271 😌Meditation & Motherhood: Creating Calm with Jesse Bennett

In this peaceful and playful episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine welcomes the radiant Jesse Bennett—children’s book author, certified yoga and Pilates teacher, and in-house wellness expert for Good Day Sacramento. With over 20 years of experience, Jesse has a heart for helping kids and parents discover the magic of mindfulness, movement, and emotional wellness. She’s on a mission to make yoga and breath work approachable for families while encouraging us all to slow down, savor the moment, and bloom into our best selves.

 

Wendy and Jesse chat about everything from calming nighttime routines and breath work to building confidence in kids and setting boundaries as a busy mom. You’ll hear Jesse’s inspiring journey into yoga, the sweet story behind her first book The Yoga House, and how she’s helping her own children (and others!) regulate emotions, practice self-love, and navigate life with grace. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just someone looking for more presence and peace in your life, this episode is a beautiful breath of fresh air.

 

🎧 Tune in now at themidlifemakeovershow.com or wherever you listen to podcasts!  

 

👉 Connect with Jesse

https://www.instagram.com/jesse.bennett_/ https://www.jessebennett.co https://www.amazon.com/Ripple-Jesse-Bennett/dp/1665730218

 

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife & More

 wendyvalentine.com

 

📖 Grab Your Copy of Women Waking Up

womenwakingup.com

 

🧘‍♀️ Find Your Inner Calm with FREEDOM Meditations

freedommeditations.com

 

🔥 Step Into Your Best Life with FREEDOM at Midlife

freedomatmidlife.com

 

🦸‍♀️ Unleash Your Midlife Superpowers!

mysuperheroquiz.com

 

🎥 Watch, Learn & Laugh on YouTube!

know, I think the only difference, I always say with anything
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you started. Maybe today was your day one
and you can begin again as often as you
need. You can begin again every week, every day. There's

(00:21):
no judgment. It's just about taking care of you and tuning
into you. So once you realize, like, that's the practice
and all that other pressure is off.

>> Wendy Valentine (00:30):
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(03:01):
and pre order the book by heading to women
waking up.com or wherever
books are sold.
Let's wake up, beautiful.
Welcome to the Midlife Makeover Show. I'm your host,
Wendy Valentine. And today we're diving into the
world of, mindfulness, movement and self
care. Not just for us, but for the

(03:22):
little ones in our lives too. Our guest today
is Jesse Bennett, a children's book
author, certified yoga and pilates teacher
with over 20 years of experience and
the in house wellness expert for Good
Day Sacramento. You go, girl. Through her
beautifully written and illustrated books, Jesse
helps kids and their parents tap

(03:44):
into the power of kindness, mindfulness and
emotional regulation. All while making yoga
and breath work fun and accessible. We'll
talk about the importance of sleep, hygiene,
calming, ah, nighttime routines and simple
ways to incorporate mindfulness into everyday life.
Plus, Jesse will share easy

(04:04):
breathing exercises and affirmations to help
both kids and adults manage stress and feel
more empowered. If you're looking for ways to
bring more peace, presence and positivity, I like
how that sounds. Peace, presence and positivity
into your home, this episode is for you. Please welcome
Jesse to the show.

(04:26):
Fireworks.

>> Jesse Bennett (04:27):
Thank you. Fireworks. That was an amazing
introduction. Thank you for that.

>> Wendy Valentine (04:31):
If you guys are watching on YouTube, you can see she has this
amazing hot red hair. It's so
cool. Did your kids, did your
kids get red hair too?

>> Jesse Bennett (04:42):
They, I have two redheads.

>> Wendy Valentine (04:43):
Oh, that's so cute.

>> Jesse Bennett (04:46):
It's so fun. You can definitely see us coming. And when, you know,
I'm at pick up, they're like, that's your kid.

>> Wendy Valentine (04:51):
That's your kid. so great to have you on
here.

>> Jesse Bennett (04:55):
Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to
be chatting with you this morning or this evening.

>> Wendy Valentine (05:00):
I know, right? Evening. Over here in Portugal.
We need more conversations about this. I was thinking
that it's cool that nowadays that we are
talking about things like menopause.
Menopause. And mindfulness and meditation and
all the M words. Right?

>> Jesse Bennett (05:16):
All the m's.

>> Wendy Valentine (05:17):
I mean, I was thinking about like, you know,
it would have made such a huge difference for me if
I had had this when I was a kid.

>> Jesse Bennett (05:26):
Right?

>> Wendy Valentine (05:26):
But do you ever think about that for you?

>> Jesse Bennett (05:29):
A, thousand times over. And that's also why I wanted to create
it for my kids, my family. And then I thought, well, if
I can do it for them, maybe I can make the world just a little bit
more peaceful for them now more than
ever. Right. But these are definitely things that I did not have
growing up. And so if I could instill
a little bit more of that mindfulness and self love and

(05:49):
self soothing that I had to go out of myself
to find. Yes. My kids.
Then, then I feel like, you know, I'm setting them up
with a really strong toolkit to take on.

>> Wendy Valentine (06:01):
Oh, it's incredible.

>> Jesse Bennett (06:02):
Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (06:03):
I mean, just learning those coping
techniques that, I mean,
kids need, adults need. And I was sharing with
you that I had Christine Carlson, of, don't
sweat small stuff.

>> Jesse Bennett (06:15):
Yes.

>> Wendy Valentine (06:16):
She was on yesterday and we were talking about this. That
it's almost like a habit of
sweating the small stuff. Even, you know, from
childhood, you learn from your parents or the people around
you. And so if you take the opposite of
learning to be able to cope and learning to be able
to. To sit down, take a deep breath,

(06:36):
do a little yoga just to calm your
nerves, it makes a difference.

>> Jesse Bennett (06:42):
It makes a world of difference. And knowing that you
can't, especially in a hustle culture where people
feel somehow they get a medal for sweating the small
stuff or being on Hustle all the time, we actually do the
exact same thing. That's true.

>> Wendy Valentine (06:55):
Yeah. Like, why aren't you sweating the small stuff? Right?
Like, it's almost like an award or something. Like,
oh, well, you're not. Wait, why aren't you busy
enough?

>> Jesse Bennett (07:04):
Why aren't you stressed enough? I know. So I try to savor
the small things and, and savor. Slow
down to just like a downshift. Because I feel like everyone is
in fast forward and I really want to just
enjoy. And I want my kids to see me not
rushing all the time.

>> Wendy Valentine (07:20):
Yes. That is one thing I wish I'd had. Even
becoming a mom in those times were like, totally
lost it. Like, oh,
had a little bit more. And now they're. They. They, you
know, learn from me some of that stuff. It's like,
oh, gosh, I hope you guys are learning to calm,
to keep calm and y. Calm and carry

(07:41):
on. Right.

>> Jesse Bennett (07:41):
Keep calm and carry on.

>> Wendy Valentine (07:43):
To teach that to kids, though.
How did you get into yoga to begin
with?

>> Jesse Bennett (07:48):
I got into yoga in college. I went to USC
down in la and I
did my work study at the gym, and I was always popping
into classes. And I realized for the first time
in my life, you know, as a college student,
that with Pilates and yoga, it was the first time I
felt comfortable in My skill, skin. And it was the first

(08:09):
time I kind of found that self
love and love for myself and my body, you know, and.
And, and I wanted to share that. And so after
I graduated, I took every training I could
with Pilates and yoga, and I
wanted to be able to make that impact on others
because it changed my whole life. You know, when you're

(08:29):
someone, maybe on the outside you seem really bubbly and happy,
but on the inside, you're actually, you know, hard on
yourself. And so finding yoga and Pilates
shifted that whole mindset for me.
And, as a teenager and a kiddo who was not
kind to myself or very hard on myself about the
exterior, it was the first time I was able to
change that, reframe it and appreciate my

(08:51):
body. And so especially having a teenage daughter now,
I mean, this is the narrative I want in our house is loving your
body, loving your strength. And I wish I had an ounce of her
confidence because she's like,
she's. She's so tired. Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (09:06):
Ah, yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (09:07):
And I'm like, girl, I wish I was like you. I don't
tell her how I was to myself. I just
try to light her up and just know that, like, to feel strong
on the inside and proud of your body is what's.
That is the norm. Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (09:21):
What was it about yoga that made you feel really good in
your skin that changed all of that?

>> Jesse Bennett (09:28):
I think it was the slowing down, which I still.
I love that. And then feeling your strength from
the inside out and that breath work. I mean, breath
for adults, for kids, for teenagers, for
everyone. It's our, it's our superpower.
It's our self soother. We just come home to ourselves.
And I feel like it taught me how to show up for

(09:48):
myself, how to slow down and tune in
and really get to know myself. And so that's what I
hope that when anyone's on, the mat with me, that they feel
like this is my time. I am enough,
My body is enough. I'm proud of myself for being here.
So all those things that yoga taught me,
that's, you know, that's what I try to do when I'm teaching my Pilates

(10:09):
and yoga class. But for me, that's what made me fall in love
with it because it was a complete mind shift. And
it was exactly what. What I needed in my
life.

>> Wendy Valentine (10:19):
Well, and I can vouch, with yoga because I got
certified at the Chopra center, and, it made
such a huge difference for me, and
I probably wasn't. Let's See, I guess maybe
early 40s is when I did it,
but it wasn't even so much the, the physical
movements, the asanas of it, that it was the

(10:39):
whole, the teaching, the philosophy
and really learning to slow down and
to tap into my body and. Because, you know, even like
when you're. If you're working out, you're not always be like,
oh, like you don't feel everything because you're
going so fast.

>> Jesse Bennett (10:55):
Right.

>> Wendy Valentine (10:55):
Like if I'm in spinning class or something like that. But
yoga really taught me to slow down
and to listen and,
and like, and it's okay if like you. You fall
over or something does hurt or something feels
good. It's like to. To celebrate that
and, and just. Yeah. Yeah. Yoga is amazing. I
miss it. I've been. I've been doing a lot of strength training

(11:18):
lately. You know, I have been doing a whole lot of yoga, but maybe
when I get back to the rv, I will m.
But it makes such. I always, always feel so
good when I do it. I was like, oh, I know.

>> Jesse Bennett (11:30):
It's such magic. And it does, it just hits
on every level.

>> Wendy Valentine (11:34):
Yeah.
What exactly is, silly question. Breath work. What
does that really mean?

>> Jesse Bennett (11:40):
I. Well, for me, and for when I share it,
I just think of it as being more intentional with
our breath and tapping into how powerful
it can be, you know, for us, for
kids, for families. So when I think about breath work,
it's not something I do, so structured every
day for myself or my kids, but it's something that we know we can tap

(12:00):
into. So I feel like when I
start class, for example, we start with breath because it helps
us land, tune in, tap in. It's something we end with
to ground in what we feel. For my
kids, we do it to kind of calm the chatter
and take control again. And so
it's that extra layer of mindfulness and coming

(12:21):
home to yourself and tuning out the outside to come
home to your inside. That's what it is for me. So
it's not like I'm sitting at home, you know, breathing
deep with my kids for 20 minutes every night. We do end the night with
meditation. We actually do end the night with meditation that
I wrote for them. But, and we breathe deep through things,
but it's more like tapping into it and

(12:41):
practicing it so that in those moments when you can respond
instead of react or you feel big things,
you can, really self soothe and see where you're
truly at and how to proceed forward. So that's
how that's how I use breath work.
But I know there's breathwork studios and
incredible things and all sorts of methodology.
That's just how I've incorporated it into my

(13:03):
practice, my home and teaching.

>> Wendy Valentine (13:06):
Yeah. I think it's like our breath, we. We kind of take it for
granted. Right. Because we're breathing, you know,
hopefully.

>> Jesse Bennett (13:12):
Right.

>> Wendy Valentine (13:13):
Probably breathing all day long and then you don't really
stop to get conscious about
how you're breathing and but when
you do, I mean, even for me, I've done these few
where, you know, you breathe in for a count of four and
you hold it then like, well, either like the
box breathing, like breathe in for a count of four, hold for

(13:33):
a count of four, exhale, count of four and then hold for a count of
four and repeat. I actually like, sometimes I get out of
breath with that one. So I'll do the breathe in for a count
of four and hold just briefly and then
exhale for a count of seven or
eight. Like a longer one. And for some reason for me,
I feel like I have to totally empty out my lungs

(13:53):
and then I can take another breath.

>> Jesse Bennett (13:55):
Otherwise I'm like, yeah,
I feel that. I like to do that one too. We did that, I did that one yesterday
with my daughter when she got home from school. And we just. I love
that. Breathing in and holding and then slowly exhaling. And
I feel the same way. If I start putting a number like inhale,
hold, exhale, like I actually start getting nervous. And so
I try to take the pressure off of breath work and just be like,

(14:16):
okay, let's just be conscious of what's going on and how it
can help us feel better and tap in without putting too
much of a structure to it. And even yesterday in
class, someone came up to me and she's like, I was breathing totally opposite
than you. And then I started freaking out and I'm like, oh goodness
no, you don't.

>> Wendy Valentine (14:32):
Have to do that.

>> Jesse Bennett (14:33):
I was like, all I would love you to do is be aware of your breath and
you do what's right for you. Because some instructors or
some ways of teaching are very, very strict. And I'm.
I don't think I'm strict in any aspect of my life. And
so I'm like, you just breathe and honor
your breath and be know where it is and know that you chose it.
And that's where we'll.

>> Wendy Valentine (14:51):
Do you have any go to techniques like for. For
breath work that you'll do? Like, let's say you're
so nervous about something or having a little anxiety
or is there anything like you'll go to? okay, I'm gonna do
this and just relax for, you know, a few minutes.
Is there anything that you do that helps you?

>> Jesse Bennett (15:08):
Absolutely. I love that. Breathe in, Hold.
So that one, the breathing in and then
holding for four and then slow exhale out. That
one I do. this one I do. When you inhale
up and then exhale down. So I
actually physically like feel myself calming. I do that one with my
kids a lot. So inhale up and then palms down. Just kind of a
grounding out. So I like to end my classes that way. I

(15:31):
feel like a settling in, placing
my hands on my heart and just feeling my heart rise into my
hands and then exhale out. I did this one with the high
schoolers the other day and they were so incredible with this
one because how often did they like touch their
heart with like a loving wish.

>> Wendy Valentine (15:49):
To actually even feel your heart beating?

>> Jesse Bennett (15:53):
So those are ones that I do for me if I feel like I
need a mental reset.

>> Wendy Valentine (15:58):
So speaking of the Yoga House book,
isn't that. Wasn't that one inspired because
of. With your daughter having difficulty sleeping?

>> Jesse Bennett (16:07):
Yeah, that's my. That was my first book and she was having
a hard time falling asleep. And I wrote her a meditation because I was
buying all the books, of, you know, kindness and yoga. And then I thought,
wait, I think I can write one. I think I can try and do this.
I've never done this before. So I wrote her a meditation and I read it
to her for about six months. And my son, I read it to both of
them. And then I realized it was working like

(16:28):
it was a practice as soon as I started talking and
focusing on our breath. And I just wanted it to feel like a big giant
hug, my words. And that's how I approach it with kids when I
visit school. Because sometimes when I say meditation or
affirmations, they're gone. I've lost them.
Right. Or my family doesn't allow me to do
yoga or say yoga or whatever it may be. I'm like, yes,

(16:49):
it's just stretching and it's. I'll just like bring
it down to the basic level. But so for my kiddos,
I just wanted them to feel loved and safe and
cozy. and so I wrote that and then I thought, well, I
can write a book about it around it and just see what happens and I'll start
doodling and draw pictures around it. And that's how I started
and still like we are, you know, years later, after I wrote

(17:09):
the Yoga House, I read that meditation to them now by
memory, every night. So that's part of our every
night. And then I. In every book I've written since, I write
a meditation. But that first one is the one that I.
I, read every night. And then I go rogue on it from my other
meditations and add little things, but it's part of
our. It's part of our routine. And, and it
taps them into their breath and into themselves and then

(17:32):
into just feeling loved. And that's my goal.

>> Wendy Valentine (17:34):
I, mean, what a beautiful thing to listen to right before
you fall asleep.

>> Jesse Bennett (17:39):
Yeah, it's, it's.
It's something that I'm so. I'm
really grateful that I did because I did it. I told.
I did it for them. And it's something they
can always have and hold, that they know was made for
them, out of love and comfort.

>> Wendy Valentine (17:56):
Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (17:57):
Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (17:58):
I mean, think about it. Like, even for me, I would read, which
is still great to read books, you know, to the kids
before they go to sleep, but then just to have that few minutes
where they can really connect
to themselves and their breathing
and their body and where they're at and knowing that they're
safe.

>> Jesse Bennett (18:16):
Knowing they're safe. Oh, yeah. Especially, you know, things come up
at school and during the day and big questions and
so we talk a lot about how to be able to set the
day aside or tie it up in a little bow
and be able to move forward just a little.
How to, change the channel in their mind and
be able to tune into themselves. So we do that a

(18:37):
lot.

>> Wendy Valentine (18:37):
It's so funny, I just posted something today about like, tuning
the ch. Like we have control of that, you know.

>> Jesse Bennett (18:43):
That was so cool.

>> Wendy Valentine (18:45):
I always think about that, like as if your mind was,
you know, the news channel.

>> Jesse Bennett (18:49):
Yes.

>> Wendy Valentine (18:49):
And there's that. Those ticker tape of thoughts going across
in your mind and just watching, observing,
no judgment, but then knowing that
you are the one that controls the news, you know, like
you're the one. You can either have happy news or
sad news. And of course you're going to have sad news and
angry news. Sometimes we're human beings being

(19:10):
human, so it's. It's natural to have all those
emotions, but then to know that you have control
over those ticker tape of thoughts running
across in your mind.

>> Jesse Bennett (19:20):
Right. And. And knowing it's okay to feel all the
things. But then also we talk a lot.
We've had to talk a Lot too about the duality of like, you
can feel this, but you can
also feel gratitude. Or you can feel
overwhelmed, but you can also feel joy. And you don't have to let one
thing be all consuming.

>> Wendy Valentine (19:40):
Have you seen any examples so far with your children?
Like where they have maybe like, oh, I was going up
to, to talk in front of the class, mom,
and I ended up doing this breath work and I, I
was fine. I calmed down.

>> Jesse Bennett (19:53):
Oh my goodness. Yes, I get, I get a lot of that.
I sometimes I get the phone call like because, for my daughter especially because that's
who I wrote. I wrote like originally for the yoga
house, but my son uses it too. But she'll like have a
big, she'll have a big test. She'll text me before and I'll be like, okay,
let's do our breathing. Big breath in hold. So we'll,
we'll do this over the phone. We'll do it over text when she's at

(20:13):
school. we've had some doctor's appointments
and things like that where we definitely take our big breaths in
and out. And so my kids
implement this for sure. Which is
beautiful. It makes me so happy to know.

>> Wendy Valentine (20:27):
The greatest gift I think that you could, I mean, give
your children. Because think about it, like when they're
going to go apply for their first job or something like
that, or you know, something big is happening in their
life, they have those resources now within
them, Right?

>> Jesse Bennett (20:43):
Yes, for sure. It's, it's so good and that.
And I think with that breath and with all of it comes a sense of
self worth.

>> Wendy Valentine (20:50):
Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (20:50):
So they know they're not always defined by how
it goes. So we talk about that too. Right. It's not, it
doesn't always have to be about the end game or the grit.
Like they're both great students. So I'm actually just trying to take some of that
pressure off. I'm like, it's okay, you know.
Yes, whatever.
Like take some pressure off and enjoy the experience. Experience and
the journey of whatever it is we're going through.

(21:11):
And the end. The end will, you know, the grade, whatever
it will be, it will be what it will be. But it's tr. It
also kind of helps them enjoy the process.

>> Wendy Valentine (21:22):
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How do you personally juggle being a
mom and an author? You're doing podcast
interviews and all the teachings.
How do you. And how do you find that balance, if
there is such a thing?

>> Jesse Bennett (22:25):
I, I'm working on it. Right. So. But
I feel like I have made
really, really strong boundaries
and with my time, with my teaching.
I also bought a paper calendar, and it's my favorite
thing ever. I told my daughter this last night, you
know, because you go to Target and you're like, oh, there's so many calendars. This is
amazing. And I realized when someone messages me, it would be

(22:47):
so easy to be like, oh, I can do this this date. And now I'm like,
no, I have to go home and check my calendar. I will get back to
you by tomorrow. So I've gotten very,
very tight on my boundaries with not only just,
you know, for our schedule. I don't. I don't over schedule myself. I
don't over my kiddos. I now keep
paper calendars. So that way, I'll say, I'll get back to you

(23:08):
tomorrow after I look at my calendar and I evaluate, like, my
time so I don't feel strapped for
time. I choose to now give my energy to things that really
mean a lot to me. And I teach, but I don't
teach. I teach three classes a week, and the rest I leave to
do things that light me up and meet incredible people
like you or visit schools or take yoga for
myself. So I really try to look at my time

(23:31):
and balance it where maybe there was
a time where I would say yes to anyone, and then all of a sudden, I had no
boundaries.

>> Wendy Valentine (23:37):
Yes.

>> Jesse Bennett (23:38):
And that's. That's not the way I want to be. And that's not how
I want my kids to see me either, like, stretched for
time. And I really try to do
anything that is, like, for me, like this,
I use. I try to do it while they're at school.

>> Wendy Valentine (23:52):
Yes.

>> Jesse Bennett (23:54):
When they get home, they see me working out and doing yoga and all
of that, because I want them to know that that's part of, you know,
me taking care of me. But I also am
really careful and mindful of my time where I Wasn't
always it, but it became like a learned habit.
And I like that.

>> Wendy Valentine (24:09):
To me, that's, that's true. Self. Self care. I
mean, that word is thrown around a lot nowadays.
But, really, like self care is being
selective about your time and your energy and setting
those boundaries, like you.

>> Jesse Bennett (24:22):
Said, and who you surround yourself with. Right?

>> Wendy Valentine (24:25):
Yes. Yeah. I think of myself as like an energy
snob, you know, but. Right. Like the
energy. Yeah. Either the energy I'm putting out or
that I'm getting in, like. Okay.
Because it affects you. Affects everything
about you.

>> Jesse Bennett (24:41):
Yeah, I completely agree. So I too
am now an energy snob. And I'm totally cool about it.

>> Wendy Valentine (24:46):
Yes, I know. Well, even what we were saying earlier,
busyness can be a habit. Right?
Like, oh, I'm running around. I have all these things to do and
I'm so important because I have all these things to do. But really,
you're just hurting yourself and do you really
need to be that busy? I mean, I have to remind myself of
that. Right? Like, all the things I've got going on.

(25:07):
And even just this year I thought, you know what? I've been doing
two episodes per week, which is a
lot. and you know, as a one woman show,
like, trying to do it all. And I was like, you know, I'm going down to
one per week. I'm like
loving it. Just having. Even if it's just a
few hours each week, it's like,
ah, and now I can breathe a little bit

(25:30):
calmer. Right.

>> Jesse Bennett (25:31):
Yeah. I, think that is so great that you did that and you,
you just can all I always tell myself we can reevaluate. So
if today felt like too much m. What can I do tomorrow
to do less? Or if this week felt too much, where can I guard
my time a little bit more? So that's something,
that has become really important to me. So I totally get
it. And I think it's. It's really important because

(25:51):
it's, Comes back to your. Just like, okay, I'm
worth it. I'm worth taking my time
or evaluating how I want to spend my time or who I
want to spend it with. And I've definitely become more picky about
all of it.

>> Wendy Valentine (26:04):
You can always choose again. Right? Like, if yesterday was
a bad day, then fine. You, you're here
today, you're breathing. You can choose again.
Be grateful for that. Right?

>> Jesse Bennett (26:15):
Yeah. How can I begin again?
I think sometimes I think about that, you know, right before I go to bed, I'm
like, okay, what can I Do tomorrow to make it feel even better
or more present or focused or. More
calm.

>> Wendy Valentine (26:26):
What do you do for yourself before you go to bed
at night?

>> Jesse Bennett (26:30):
Usually, watch trash TV with my husband. That's what
we.

>> Wendy Valentine (26:34):
That's the best.
I do that a lot.

>> Jesse Bennett (26:39):
yeah, we totally do. I have,
I have, I have a PEMF mat, which I love.
You know, you know those?

>> Wendy Valentine (26:46):
Oh, yes.
Oh, oh my God. You have one of those.
It's a mat.

>> Jesse Bennett (26:51):
Yes. I'll send you a picture.

>> Wendy Valentine (26:53):
So I used to have like the original pmf,
like the machine. Because when I had black, mold
toxicity, I use that
and like the machine. This was a while back,
but the machine itself was like 20 grand or something
crazy. But it was like in a suitcase. You like drag
it around. But I had no idea. I mean, they probably have

(27:13):
made so many advancements now. So you have a
PMF mat?

>> Jesse Bennett (27:17):
Yeah, it's really cool. it's from this company called
Higher Dose. And it like warms up with infrared. And you
like. I'll sit on that at night. I just, just keep
it on. It's nice and warm. The kids love to sit on it and
it's, it's way cool. We have a travel size one,
a smaller one, and I have a bigger one. So I always have that
warmed up like at the end of the day and I just sit on it at the

(27:38):
end of the day. But honestly, like,
we take good care of ourselves at night and I do them.
Yeah. I love my routine, my face routine.
Like I love all of my dressers. I have a whole
wind down, routine that makes me feel nice and I sit on my
mat. But then we totally watch trash TV on
Netflix, so that's that. You know, like sometimes at
the end.

>> Wendy Valentine (27:58):
Of the day I. I know. And especially like when you're in this line
of work, right, where you're always on and you're teaching
and.
I mean, I love to just it. To me it's like a vacation
for my mind to be able to watch Emily in
Paris or whatever, some
documentaries or.

>> Jesse Bennett (28:13):
I wish I could say I was like reading
or doing. that's not the case.
Like I do the meditation with the kids. But like how.
How my husband and I just chill out. Like we just laugh and
watch something mindless. And that's usually how I end the day.
I mean, right before I go to sleep, I always give
thanks and I say a little hopeful prayer for everyone

(28:33):
in my life that I do that right before I fall
Asleep. But but no, first we would just watch some
like. Guilty Pleasure.

>> Wendy Valentine (28:41):
Yeah. Do you set a certain time
aside every day for meditation or is
that just kind of like incorporated throughout all your.

>> Jesse Bennett (28:49):
Incorporate it when I can.

>> Wendy Valentine (28:51):
Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (28:51):
And I, and I feel myself needing it. I'll be like. Well,
my kids call it floor sleep because they'll be like, I'm just gonna do a
little. And they're like, floor sleep. Because as soon as I. Like
as soon as my mind knows I'm gonna do it, I just like, it
might be because I'm also tired, but I just lay down and I'm
just out.

>> Wendy Valentine (29:08):
That's so nice.

>> Jesse Bennett (29:09):
So I, I try to do it, but I don't have a set
time because if I did I wouldn't find it.

>> Wendy Valentine (29:15):
It's funny. I'm glad you said it because I've tried that. I
mean for, I mean, probably a couple
years, I was consistently meditating, like doing
30 minutes every day and it just was like too
rigid for me.

>> Jesse Bennett (29:28):
Yes.

>> Wendy Valentine (29:28):
And then now I kind of, I have the Calm
app and I'll do one. Yeah. Right before I go to
sleep at night. It's like usually I'm like, yeah,
yeah, but, but it works, right? And
it's like meditation is meditation. I feel like we, we
meditate more often during the day than
we realize. It may not be an official.
Hi, I am meditating,

(29:51):
but it's mindfulness, it's checking
in with yourself. So I kind of feel like throughout the
day. Yeah. Again, I try to check in with
myself. One of my. I watch those ticker tape of
thoughts as best as I can and try.
Wait a second. What's, what's the news
today, Wendy? We need to change that.

>> Jesse Bennett (30:09):
yes.

>> Wendy Valentine (30:10):
Yeah, I think that's key.

>> Jesse Bennett (30:13):
I think that's key too. And just knowing that
when you're, when your mind or body craves that you. And you can
find or you know how to tap into it. It's wonderful. I find
that if I were to be too structured too, then
I'd feel like I wasn't achieving that goal.

>> Wendy Valentine (30:27):
Yes. So if someone is new to
yoga meditation,
breath work, what, what do you recommend?
Like, where do they start? So that they feel
comfortable and not intimidated by
it.

>> Jesse Bennett (30:41):
Totally. Because I understand how it can be intimidating, even
though that's not the intention. And I think that the
wonderful thing about the world we live in is there's so much
free content available that you can try
at home. You can get a mat from Target,
you can turn on YouTube and, or use a
towel beyond your

(31:01):
carpet. Like I think that for
me, when I learned that it
doesn't have to look a certain way, it doesn't have to be a certain
amount of time, it's just about you
showing up for you and that's the beauty and that's
the win. As soon as you strip all of the other stuff away and
you just get to try.

>> Wendy Valentine (31:21):
Yep.

>> Jesse Bennett (31:21):
Then, then all of a sudden the magic happens. So if
someone know yoga in their life or meditation or
Pilates and were they were curious, I would say
look on YouTube and see what is free at your
fingertips and see what teacher resonates with you because you'll know
like that it's. To me it's all about the teacher.
But there's so much, there's so many free things to,
to find and then you oftentimes when you find a teacher you

(31:44):
love, you can find an app that they're on or way in a
resource and you kind of go down a really wonderful
rabbit hole. But I would just say listen to
that seed, listen to that voice and begin.
There's no, you know, I think the only difference I always
say with anything between you and someone else is
you. Maybe you began, maybe you started, maybe

(32:05):
today was your day one and you can begin
again as often as you need. You can begin again
every week, every day. There's no judgment.
It's just about taking care of you and tuning into you. So once
you realize like that's the practice.
And all that other pressure is off. But I
love home. I love a home workout and
studio. That way it can be, you know, cost effective.

(32:27):
It can be all yours. Nobody's, nobody's watching you
anyway. Nobody.

>> Wendy Valentine (32:31):
Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (32:31):
Is judging, you know, is watching you anyway. But you
can really feel safe to just be
you.

>> Wendy Valentine (32:37):
So that's how I've always, I've always done yoga and
meditation at home. That's. I just feel more
comfortable like that. Some people like to join studios. Whatever
works for you. And I think that's what you have to figure out. And
a funny fact is that when I was searching for
my rv, that the requirement is that
I could, I could do tree, pose
and be like it had to be tall enough

(33:00):
and I had to be able to like put my m, you know, my knee out
there.

>> Jesse Bennett (33:03):
Yeah, I love that.

>> Wendy Valentine (33:06):
I'll take it. Yeah. And I love, I
love doing yoga in the RV
and doing meditation and.

>> Jesse Bennett (33:14):
That'S so cool, so beautiful. And it can be anywhere.
Anywhere you like. Exactly.

>> Wendy Valentine (33:19):
It's whatever works for you.

>> Jesse Bennett (33:21):
Yeah, I mean, whatever works for you.

>> Wendy Valentine (33:23):
Even at the Chopra center, it was silent
meditation. Could not stand
it.

>> Jesse Bennett (33:30):
It's not so funny. What? Like, certain things, they say
this is the way or this way. I took the yoga. I took
yoga class last week, and bless her
heart, I love her. But,
sound bowls.

>> Wendy Valentine (33:42):
Oh, this. The. Yet the Tibetan bowls, which
are so.

>> Jesse Bennett (33:46):
Healing and beautiful, but my mind
couldn't stop. Like, it
wasn't. I couldn't
relax into it. So it's just like, it just shows. To each their
own. Because. Yeah, I love.

>> Wendy Valentine (33:59):
It's like one of those things too, when you're experiencing it and going,
okay, I am not digging on this. That's okay.
Like now, you know, and, yeah,
like, some people might do better with silent meditation.
Some people, like, guided. Some people, like a little,
you know, waves in the background or
music. But you just have to try. You just figure out

(34:20):
what works. Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (34:22):
Ah, you just try the different flavors and be like, I like
that one or that one's not for me or. Or not for
me today or in this mood or whatever it may be.
And, And I think there. I always tell my
kids that there are as many ways as
there are ways for whatever it is. And so
there's no so true anything.

>> Wendy Valentine (34:41):
And just like you said, I mean, we're it. It's so great that
nowadays, I mean, on our phone, we can
do meditation, we can do tapping, we can do yoga.
They're YouTube. I mean, it's everywhere.

>> Jesse Bennett (34:53):
It's everywhere.

>> Wendy Valentine (34:55):
Yeah.
What's. What's the late. What's your latest book?

>> Jesse Bennett (34:58):
My latest book is called Bloom.
Ah.

>> Wendy Valentine (35:02):
Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (35:03):
I, I, I, I, wrote it
last year, and, it's really about
blooming in for, for kiddos, for families, about
blooming into the best version of you. And I
thought it was important, especially this time in my kid's
life, to really know who they are. And so when the
world's like, hey, you should look at this, or you should be this, to
be able to put your hand on your own heart and be like, I'm gonna pave

(35:26):
my own way. And so that is
really bloom. And it also came. I also was writing at
a time I started writing it. Then we had some family stuff,
and I realized I didn't feel creative. There's my dog. and then
I started getting back into it. So it's also that
thing of if you're in the, you know, the midst of something
in your life, sometimes you have to put something to the side.

(35:46):
And then when you feel ready, you. You can find your creative side
again. And so for me, Bloom also represents that you
can bloom into something good even when you didn't see the
light, you know? And so that is
also, something I love about Bloom for myself as
the author and the illustrator, because we work through hard
things and that's life, but we can still bloom.

(36:07):
Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (36:08):
And just embracing the. The growing process.
Right. Like, you can't, you know, yell at a plant and go, hurry
up and bloom. You know, you just have to let it take
its process. Right.

>> Jesse Bennett (36:18):
You gotta let it take its process. So. Oh, there's my dog.
She might want to say h.

>> Wendy Valentine (36:22):
Oh, it's okay. Yeah. Ah, okay.

>> Jesse Bennett (36:24):
We'll see how she does. but. So that's my. My newest
book. And, I've been visiting schools locally. Can you hear her?
Is she loud?

>> Wendy Valentine (36:31):
Actually, you can't. I mean, one. One nice thing with Zoom
is that it. It tends to cancel out, like, the
background noise. Perfect. Yeah.

>> Jesse Bennett (36:40):
Okay. Well, if Kelly gets too loud, you just let me know.
but I've been visiting schools locally and reading to them,
and it's just so awesome to connect
with students and readers and just remind
them that they can bloom and that they can love themselves in their
light. And that's what all my book's about. But this one
is special because it. I had to work through a whole lot more to

(37:00):
get it out there. And. And so sometimes when you're, like, when you work
through a challenge, you, like, I'm more proud.
Right?

>> Wendy Valentine (37:06):
Yes. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Hence. Hence
the name of it. Right? The title.

>> Jesse Bennett (37:12):
Yeah, yeah, it was going to be B. And then I thought,
wow, that sounded a little aggressive because it was like, be the good
one. Be kind, Be this. And I was like, oh, maybe a little
aggressive. I think Bloom sounds softer.

>> Wendy Valentine (37:24):
So where can we find your books?

>> Jesse Bennett (37:27):
Amazon? Amazon? Barnes? No, anywhere
online. I also love anyone that gets a book through
me. I usually donate the proceeds to causes that
mean a lot to me or something that's going on in the world.
So, they can always reach out to me. Instagram's a great way
because then I can send a book directly if it comes from my own,
personal stash of books. I love to do that.

(37:47):
I just equipped a classroom in Los Angeles
after the fires with all my books so every kiddo could go home and
have a book, you know? And, and then I
donated with a bunch of authors to help restore libraries
in la. So I like to do good with My
books, that's kind of my goal with
them.

>> Wendy Valentine (38:05):
Like a little butterfly in the
world. Yeah. Like the butterfly
effect, you know?

>> Jesse Bennett (38:12):
Exactly. Actually, that's my, fourth book is called
Ripple and that's what it is. Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (38:17):
I wondered, I wonder if that's why it was called that. The
ripple effect.

>> Jesse Bennett (38:21):
Yes. Yeah. I didn't even know it was a thing when I wrote the
book, but it's. I was like, oh, wow. It's a whole thing
in the world. I just.

>> Wendy Valentine (38:28):
Yeah. Phenomenal. Yeah. Like we're a, Butterfly can flap
its wings and it can. The vibration of it can be felt on the
other side of the world.

>> Jesse Bennett (38:35):
I love it. Well, look at your vibration. Yeah,
it is. And your. Look at your vibration from the other side
of the world. I feel it right here. Isn't that incredible?

>> Wendy Valentine (38:44):
All the way from Portugal to California.

>> Jesse Bennett (38:46):
I love it. But that just shows like how powerful
connection is and energy is and,
you know, meeting incredible like minded people.

>> Wendy Valentine (38:54):
So.

>> Jesse Bennett (38:54):
I'm so grateful to have this time with you. Huh?

>> Wendy Valentine (38:57):
Thank you. You'll have to come do a retreat in
Portugal sometimes.

>> Jesse Bennett (39:02):
Yes. I've never done a solo
trip or a retreat. Well, I, it. I say
never. Since I've been a mom, I haven't. So I
would.

>> Wendy Valentine (39:11):
That would be so cool. Speaking of no
coincidence, speaking of butterflies, you'll have to look
up. It's called Cocoon Portugal, and it's on
the mainland and they, they are actually. It's like
a retreat center. It's. That would be so
cool. Be like a, like a mother daughter type of
yoga retreat, you know? I love
that. You'll have to look it up. Cocoon Port, Portugal. It's

(39:33):
amazing.

>> Jesse Bennett (39:34):
That sounds. Everything about that sounds incredible.

>> Wendy Valentine (39:37):
I know, right? I just want to crawl into a little
cocoon.

>> Jesse Bennett (39:42):
Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (39:42):
Well, thank you so much. And what's. What's your,
your website and then also your Instagram?

>> Jesse Bennett (39:48):
Just. My Instagram is all we need, really.

>> Wendy Valentine (39:50):
Okay.

>> Jesse Bennett (39:50):
I'm working on my website, but, it's just my name. Jesse
Bennett. It's easy to find.
Redhead. Yeah.

>> Wendy Valentine (39:57):
Like Jesse from Toy Story.

>> Jesse Bennett (39:59):
Jesse from Toy Story. Yes. Thank you so
much for having me. Than amazing to talk with
you, hang out with you this
morning.

>> Wendy Valentine (40:08):
Yeah, I know. Now it's dinner time here.

>> Jesse Bennett (40:13):
I love that.

>> Wendy Valentine (40:13):
Thank you. Yeah, I know, right?
Yeah. All right. Thank you. Namaste.
Did this podcast inspire you? Challenge
you? Trigger you to make a change or spit out your coffee
laughing? Good. Then there are three ways you can
thank thank me. Number one, you can leave a written
review of this podcast on Apple iTunes.

(40:35):
Number two, you can take a screenshot of the
episode and share it onto social media and tag
me Wendy Valentine. Number three,
share it with another midlifer that needs a makeover.
You know who I'm talking about. Thank you so much for
listening to the show. Get out there and be
bold. Be free.
Be you RA.