know, then we're stuck in like the mode of the tree in winter who's never gonna grow leaves again. It just feels very desolate.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Do you think that it's the dream that scares us or trusting ourselves with the dream?
[00:08:14] Speaker C: Oh, I think it's probably a combination of both of those things for people. I mean, the dream itself, even if it seems scary, it's really coming from us. So it is us, right? Like that probably wouldn't be as scary.
[00:08:25] Speaker D: Scary.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: It's the now what do I do?
[00:08:28] Speaker D: Right?
[00:08:32] Speaker C: Oh, good lord. Oh my gosh. Am I, am I, Can I hold it? Can I take the action steps? Yeah, because there's no wrong answer. You just keep going.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: Yes, you can't do it wrong if you're in that dream state or in that dream desire recovery phase. And that second guessing, that disappointment, disappointment that sometimes follow the whispers of, what if I mess up again? What if I can't handle it? And like Karen said, if it's coming to you through you, the answer is yes, you can handle it. Like, yes, yes. You don't have to feel like that's a failure. That is your mind saying, we've been through a lot, we've carried a lot. And we just got to figure out how we trust ourselves with this dream, to take action on. On this dream and not be afraid of the small steps. Because, like, we think, oh, this is a dream, and then we have to hurry up and get there. It has to be this big, giant leap to the dream. But it's actually those small, consistent choices that build the dream better than if you just, oh, here you go. Right.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: And the brain is doing. This is two facets. The brain is one trying to protect you and trying to keep you safe and comfortable. So it's going to also do a little bit of that talk of, like, I don't know if that's really the best route forward.
And then it's also going to overthink and paralyze you. Right. Analysis paralysis. Well, history shows. Well, because you haven't done it yet. It's a new dream. Even if it's an old dream, it's a new dream now, today, when you're having it. So pretend none of that ever happens.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Yeah. Because you actually can trust yourself. You can trust your dream.
And I just want to really reiterate, like, the first step in dreaming, leaning into your desires isn't actually the action step. It's giving yourself permission to do that. Like giving yourself permission to dream before the action takes place. Because what is the thing? Like, ready, fire, aim. Like in dream? Like, no, like actually get ready. That's the first step.
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Prepare.
Prepare. I feel like this is where nervous system regulation ties into everything in life, in my world and in all the world. If we can create safety for ourselves, if we can slow our breath down, talk to our little squishy inside and be like, it's okay. We can dream. No matter what has happened before this moment, this is my nature to want to be joyful and expansive and dreaming and grow.
Like, if we can find that safe, still space and let our little hearts go, like, it's okay, it's okay. And you might have to do this for what, I don't know, seven days, a whole month. Before you actually get to the point of the dream. But just create safety for yourself and let yourself know that it is safe for you because it is very natural for you to grow.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: Oh my goodness. Like it's okay. It is actually okay because there really becomes a point. I believe, believe in everyone's life either early, mid, late, whatever. We don't want you on the late side of it. But also, is it even late if you still here? It's not late. Okay. Anyway, but like there comes right now, listen, there comes this point when the lack of dreaming is not good enough anymore. And we're like, you know what? I feel like there is something bigger. There's a calling, there's an expansiveness that you're being pushed into that feels exciting and unfamiliar, but also exciting.
It's like this creation, this dreaming isn't like chaos or certainty. It's this collaboration with life and this desire to say, I'm open again. Like I'm open for dream business again.
Yeah. And I was catching myself in this whole like early. The late thing of it is something that we tell ourselves. It's like too late, the window has passed, we missed our moment. But that has never been true. Like this growth, this reinvention, these new beginnings happen over the course of our lives.
[00:12:39] Speaker C: Many, many, many, many times I tell you how many people have, if they ever find out that I'm a piano player, they're like, oh yeah, I used to play or I've always wanted to play and maybe they're in a 70.
[00:12:52] Speaker B: I'm like, yeah, you go ahead.
[00:12:54] Speaker C: Oh well, now I couldn't. Why do you. Are you breathing?
Do you have hands?
[00:13:00] Speaker B: Do you have. Okay, like you can do this. Yeah, you can actually do it.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: It's a permission thing. It all comes down to the permission.
[00:13:08] Speaker B: And I am going to circle back to what you said a little bit earlier about the self care. A big part I feel like, of dreaming again, of leaning into your desires, is that awareness that you can't build from depletion. It has to come from the reset, the renewal.
Why that pause we talked about really matters and why your rest is important. Because this gives you the ability to build, to dream with clarity, energy and self trust.
It's like reminding yourself that you're not too late, you're right on time for your next season.
Rather than rushing and being tied to some age limits, some calendars, this has to happen now or oh my goodness, it's too late. Like, no, you're right on time. Right.
[00:13:49] Speaker C: Your time frame that comes from within you. It is not a linear clock chapter. No, it comes from within you. And if it's time for you to do xyz, it's time.
If you're.
[00:14:06] Speaker B: Yeah, you get to say, I feel.
[00:14:09] Speaker C: Like when we're on that hamster wheel of life, where we're generating, we're doing, we're striving, we're in that find me. Everything happens by me. I'm in control. When we're in that phase or that mode of operation, we. That we can literally just go, oh.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: I'm off the hamster.
[00:14:27] Speaker C: I thought I had to stay on this thing. And it's that first inkling that something feels like it's missing or something feels like, I've done this for so long, I'm so bored, or I'm so stale, or I'm so used to this, or I'm so cranky or whatever it is that. That makes you go, hold on.
I'm still living, and I am inherently creative. And what. What I can choose. I can turn right anytime.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Yes, you can always choose differently. Oh, my goodness. Always choose differently. You can give yourself that permission to create from fullness rather than fatigue.
Give yourself permission to dream without apology. Dreaming is an act of trust. And it's you saying to yourself that there's still more ahead for me.
[00:15:20] Speaker C: And I'm gonna drop another little secret is you can dream many different dreams, and you.
You can pick just one of them. But the act of dreaming and. And wondering, getting curious and playing, it doesn't mean you have to do the thing. You might be getting to the thing, but you gotta start somewhere. You gotta activate Adrian. And then another one, and then another one. And just keep that. I think it's like a muscle, right? The reflex. Creativity and imagination alive. And you will get to the thing that actually does feel right for you. And also doable, actionable.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Right? Also doable and actionable. You said many dreams. And I'm like, well, I feel like that is a perfect time to talk about this song, for this episode. I hope that it gives you the courage to hope and dream again, to recognize the beauty of beginning before you have it all figured out and that bravery that exists inside of you to start something new wherever you are. Whatever season and whatever stage of life you are in, this song is all about imagination. And so starting.
And the starting place for transformation.
A million dreams from the greatest showman.
Yes. All right, here we go. So, like, wherever you are, just give yourself permission to have those million dreams, to open your heart and to listen. Let's go.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: Check out this week's song on the YO Podcast playlist on Spotify.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: I just feel like, like, like, like.
[00:17:10] Speaker C: We wrote that song. I feel like we've been envisioning for several days what it's gonna and supporting people in connecting to their hearts, their dreams, and allowing themselves to live this vibrant, joyful, purposeful life that feels so good to them, whatever that is. And like, that is what I want us to do.
[00:17:33] Speaker B: We live this song like every night I lie in bed the brightest colors fill my head. Yes, it's the colors of joy, the color of love how beautiful your imagination and creation isn't. It's a million little dreams. It's not just this big one picture, one possibility. It's the one what if still matters. What if is important. And that what if is not a distraction. It's really the direction that you're supposed to go. And as Karen and I have built and continue to build this business together, it started with a what if?
And from there it continues to grow and evolve and change in ways we didn't see. I was going to say in ways that we can plan, see, imagine. And it's like, okay, here we go. Go.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: You just right onto that little dream and. And they said something about however big.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: However big, however small, just let that.
[00:18:29] Speaker C: Little nugget like it just. Oh my gosh.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: All right, so we have this question of the day that I feel like we are living. And I was like, yes. Okay, so here's the question. What's one dream you've been afraid to revisit? And what would it look like to give yourself permission to explore it again? And I'm like, we have dreamed and are dreaming and building. This has opened up to where I'm not really afraid to dream. You and I recently did. I don't know if it's recently, but we did like a 10 year visioning plan. And as I was reading it aloud to you, I'm like, well this seems too small. Like, like we have been in the active, like active dream mode. Active expansion mode after. Let's get in alignment with what we are called here to do. Like how we supposed to spread? So like I can't think of any dream that like I've just tucked away and put on a shelf. Especially as I think through the past two years of this life making two reality, I can't think of a dream that I'm afraid to dream. Because even envisioning and planning, I'm like, well, at the moment maybe writing it seemed like, oh, My gosh, that's super big. But then when you say it out loud, it's like, yeah, that's possible.
[00:19:37] Speaker C: Look what's happened in two years. Look what's happening.
We're just allowing. Just allowing. Because at the end of the day, I think people stop dreaming because they feel like they're not worthy of.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: Right.
[00:19:49] Speaker C: Like you are so worthy. If you have a dream, an inkling of something, it means it's for you. It's part of you. It's a guidepost.
[00:19:58] Speaker D: That's.
[00:19:58] Speaker C: Holy cow.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: So maybe our experience isn't your experience, and there is this dream that you've tucked away that. That it seems too small or too big. But rather than being critical of it, we invite you to be curious.
Maybe you don't need a new dream, but need to revisit the one you stopped believing was possible at the end of this visioning. It's not actually impossible.
[00:20:27] Speaker C: It's an engagement with the dream, too. Conversation that you allow yourself to have, maybe in a journaling moment after you create the stillness.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: What.
[00:20:36] Speaker C: What would that be like?
[00:20:38] Speaker B: What.
[00:20:38] Speaker C: Enlist all of the things that feel right to you about it. And to answer that question, it's interesting because the piece of my dream is the traveling piece, the being a global citizen. And I have definitely. I'm a mom. I can't, you know, wait a minute.
[00:20:55] Speaker B: Just wait one minute.
[00:20:58] Speaker C: Like, there are ways to make that be a part of it for me. That is a big part of my dream of this.
If I can dream it, I can do it, right? I know that sounds cliche, but if it's come to me, it's like, well, there must be a way to do it. There must be a solution. There must be an avenue. Right? I'm not sure what it looks like, and it may not be conventional, but there's something.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: There's a possibility. Oh, yeah.
[00:21:20] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: This has been great.
Continuing in our dreams, I have a quote from Harlem Renaissance poet and social voice of the Harlem Renaissance. It is a quote from Langston Hughes. If you don't know Langston Hughes, you will after I say this quote. His work, his poems, carried hope and truth for generations.
This quote about dreaming still holds power today. Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken, winged bird that cannot fly.
[00:21:56] Speaker C: I feel like that sums up what.
[00:21:57] Speaker B: We were trying to say. Yes. The image of, like, your life being a bird that cannot fly. Dreams are essential. Living a life that lifts you, a life that gives you direction, and a life that reminds you of everything that is possible.
And a life that you're living that isn't from duty but but from desire. Like those two things can live together. You can be grateful, you can dream, you can imagine, you can vision. You don't want to be that broken winged bird that doesn't fly. That's the bird.
[00:22:28] Speaker C: I just wanted to point that out. That's the bird with the wings that wants to fly in and out of the cage.
[00:22:35] Speaker B: Explorer as Karen and I wholeheartedly believe that your dreams still matter.
Even the ones that you've tucked away. Even the ones that you're a little afraid to say out loud. It's not, not too late to dream again or believe you're ready to hold what you once hoped for.
So as you move through the week, as you move through the season, give yourself permission to imagine something new. You don't have to chase it. Let it breathe. Let it live in the whisper.
If this episode stirred something in you, maybe sparked a little imagination, share it with another explorer who needs that reminder as well. Until next time, May your imagination stretch, your courage rise and your dreams meet you where you are. See you next week on YOUR Odyssey.
[00:23:21] Speaker C: We believe in you and your dreams. Let them fly. Light them up. We love you. Take good care.
[00:23:29] Speaker D: Thank you to Queenies in downtown Durham for the use of their community podcast studio and for welcoming us so warmly. Each week we'd like to give a shout out to Coco Cinnamon, the birthplace of 1023 Media and the yo podcast. Please support your local women owned minority owned coffee shop in downtown Durham.
Brought to you by Durham based 1023 Media, a heart centered woman owned multimedia company.
Sam.
