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April 22, 2025 22 mins

In this heartfelt episode, I take you on a powerful metaphorical and literal ride—up the steep hills of Monte Albán and deep into the valleys of the unknown. From a spontaneous bike trip to spiritual insights, I reflect on how embracing uncertainty can lead to the most freeing, joyful, and expansive experiences in our lives.


In this episode, I talk about:

  •  A real-life adventure that revealed a powerful lesson about fear and freedom
  • How our need to “know” often limits what’s possible
  • The mindset shift that invites more joy, courage, and alignment in the face of uncertainty
  • Why the unknown isn’t something to fear—but something to dance with
  • A client story that mirrors the strength, resilience, and heart of so many midlife women

This episode is an invitation to soften your grip, trust the process, and remember the powerful woman you already are—especially when the path ahead isn’t fully clear.


Reflection Questions:

  1. Where are you currently holding back because you want certainty first?
  2. What’s one area of your life where embracing the unknown could open up new possibilities?
  3. What part of your story reminds you that you've done hard things before—and thrived?


Feel inspired? Write a review in Apple Podcasts or a comment in Spotify.

You can find all the podcast details right here: http://midlifebutterfly.ca/podcast

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Follow Kena on Instagram: @kenasiu

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Song: Reborn by Alexander Nakarada

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kena Siu (00:00):
Are you one of those people who always wanted to know
what's going on, what's goingto happen, one of those that are
afraid of the unknown?
Hmm, I feel you.
I've been there many times.
Midlife Butterfly, a woman inthe sacred in between.

(00:22):
She's not who she once was andnot quite who she's becoming yet
.
She's unraveling, awakening,remembering.
She's navigating lifetransitions, divorce, loss,
reinvasion moves, with a burningdesire for freedom, joy and
solid living.
She feels the pull to rise, tofly.

(00:42):
She is no longer afraid of herown wings.
Welcome back to the MidlifeButterfly Podcast.
And I'm saying hi today from ahotel bed somewhere in Oaxaca
City.
So my noise, my voice, is likethis because I'm still laying

(01:03):
down, my voice is like thisbecause I'm still laying down.
I just listened to a podcast, avery beautiful podcast that was
done by the Jasmine Starr Showwith Peter Krohn, the Mindset
Architect.
I don't know if you have heardabout him.
He is, wow, magnificent.
And they were talking about why, I don't know, is a key to

(01:32):
freedom, and it relates a lot towhat I experienced yesterday.
I went cycling to Monte Alban,which is an architectural

(01:57):
sightseeing here, close fromOaxaca City, and I rented a
bicycle.
So I connected to a person andhe's a cyclist and I told him
you know what?
I'm going to be there for a fewdays.
I would like to go visit someplaces and since you like
cycling, I think it would becool for me to rent a bicycle
and then we can go.
And he was like, yeah, I'm in,that's great.
I said, okay, so there was aplan, and then you know, like,

(02:19):
search for the bicycle.
That was an adventure to getthe bicycle and anyway, anyway.
So I rented out, so you, andthen, while I was asking around,
then people told me, yeah, youneed to get a mountain bike
because it's uphill.
And I was like, oh, you know,the little fear started creeping

(02:42):
in, like, oh, it's uphill, okay, I think I can make it.
And then I asked, and then,yeah, I went to another place
and they said, yeah, you, weonly have, like you know, like
regular bikes here.
It's not a mountain bike andyou really need one because it's
up here.
You really need it.
And I was like, okay, so I'mjust gonna.

(03:04):
You know, I already did theplan with this guy and I don't
want to cancel just becausepeople is telling me that it is
uphill.
I think I can make it, or anyother way I'm already in and
let's do it.

(03:26):
So, by not knowing before makingthe plan that this place it's
uphill, it's what it helps meand push me to not push me and
inspire me to go, becauseprobably, if I wouldn't known,
oh, this place is uphill, Iwould say, yeah, in that case

(03:49):
I'm not going on a bicycle, Ibetter go on a tour, you know,
or in a bus, in a taxi, whatever.
I would have limited myself.
That's what I wanted to say ifI wouldn't know in advance, I
would have limited myself.
That's what I wanted to say.
If I wouldn't know in advance,I wouldn't limit myself.

(04:09):
And how many times by knowingsomething we limit ourselves
because we already have theexperience, or sometimes we
don't even have the experience,but it was the story of somebody

(04:29):
, or it was the limiting beliefof a parent, or it was a trauma
that a friend of you has, and webase our story on those stories
of others and we limitourselves to do something that

(04:53):
we don't know and then we miss.
We can miss so many fun andincredible adventures or
breakthroughs or situations thatcan help us heal or shift,

(05:17):
because we are afraid of notknowing.
I mean, we went up the hillyesterday.
I needed to take three breaksduring there and it was fine.
You know it's okay.
You know I was like okay, I'mlistening to my body, I'm

(05:40):
focusing in this present moment,and it just really helped me to
be like I was really presentwith my breath and noticing my
body.
Because when I was thenrealizing, okay, I need to keep
pedaling and pedaling, to tellyou the truth, like I cycling in

(06:01):
Montreal, like I use my bicycleduring the summer the whole
time, but, of course, like it'snot uphill all the time.
Most of the time it's kind offlat.
Or if I go uphill then it's,you know, it's like a flat place
.
So I get to rest and then, youknow, continue.
But this time it was only up,up, up.

(06:22):
And then I was noticing how Iwas tensing my body, like my
upper body, by trying to do theeffort with my legs, and I was
like what am I doing this?
My effort needs to be done withmy legs, not with my arms, and
tensing my shoulders on thebicycle handle.

(06:44):
It's just like, okay, justbringing that awareness and then
saying, okay, buddy, I'mlistening to you and we need to
take a break.
So I was just telling my friendokay, can we just take a break?
And it was nice, it was good todrink some water, to enjoy the

(07:04):
view, to see the city and themountains around, and have great
conversations in the meantime.
And then we finally get to thisarchaeological place which is so
beautiful place which is sobeautiful.
And you know we got to um, toclimb a few of the um, but they

(07:38):
are not pyramids, you know, youknow.
But they have quite a few stepsout all the way up and then you
can see the view so majestic,and then see the place itself
and then wondering, like whathappened here?
What happened here?
Like at the beginning of the,you know, this was built like a
between 100 and 500 years afterChrist or something.

(08:01):
And I was like so we werewondering, like what's the true
story of what happened here?
Like who lived here?
Well, they have some knowledgethere that it was more like
governors or whatever of theZapotec culture in Monte Alban,
in Monte Alban.

(08:27):
But then coming back to my pointof not knowing, I didn't know.
I was going to see that, like Ihear about Monte Alban and they
said it's a beautiful place tovisit, I said, okay, so if
everyone is saying it'sbeautiful, and again, because
somebody knew and they said it'sbeautiful, I was like, okay, so
if everyone is saying it'sbeautiful, and again, because
somebody knew and they said it'sbeautiful, I was like, okay, so
I want to go.
And that's what then inspiredme to go there.

(08:48):
But I didn't see any images oranything before.
And then I was, once I wasthere, I was like this is so
beautiful and magnificent andincredible.
There was like this is sobeautiful and magnificent and an
incredible, you know, and soit's part of the knowing.
But then what about that notknowing of that ride bike up the

(09:12):
hill?
And at one point, like I waslike okay, I know, this is
there's gonna be a payback, likewhen I'm gonna be going
downhill, it's gonna be sofucking worth it of going up the
uphill now.
So by the time we were leaving,I said going down little by

(09:34):
little, and it was like no,we're just going down to the
other side of the mountain, uh,which is, you know, like steeper
.
And so we just took it and itwas the most amazing bicycle
ride I ever had.
Like for me, you know, I lovespeed.

(09:57):
So just being going downhillwith that speed and feeling the
wind on my face, in my body andseeing that, you know, the view
from there going down, it wasthe most, one of the most
majestic things ever.
And then the song that I keepplaying in my head is this is a

(10:22):
life, no, this.
These are the moments, themoments we live for.
And I was like, yes, this isexactly what I'm living for with
these kind of moments.
Yes, like two hours before, Ineeded to go uphill and it was
challenging and I needed topause and then drink some water

(10:47):
in the meantime and thencontinue and continue.
And it was so worth it becausethen I was able to go downhill
for that moment of full pleasurethat I can feel.
It was just so magical andfantastic.

(11:10):
By saying this, my voice isbreaking because I'm crying just
by remembering that excitementand by not knowing at the
beginning that it was an uphill,because otherwise I would not
dare.

(11:30):
I would not dare to rent a biketo go there, there.
So my invitation for you is totrust, to trust the unknown,
because the truth is, your life,or most of your life, has been

(12:00):
unknown, hasn't it?
I mean, at one point you didn'tknow how to walk.
You just keep going.
People were cheering you up,they were telling you keep going
, you can do it, because theyknow you were going to make it.

(12:21):
And even though you stumbleover and over again, you learn
to walk.
And life is like that stumblingand getting back because we, we
don't know.
I mean, then you went to schoolfor the first time.
You didn't know what was goingto happen there, you didn't know
.
I mean, then you went to schoolfor the first time, you didn't
know what was going to happenthere.

(12:42):
You didn't know who you weregoing to meet, you didn't know
what you were going to learn,you didn't know the experiences
with your you know, with yourclassmates that you were going
to have.
Then, at one point suddenly inyour life you meet someone and
you fall in love.
You didn't know when that wasgoing to happen and eventually

(13:12):
then you were working somewhereand you got a job offer
somewhere else and you didn'tknow.
And then it was like you wereprobably freaking out at the
beginning or or you know, likein my case, like I I work also
for international conferences Ilost my job through covid
because, uh, the conference werecanceled or they will postpone.

(13:37):
And I took the risk of saying,okay, I'm just gonna take kind
of like a, gonna take advantageof the article the, the
insurance for unemployment,while I can focus a bit more in
my business.
And then again it was theunknown, but I was like I kind

(14:05):
of need this at this moment, soI'm just going to take it, even
though I don't know what's goingto happen.
And then, because of the peoplethat I know in the event
management, then I start gettingcontracts as a freelancer and I
didn't know that was going tohappen.

(14:25):
And I'm even getting paid morenow for those kind of jobs and I
get to work less between quotesbecause at the same time, it's
because I have so many years ofexperience in that, at the same
time it's because I have so manyyears of experience in that,

(14:45):
but if I wouldn't take that riskof saying, okay, I'd rather go
focus on this in my business,while at the same time doing a
lot of inner work and at thesame time then pausing and it
has given me all this kind offreedom that I have now, because

(15:08):
I didn't know what was going tohappen.
And I'm so honored to be inthis life experience right now
and I didn't know.
So don't be afraid of it,because of the magic that it can

(15:37):
bring to your life.
So I invite you to take a pause, the magic that it can bring to
your life.
So I invite you to take a pauseTo reflect about your life Of
all those many times that youwere afraid of the unknown and

(16:01):
still it did happen.
And what was the magic thatcame out of it?
Or what was the learning lessonof that unknown moment?
What was the breakthrough thatyou got to experience for not
knowing, knowing.

(16:21):
See, most of your lifeexperience is about not knowing.
The other day I was talking toone of my clients and she was
very afraid because she's asingle mom.

(16:42):
She has two kids, uh, withspecial needs them, and and I'm
just seriously, I am just amazedof her strength and resilience

(17:03):
and how much she is to herpersonal development to be able

(17:37):
to offer a better life to herchildren.
And at one point she wastelling me how afraid she is,
that she's not being the momthat she wants to be for them,
and then feeling afraid for someother things in life.
And I told her I understandthat you are afraid of the

(18:03):
unknown, for these situationsyou are telling me now.
I said but at one point, whenyou became a mom for the first
time, you didn't know.
You didn't know how to be a momand you are doing great.

(18:23):
I said, for the stories thatyou tell me, it really touched
my heart because I can see yourresilience and your courage and
your commitment to be the bestmom for them and you are doing
it.
And she was so grateful forthat comment and I just say it

(18:48):
from the heart.
And I said so you didn't knowhow to be a mom and you are
doing great.
So don't be afraid of theunknown of other circumstances
in your life.
Just remember the mom that youare now and at the one point,

(19:10):
that you didn't know and you'redoing great.
So whenever fear creeps in,remember that.
And she was like, yes, you areso right, you are so right, you
are so right.
So what is about your storythat you can be very proud about

(19:38):
it?
Very, yes, like honor andresilience, and watch each part
of your story.
You were super courageous to gofor it, that you did it when it
was unknown.

(19:58):
So bring that memory and bringthat feeling to your body now.
And bring that feeling to yourbody now and remember this every
time you are fearful of theunknown.

(20:22):
So you can remember that youhave that strength, that courage
, that resilience within you togo through and to say, to
realize, actually, that most ofthe things that are happening in
your life and that had happenedbefore are part of the unknown.

(20:45):
You don't know.
So it's about keep going,despite the fear that you are
having.
Just keep going because youmade it before and you can make

(21:06):
it now.
So this is my share for today,my invitation to you, to welcome
the unknown in your life,because if you made it before,

(21:27):
you can continue doing it.
Much love to you and take care.
Thank you for tuning in toMidlife Butterfly.
If this episode lead a spark inyou, hit that subscribe or
follow button on Apple Podcasts,spotify or wherever you love to
listen, so you'll never missthe magic.
If you're feeling generous,drop a review on Apple Podcasts.

(21:50):
It helps this empoweringcontent reach more souls ready
to transform their lives.
And don't forget to take aphoto of you while listening and
share it on your socials.
You can tag me at Ken as you,so I can celebrate you and your
expansion.
Until next time, keep spreadingthose wings and living in joy,
growth and pleasure.
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