September 2, 2025 • 30 mins
As the seasons shift, so do our emotions and perspectives. In this solo episode, Michelle opens up about the bittersweet end of summer, the challenges of seasonal transitions, and the reality of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). She reflects on how changes—whether in weather, career, or personal life—often require courage, faith, and trust. Alongside words of encouragement, Michelle also highlights the importance of mental health awareness during Suicide Prevention Month, reminding us that even in seasons of grief or uncertainty, we are never alone. CHECK IN for an uplifting and honest conversation about navigating transitions, finding beauty in change, and trusting the process of growth.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeart Radio and The Black Effect. Are you wondering how
do I really feel about seasons changing and having to
make transitions? You will find out on the next episode
(00:23):
of Checking In. Hello, good people, Welcome to another episode
of Checking In. How are y'all doing? Since our last episode?
How are y'all doing? We've had some amazing, amazing guest
(00:48):
Last week we had at Duena Finley, Dickerson, Cass Holman,
doctor Sabine Hazen. We've just we've we've we've had some
amazing guests. Yes, surprisingly, I was like, all of my
guests this year I'm looking have pretty been much been
(01:13):
all women except for Cadeen and Devau when when they
were on. That's just the way the bookings have been going.
A friend of mine reached out to me and was like, Yo,
you're gonna have some dudes on. So, yes, we're we
are working on that. But today I just get to
(01:34):
talk to you guys, and I'm really excited about that.
I think you're for this season, you'll probably hear more
of me solo wie. So solo episodes perform really really
really well. So again, Thank y'all so much for the
(01:55):
support of checking in everything. Thank y'all so much much.
Thank you to those who have come to New York
to see me in the musical Death Becomes Her on Broadway.
To my homies that live in New York, you know
who you are. Thank y'all so much for coming again
for the support. I know I owe y'all brunch, lunch,
(02:16):
or dinner. So if you're listening, know that I know that,
and I am going to definitely make some time. But yeah,
I just want to check in with y'all to just
see how you're doing. We've had a pretty mixed year,
filled with a lot of tragedy, a lot of loss,
(02:39):
a lot of grief. It's a lot. So I want
to make sure that this episode that I acknowledge that
and part of that this is a true thing, if
I am not mistaken. This is kind of around the
(03:00):
time people start experiencing something called.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
S a d D.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
It is seasonal effective disorder. It's basically seasonal depression. It's
called SAD. I'm sorry, not sadd. It's called SAD. It's
kind of when you know it occurs in climates where
there is less sunlight at certain times of the year,
(03:33):
and so we'll get into all of that, but when
we want to talk about loss, for me, yesterday was
Labor Day. It was the last summer holiday. If I'm
(03:56):
not mistaken, I don't think we have any more like
summer holidays, right, and it reminds me so much that
summer went by really fast. Do y'all agree, Send me
a message telling me if you agree, did summer go
(04:17):
by really fast for you? Or if it did not
go fast for you, let me know why, or maybe
tell me how how do you feel your summer has gone.
Summer went by really fast, and I really didn't have
the summer that I normally have. I'm not complaining because
(04:41):
I've been on Broadway, not complaining at all, but my
summers I really because I grew up in the Midwest,
we really had to take advantage of the summer. And
so even though now I live in what could be
considered a warmer climate, still the summer is the time
for me where I like to travel to warm places.
(05:05):
I like to go to amusement parks. Okay, I like
to sit by a pool and do nothing. I am
a summer girl at heart. So the thought of summer.
(05:25):
The season of summer leaving us, it does make me sad.
I think I've set it on previous seasons where I
still wear my flip flops. I'm still gonna wear my
flip flops. Probably if I feel like it's gonna be
seventy degrees, you might still see me in some flip flops.
(05:48):
That's the last thing that I let go that lets
me know, since it's time for you to start wearing
clothes to shoes. I'll have on a sweatsuit. I'll be
warm up top, but I'll make sure you know, even
if it's like a bone these sixty nine degrees, I'm
gonna have on a sweatsuit, but I'm gonna have on
(06:11):
some flip flops because that is the last thing I
let go that reminds me of summer. So y'all, I'm
really really grieved that the season of summer is leaving us.
So I do know, though, that since I do not
live in the Midwest anymore, I have not experienced seasonal
(06:35):
effective disorder again, what is seasonal effective disorder? It is
a mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the
same time every year. This is according to Mayo Clinic.
Seasonal effective disorder occurs in climates where there is less
(06:56):
sunlight at certain times of the year. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, hopelessness,
and social withdrawal. Treatment includes light therapy. It's literally called
a happy light. You can buy a happy light so
that it can remind you of the summer sun. Okay,
(07:19):
So I do notice that I have not experienced like
severe sad, y'all. I hate it. On top of already
just have dealt with regular depression. Then it comes sad.
So again, the thought of summer leaving makes me sad.
(07:42):
And it's like, well, you have something to look forward to,
you have another season to look forward to. I don't care.
I want to stay in the same season. Now I'm
preaching to myself, how many of us stay. We want
to stay in the same season because we're locked in
(08:05):
to how this season makes us feel, versus sometimes it
is necessary for other seasons to come upon us. I'm
just saying I'm not a fan of fall. I know
(08:25):
it's pretty. I do love the trees turning colors. I
love that, But I think for me, fall reminds me
that winter is coming. And I'm definitely not a fan
of winter, and I grew up in an area where
(08:46):
we had brutal winters. Hated it, hated it, then hate
it now, So it really really really bothers me. So
if y'all can just indulge me for a moment that
it makes sense that my friend Justin Foster would reach
(09:13):
out to me to do a collaboration with him for
a series that he does on social media called Take
what You Need. And he reached out through a friend
of mine at first, and then you know, to talk
about the about transitions. And I said, it's funny that
(09:35):
you would want me to talk about transitions because I
absolutely despise the transition from warm weather to cold weather. Okay,
so we came up with it. It didn't take long.
And basically it just says, September just feels like a
(09:58):
breakthrough wrapped up in beautiful news chapters and equally beautiful transitions.
So you have to see that the seasons changing can
actually be beautiful. What did I just say moments ago?
You know what? Fall looks beautiful? It just starts to
feel you know, it's just because I don't I just
(10:18):
does me my preference. I don't like the cold, but
I think I'm going somewhere here how seasons changing can
actually be beautiful. So he goes on to saying the caption,
reminding you that fall pushes us forward into new seasons
and spaces, and that newness is just around the corner.
So just as the leaves begin to fall to the ground,
(10:41):
it's the seasons changed for a reason. It makes our
plants be able to shed the old so that when
springtime comes around, it can actually boom. It's gonna boom
and produce something else beautiful. So just know that when
something seems to fall off in your life, it's probably
(11:08):
gonna produce something beautiful if you give it the time,
if you let the season of life do what it
needs to do to be able to produce something else beautiful.
So literally, as I'm talking to y'all, I'm looking at
a screen saver on a computer and it looks like
(11:33):
the fall. It looks like this could be like in
the hills of Tennessee or Alabama, or the winding mountains
of North Carolina during the fall. So that's actually fitting
for today. So talking about transition, you know, this will
(11:55):
be a September to remember in the best way possible.
So then I went on to say, seasons change, and
so should you. Just like your favorite store is beginning
to transition from summer collections into fall collections, you'll notice
there are always big sales. If you go to your
favorite stores, they're having like clearance racks and fifty percent
(12:21):
off taken additional thirty percent off because they have to
get rid of what's old to make room for what's new.
But then my petty self was like, oh, I hate
when I see brown. A young lady at the theater
the other night had on a brown sweater and I
was like, ugh, and you probably like pumpkin spice lattes.
(12:42):
And she said, ain't, dude, I just love the fall.
It's still hot outside and she's walking in here with
a brown sweater on pumpkin spice lattes. Now, I did
see candy corn like slippers. Somebody sent me a picture
of some candy corn plush pillows. I said, Sis, get
them for me. That means fall is coming. That's the
(13:04):
only thing I like about fall is that I get
to troll you guys with candy corn. But sweetheart, the
season will change whether or not you want it to adjust,
and just go get some cute sweaters beloved. So that's
what I was telling myself. The seasons will change whether
you want them to or not. God is not sitting
(13:28):
there saying, you know what, Michelle doesn't like the fall.
I'm gonna make sure that that season does not change. No, No,
let nature do what nature needs to do so that
it can produce another beautiful sprint for us next year.
You see how I just slipped right past the winter
(13:50):
because the winter, all the snow and the cold, it
just makes everything literally die, the plants, everything. So September
is for starting over. It's a month of doing life
from a clean slate, a month of fresh starts and
new beginnings. A month where the transition ends and new
(14:10):
life begins. A month where love is rekindled, faith is found,
and the joy for life is restored. The month where
the spark bursts into a full outflame in your soul. Again,
that's justin Foster. Then, I said, Transitioning to something sounds
exciting until you start executing the change and you feel
(14:30):
like you want to stay in with what or who
you know. And it's normal. Don't want to stay in
what's familiar in what you know, because it does take
work to change. Justin Foster is like we're ping ponging
back and forth. Happy new month, happy new year, happy
new career, happy new path, happy new life, happy new relationships,
(14:51):
happy new year, happy new space, happy new perspective, happy
new season. But as we're transitioning, and as you might
be in a personal transition of your own, I realize
that transitions require trust. It requires your full trust to
(15:16):
let things play out the way they should.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Do.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
We have a hand, possibly in how certain things play out?
Absolutely what hand do we have to plan it? How
you respond to whatever life brings. However that coworker treats you,
however your partner treats you, family members, where we are
(15:42):
responsible for how we're going to respond during the transition. Well,
why do you say transitions require trust? So I thought
of my favorite scripture. You all know what my favorite
scripture is Proverbs three, five and six. Trust in the
Lord with all your heart, not with some of it,
not a little part, but all your heart. So we're
(16:03):
going to trust the Lord with everything that we think, feel,
and choose those inner desires of our heart. We're not
going to lean to our own understanding. But in all
your ways, submit to him, and he will make your
path straight. Transitions require trust that you believe in something
(16:28):
bigger than you that is going to help guide you
and direct you into the very very very very best
for your life. So transitions require trust. I've made some.
I'll never forget making a big transition not knowing what
was going to be on the other side for me.
(16:52):
I'll talk about that one day. I just don't want well,
I'll share this part. When I transitioned from not being
managed by Matthew Knows anymore, that was a big transition
that required me to trust that I would be Oh okay.
(17:14):
I knew it was the right thing for me to do.
Me and him talked about it. I actually went to
his office. We talked about it, you know. But that transition,
first of all, it requires boldness. Sometimes it requires you
to do something that you know you have to do,
(17:35):
but you have and you're afraid, so you got to
do it anyway. So that transition required that I had
to trust that God had my back, that I was
going to be okay. So when I did transitions require trust,
I thought of some big transitions in my life. Transitioning
(17:58):
back to Broadway. Oh my god, that's a huge transition
going from y'all, I've been doing well on my being
a mental health advocate, speaking at for various conferences and
speaking into major corporations and their organizations as it relates
(18:22):
to mental health. So to transition out of that for
a season to come back on Broadway huge transition. It's
also a huge transition that I'm kind of isolated from
a lot of my friends and family who have taken
the big trips to Europe and Centro pay and oh
(18:43):
missing it all, missing going to Bush Gardens just to
write my favorite roller coasters. This transition requires trust that
the sacrifice that I've had to make to great sacrifice.
It's not a sacrifice One'm like, oh gosh, but it's
been a great sacrifice, but it it's caused me to
have to trust that even this sacrifice is for my
(19:05):
good and you know, I'm enjoying the present. This is
a big thing, originating a role, a big thing. But
I also have to trust too that when I'm done
with death becomes her. Life doesn't stop. Career doesn't stop.
A transition into something else requires trust that I'm going
to be okay. So I hope you realize that whatever
(19:28):
you're transitioning into or out of. Know that you're going
to be okay. Trust that you're going to be okay.
Justin says, I am allowed to make my own decisions,
even if they aren't perfect, they are mine. I am
allowed to save myself. No one is coming to rescue me.
I'm reserving that superpower for myself this time. Save yourself.
(19:52):
How many of us have you know? Someone someone gets
in trouble and we're the first one there to rescue them.
Some of us need rescuing, rescue. Just know that it's
okay if you feel that you need to take some
time to rescue yourself. He also goes on to say
I am allowed to move on and close chapters. My
(20:16):
life is worthy of new stories and new memories. What
are you holding gone to that you know you need
to move on? What chapter do you know you need
to close and turn that page and see what chapter
ten is you? You stop that chapter nine? Man, we
(20:36):
don't go see what chapter ten is about. I am
allowed to forgive myself. I am not my poor choices.
I am not the pain of my past. I am
my decision to heal and move forward. So I love
that he's saying that he knows what he's not, but
he also knows what he is. That's dope. I am
(20:58):
my decision to heal and move for yes, you are
all right. Transitions require you to go. The origin of
the word transition is taken from the Latin word transire.
The definition of transire is goal across. Transitions require you
(21:18):
to do a verb take action. It's going to require
you to go at the same time. I do realize
that transitions can't be scary and lonely, but you'll be
so glad you made the change. Yo, when I saw
that thing that says. The origin of the word transition
means to go across. You might have to move across town.
(21:43):
You might have to move across the state. You might
have to move across the country, you might have to
move across the world. But you do have to go.
You might have to go to another department from a
job you're that you're locked into, that you've been lacked
into for years. But there's another thing that you want
(22:05):
to do, so it's going to require you to go.
Just because the teacher is silent during the test doesn't
mean he isn't present in the room. Always know that
you are not alone. You are not alone, and I
(22:28):
am going to move into what this month of September
also is. You're not alone and September is Suicide National
Suicide Prevention Month. It is an annual observance dedicated to
raising awareness about suicide, remembering those lost, and connecting those
(22:52):
in need with resources and support. The time is here
to foster conversations and encourage understanding and reduce the stigma
surrounding mental health issues. And I kind of briefly talked
about SAD, the seasonal effective disorder, because again, the seasons
(23:15):
are starting to change and you will start to some
will will you know, feel those symptoms. But I wanted
to acknowledge what September is as so many of us
are making certain transitions and you are feeling alone, You're
feeling afraid, you feel you know, by yourself. But I
(23:37):
promise you, if you reach out to someone, someone has
probably had to make a big change as well. Maybe
you're transitioning because of a loss of a loved one
that you didn't see coming and you don't know how
to deal with it. You don't know what to do,
so you isolate, and sometimes the loss of someone call
(24:00):
to you It does just knock the wind out of you,
and you don't know how you're going to go on.
Maybe you lost a relationship that you were so hopeful
for and you feel like you're never going to love again.
It just takes the wind out of yourselves and you
feel so alone. You just feel like there's nothing left
(24:22):
in the world for you to do. So you might
think you shouldn't be here. Maybe you were abused and
no one has acknowledged it. You're so angry. You haven't forgiven.
I'm not forcing you to, but you have not forgiven
because you're waiting on an apology, and so you're just
(24:42):
holding all of that in. And a lot of people
want to give up. A lot of people have given
up because they felt like the best way was to
transition out of here. They felt the best transition was
(25:03):
for them to They felt like they were a burden,
and they've made the decision to leave. So I just
want to encourage us while we're making transitions to think
about yourself. And I know I've told us just recently
(25:26):
a few moments ago, to rescue yourself, and I do
think that rescue yours. Rescuing yourself could also be as
simple as pouring into your own cup first, so that
you're not pouring in, so that you're not pouring from
an empty place. Nothing is wrong with helping somebody in
a crisis, you know what I mean, But hopefully you
(25:47):
can help from a more full place. There are some
key dates in the month of December that I am
excited about. September eighth is nine eight eight Day. It's
a national initiative to promote the nine eight eight Suicide
and Crisis Lifeline, which is a twenty four to seven
(26:08):
free and confidential support service available via call or text.
September eighth through the fourteenth is National Suicide Prevention Week,
an annual campaign to educate the public on the warning
signs of suicide and how to help. September tenth is
World Suicide Prevention Day, which is a global day to
(26:29):
focus on suicide prevention efforts. Also, I want to say
that a lot of our mental health professionals want to
encourage us to stop saying someone committed suicide. For the
past few years now, I have been taught to say
(26:51):
someone died by suicide because it is felt that the
person who died by suicide it's committing suicide. It makes
it seem like they've committed a crime. So we'll look
into that. I'll actually have a professional come on and
share with us why we say died by suicide instead
(27:15):
of saying committed suicide. Thank y'all so much for tuning in.
And we are going to get through this transition together.
We're going to get through these transitions together. As as
long as you're living, there will be transitions. As long
as you're living, you're going to have to go through
(27:37):
the seasons. You're going to have to go through the
seasons you don't want to go through. Meanwhile, fall is coming,
Winter is coming. That is a season that I don't
want to go through. But I have no choice if
I want to stay on this planet and live, right,
I'm gonna have to walk through the seasons that I
don't like. But it's how am I going to handle
(28:00):
the seasons. I'm just gonna bundle up. I'm a layer up.
I might even murmur, I might even complain a little
bit along the way when that wind shield gets a
little low, but I'm gonna get through it. So again,
we will get through these seasons together. We'll get through
these transitions of life together. I just want you to
be encouraged. If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach
(28:22):
out to me so that I can also point you
in the direction of resources that could possibly be life
changing for you. Thank you for hanging out with me.
I cannot believe summer it's almost over. I hope we
get some it was. I don't know if this is
(28:42):
politically correct. I don't want to offend anybody, but I
hope we get It's something called Indian summer, which is
a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs
an autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. So
(29:06):
hopefully we can get some. It's a warm autumn. Okay again,
I love y'all. Thank y'all so much for hanging out
with me, and we'll see you next week.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
By bye.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeart Radio and The Black Effect. Are you wondering how
do I really feel about seasons changing and having to
make transitions? You will find out on the next episode
(00:23):
of Checking In. Hello, good people, Welcome to another episode
of Checking In. How are y'all doing? Since our last episode?
How are y'all doing? We've had some amazing, amazing guest
(00:48):
Last week we had at Duena Finley, Dickerson, Cass Holman,
doctor Sabine Hazen. We've just we've we've we've had some
amazing guests. Yes, surprisingly, I was like, all of my
guests this year I'm looking have pretty been much been
(01:13):
all women except for Cadeen and Devau when when they
were on. That's just the way the bookings have been going.
A friend of mine reached out to me and was like, Yo,
you're gonna have some dudes on. So, yes, we're we
are working on that. But today I just get to
(01:34):
talk to you guys, and I'm really excited about that.
I think you're for this season, you'll probably hear more
of me solo wie. So solo episodes perform really really
really well. So again, Thank y'all so much for the
(01:55):
support of checking in everything. Thank y'all so much much.
Thank you to those who have come to New York
to see me in the musical Death Becomes Her on Broadway.
To my homies that live in New York, you know
who you are. Thank y'all so much for coming again
for the support. I know I owe y'all brunch, lunch,
(02:16):
or dinner. So if you're listening, know that I know that,
and I am going to definitely make some time. But yeah,
I just want to check in with y'all to just
see how you're doing. We've had a pretty mixed year,
filled with a lot of tragedy, a lot of loss,
(02:39):
a lot of grief. It's a lot. So I want
to make sure that this episode that I acknowledge that
and part of that this is a true thing, if
I am not mistaken. This is kind of around the
(03:00):
time people start experiencing something called.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
S a d D.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
It is seasonal effective disorder. It's basically seasonal depression. It's
called SAD. I'm sorry, not sadd. It's called SAD. It's
kind of when you know it occurs in climates where
there is less sunlight at certain times of the year,
(03:33):
and so we'll get into all of that, but when
we want to talk about loss, for me, yesterday was
Labor Day. It was the last summer holiday. If I'm
(03:56):
not mistaken, I don't think we have any more like
summer holidays, right, and it reminds me so much that
summer went by really fast. Do y'all agree, Send me
a message telling me if you agree, did summer go
(04:17):
by really fast for you? Or if it did not
go fast for you, let me know why, or maybe
tell me how how do you feel your summer has gone.
Summer went by really fast, and I really didn't have
the summer that I normally have. I'm not complaining because
(04:41):
I've been on Broadway, not complaining at all, but my
summers I really because I grew up in the Midwest,
we really had to take advantage of the summer. And
so even though now I live in what could be
considered a warmer climate, still the summer is the time
for me where I like to travel to warm places.
(05:05):
I like to go to amusement parks. Okay, I like
to sit by a pool and do nothing. I am
a summer girl at heart. So the thought of summer.
(05:25):
The season of summer leaving us, it does make me sad.
I think I've set it on previous seasons where I
still wear my flip flops. I'm still gonna wear my
flip flops. Probably if I feel like it's gonna be
seventy degrees, you might still see me in some flip flops.
(05:48):
That's the last thing that I let go that lets
me know, since it's time for you to start wearing
clothes to shoes. I'll have on a sweatsuit. I'll be
warm up top, but I'll make sure you know, even
if it's like a bone these sixty nine degrees, I'm
gonna have on a sweatsuit, but I'm gonna have on
(06:11):
some flip flops because that is the last thing I
let go that reminds me of summer. So y'all, I'm
really really grieved that the season of summer is leaving us.
So I do know, though, that since I do not
live in the Midwest anymore, I have not experienced seasonal
(06:35):
effective disorder again, what is seasonal effective disorder? It is
a mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the
same time every year. This is according to Mayo Clinic.
Seasonal effective disorder occurs in climates where there is less
(06:56):
sunlight at certain times of the year. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, hopelessness,
and social withdrawal. Treatment includes light therapy. It's literally called
a happy light. You can buy a happy light so
that it can remind you of the summer sun. Okay,
(07:19):
So I do notice that I have not experienced like
severe sad, y'all. I hate it. On top of already
just have dealt with regular depression. Then it comes sad.
So again, the thought of summer leaving makes me sad.
(07:42):
And it's like, well, you have something to look forward to,
you have another season to look forward to. I don't care.
I want to stay in the same season. Now I'm
preaching to myself, how many of us stay. We want
to stay in the same season because we're locked in
(08:05):
to how this season makes us feel, versus sometimes it
is necessary for other seasons to come upon us. I'm
just saying I'm not a fan of fall. I know
(08:25):
it's pretty. I do love the trees turning colors. I
love that, But I think for me, fall reminds me
that winter is coming. And I'm definitely not a fan
of winter, and I grew up in an area where
(08:46):
we had brutal winters. Hated it, hated it, then hate
it now, So it really really really bothers me. So
if y'all can just indulge me for a moment that
it makes sense that my friend Justin Foster would reach
(09:13):
out to me to do a collaboration with him for
a series that he does on social media called Take
what You Need. And he reached out through a friend
of mine at first, and then you know, to talk
about the about transitions. And I said, it's funny that
(09:35):
you would want me to talk about transitions because I
absolutely despise the transition from warm weather to cold weather. Okay,
so we came up with it. It didn't take long.
And basically it just says, September just feels like a
(09:58):
breakthrough wrapped up in beautiful news chapters and equally beautiful transitions.
So you have to see that the seasons changing can
actually be beautiful. What did I just say moments ago?
You know what? Fall looks beautiful? It just starts to
feel you know, it's just because I don't I just
(10:18):
does me my preference. I don't like the cold, but
I think I'm going somewhere here how seasons changing can
actually be beautiful. So he goes on to saying the caption,
reminding you that fall pushes us forward into new seasons
and spaces, and that newness is just around the corner.
So just as the leaves begin to fall to the ground,
(10:41):
it's the seasons changed for a reason. It makes our
plants be able to shed the old so that when
springtime comes around, it can actually boom. It's gonna boom
and produce something else beautiful. So just know that when
something seems to fall off in your life, it's probably
(11:08):
gonna produce something beautiful if you give it the time,
if you let the season of life do what it
needs to do to be able to produce something else beautiful.
So literally, as I'm talking to y'all, I'm looking at
a screen saver on a computer and it looks like
(11:33):
the fall. It looks like this could be like in
the hills of Tennessee or Alabama, or the winding mountains
of North Carolina during the fall. So that's actually fitting
for today. So talking about transition, you know, this will
(11:55):
be a September to remember in the best way possible.
So then I went on to say, seasons change, and
so should you. Just like your favorite store is beginning
to transition from summer collections into fall collections, you'll notice
there are always big sales. If you go to your
favorite stores, they're having like clearance racks and fifty percent
(12:21):
off taken additional thirty percent off because they have to
get rid of what's old to make room for what's new.
But then my petty self was like, oh, I hate
when I see brown. A young lady at the theater
the other night had on a brown sweater and I
was like, ugh, and you probably like pumpkin spice lattes.
(12:42):
And she said, ain't, dude, I just love the fall.
It's still hot outside and she's walking in here with
a brown sweater on pumpkin spice lattes. Now, I did
see candy corn like slippers. Somebody sent me a picture
of some candy corn plush pillows. I said, Sis, get
them for me. That means fall is coming. That's the
(13:04):
only thing I like about fall is that I get
to troll you guys with candy corn. But sweetheart, the
season will change whether or not you want it to adjust,
and just go get some cute sweaters beloved. So that's
what I was telling myself. The seasons will change whether
you want them to or not. God is not sitting
(13:28):
there saying, you know what, Michelle doesn't like the fall.
I'm gonna make sure that that season does not change. No, No,
let nature do what nature needs to do so that
it can produce another beautiful sprint for us next year.
You see how I just slipped right past the winter
(13:50):
because the winter, all the snow and the cold, it
just makes everything literally die, the plants, everything. So September
is for starting over. It's a month of doing life
from a clean slate, a month of fresh starts and
new beginnings. A month where the transition ends and new
(14:10):
life begins. A month where love is rekindled, faith is found,
and the joy for life is restored. The month where
the spark bursts into a full outflame in your soul. Again,
that's justin Foster. Then, I said, Transitioning to something sounds
exciting until you start executing the change and you feel
(14:30):
like you want to stay in with what or who
you know. And it's normal. Don't want to stay in
what's familiar in what you know, because it does take
work to change. Justin Foster is like we're ping ponging
back and forth. Happy new month, happy new year, happy
new career, happy new path, happy new life, happy new relationships,
(14:51):
happy new year, happy new space, happy new perspective, happy
new season. But as we're transitioning, and as you might
be in a personal transition of your own, I realize
that transitions require trust. It requires your full trust to
(15:16):
let things play out the way they should.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Do.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
We have a hand, possibly in how certain things play out?
Absolutely what hand do we have to plan it? How
you respond to whatever life brings. However that coworker treats you,
however your partner treats you, family members, where we are
(15:42):
responsible for how we're going to respond during the transition. Well,
why do you say transitions require trust? So I thought
of my favorite scripture. You all know what my favorite
scripture is Proverbs three, five and six. Trust in the
Lord with all your heart, not with some of it,
not a little part, but all your heart. So we're
(16:03):
going to trust the Lord with everything that we think, feel,
and choose those inner desires of our heart. We're not
going to lean to our own understanding. But in all
your ways, submit to him, and he will make your
path straight. Transitions require trust that you believe in something
(16:28):
bigger than you that is going to help guide you
and direct you into the very very very very best
for your life. So transitions require trust. I've made some.
I'll never forget making a big transition not knowing what
was going to be on the other side for me.
(16:52):
I'll talk about that one day. I just don't want well,
I'll share this part. When I transitioned from not being
managed by Matthew Knows anymore, that was a big transition
that required me to trust that I would be Oh okay.
(17:14):
I knew it was the right thing for me to do.
Me and him talked about it. I actually went to
his office. We talked about it, you know. But that transition,
first of all, it requires boldness. Sometimes it requires you
to do something that you know you have to do,
(17:35):
but you have and you're afraid, so you got to
do it anyway. So that transition required that I had
to trust that God had my back, that I was
going to be okay. So when I did transitions require trust,
I thought of some big transitions in my life. Transitioning
(17:58):
back to Broadway. Oh my god, that's a huge transition
going from y'all, I've been doing well on my being
a mental health advocate, speaking at for various conferences and
speaking into major corporations and their organizations as it relates
(18:22):
to mental health. So to transition out of that for
a season to come back on Broadway huge transition. It's
also a huge transition that I'm kind of isolated from
a lot of my friends and family who have taken
the big trips to Europe and Centro pay and oh
(18:43):
missing it all, missing going to Bush Gardens just to
write my favorite roller coasters. This transition requires trust that
the sacrifice that I've had to make to great sacrifice.
It's not a sacrifice One'm like, oh gosh, but it's
been a great sacrifice, but it it's caused me to
have to trust that even this sacrifice is for my
(19:05):
good and you know, I'm enjoying the present. This is
a big thing, originating a role, a big thing. But
I also have to trust too that when I'm done
with death becomes her. Life doesn't stop. Career doesn't stop.
A transition into something else requires trust that I'm going
to be okay. So I hope you realize that whatever
(19:28):
you're transitioning into or out of. Know that you're going
to be okay. Trust that you're going to be okay.
Justin says, I am allowed to make my own decisions,
even if they aren't perfect, they are mine. I am
allowed to save myself. No one is coming to rescue me.
I'm reserving that superpower for myself this time. Save yourself.
(19:52):
How many of us have you know? Someone someone gets
in trouble and we're the first one there to rescue them.
Some of us need rescuing, rescue. Just know that it's
okay if you feel that you need to take some
time to rescue yourself. He also goes on to say
I am allowed to move on and close chapters. My
(20:16):
life is worthy of new stories and new memories. What
are you holding gone to that you know you need
to move on? What chapter do you know you need
to close and turn that page and see what chapter
ten is you? You stop that chapter nine? Man, we
(20:36):
don't go see what chapter ten is about. I am
allowed to forgive myself. I am not my poor choices.
I am not the pain of my past. I am
my decision to heal and move forward. So I love
that he's saying that he knows what he's not, but
he also knows what he is. That's dope. I am
(20:58):
my decision to heal and move for yes, you are
all right. Transitions require you to go. The origin of
the word transition is taken from the Latin word transire.
The definition of transire is goal across. Transitions require you
(21:18):
to do a verb take action. It's going to require
you to go at the same time. I do realize
that transitions can't be scary and lonely, but you'll be
so glad you made the change. Yo, when I saw
that thing that says. The origin of the word transition
means to go across. You might have to move across town.
(21:43):
You might have to move across the state. You might
have to move across the country, you might have to
move across the world. But you do have to go.
You might have to go to another department from a
job you're that you're locked into, that you've been lacked
into for years. But there's another thing that you want
(22:05):
to do, so it's going to require you to go.
Just because the teacher is silent during the test doesn't
mean he isn't present in the room. Always know that
you are not alone. You are not alone, and I
(22:28):
am going to move into what this month of September
also is. You're not alone and September is Suicide National
Suicide Prevention Month. It is an annual observance dedicated to
raising awareness about suicide, remembering those lost, and connecting those
(22:52):
in need with resources and support. The time is here
to foster conversations and encourage understanding and reduce the stigma
surrounding mental health issues. And I kind of briefly talked
about SAD, the seasonal effective disorder, because again, the seasons
(23:15):
are starting to change and you will start to some
will will you know, feel those symptoms. But I wanted
to acknowledge what September is as so many of us
are making certain transitions and you are feeling alone, You're
feeling afraid, you feel you know, by yourself. But I
(23:37):
promise you, if you reach out to someone, someone has
probably had to make a big change as well. Maybe
you're transitioning because of a loss of a loved one
that you didn't see coming and you don't know how
to deal with it. You don't know what to do,
so you isolate, and sometimes the loss of someone call
(24:00):
to you It does just knock the wind out of you,
and you don't know how you're going to go on.
Maybe you lost a relationship that you were so hopeful
for and you feel like you're never going to love again.
It just takes the wind out of yourselves and you
feel so alone. You just feel like there's nothing left
(24:22):
in the world for you to do. So you might
think you shouldn't be here. Maybe you were abused and
no one has acknowledged it. You're so angry. You haven't forgiven.
I'm not forcing you to, but you have not forgiven
because you're waiting on an apology, and so you're just
(24:42):
holding all of that in. And a lot of people
want to give up. A lot of people have given
up because they felt like the best way was to
transition out of here. They felt the best transition was
(25:03):
for them to They felt like they were a burden,
and they've made the decision to leave. So I just
want to encourage us while we're making transitions to think
about yourself. And I know I've told us just recently
(25:26):
a few moments ago, to rescue yourself, and I do
think that rescue yours. Rescuing yourself could also be as
simple as pouring into your own cup first, so that
you're not pouring in, so that you're not pouring from
an empty place. Nothing is wrong with helping somebody in
a crisis, you know what I mean, But hopefully you
(25:47):
can help from a more full place. There are some
key dates in the month of December that I am
excited about. September eighth is nine eight eight Day. It's
a national initiative to promote the nine eight eight Suicide
and Crisis Lifeline, which is a twenty four to seven
(26:08):
free and confidential support service available via call or text.
September eighth through the fourteenth is National Suicide Prevention Week,
an annual campaign to educate the public on the warning
signs of suicide and how to help. September tenth is
World Suicide Prevention Day, which is a global day to
(26:29):
focus on suicide prevention efforts. Also, I want to say
that a lot of our mental health professionals want to
encourage us to stop saying someone committed suicide. For the
past few years now, I have been taught to say
(26:51):
someone died by suicide because it is felt that the
person who died by suicide it's committing suicide. It makes
it seem like they've committed a crime. So we'll look
into that. I'll actually have a professional come on and
share with us why we say died by suicide instead
(27:15):
of saying committed suicide. Thank y'all so much for tuning in.
And we are going to get through this transition together.
We're going to get through these transitions together. As as
long as you're living, there will be transitions. As long
as you're living, you're going to have to go through
(27:37):
the seasons. You're going to have to go through the
seasons you don't want to go through. Meanwhile, fall is coming,
Winter is coming. That is a season that I don't
want to go through. But I have no choice if
I want to stay on this planet and live, right,
I'm gonna have to walk through the seasons that I
don't like. But it's how am I going to handle
(28:00):
the seasons. I'm just gonna bundle up. I'm a layer up.
I might even murmur, I might even complain a little
bit along the way when that wind shield gets a
little low, but I'm gonna get through it. So again,
we will get through these seasons together. We'll get through
these transitions of life together. I just want you to
be encouraged. If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach
(28:22):
out to me so that I can also point you
in the direction of resources that could possibly be life
changing for you. Thank you for hanging out with me.
I cannot believe summer it's almost over. I hope we
get some it was. I don't know if this is
(28:42):
politically correct. I don't want to offend anybody, but I
hope we get It's something called Indian summer, which is
a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs
an autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. So
(29:06):
hopefully we can get some. It's a warm autumn. Okay again,
I love y'all. Thank y'all so much for hanging out
with me, and we'll see you next week.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
By bye.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
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