What if getting happier wasn’t about buying more, doing more, or being “fearless”, but about learning a few smart survival moves for modern life? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, survivalist-professor-midwife Ruth Ann Colby Martin (https://RACMedge.com) turns a year in the wild into a practical framework you can use at work, at home, and anywhere stress tries to hijack your joy. From “shelter, water, fire, food” to journaling and 15-minute sit-spots, Ruthann shows you how to protect your energy, find flow, feed your passion, and live with purpose...without building a hut or chewing on beetles. (Promise. 😉 ew!)
What you’ll take away:
- Attitude first: A simple gratitude reset that flips your brain from stress to calm so you can think clearly and feel better fast.
- Shelter–Water–Fire–Food (for life): Protect your energy, create flow, fuel your passion, and align with purpose, Ruthann’s survival map to everyday happiness.
- Two tiny habits, big results: 5–15 minutes of journaling and a daily sit-spot to quiet the mind, boost clarity, and build real resilience.
- Science-backed calm: How shifting into the brain’s alpha state improves mood, focus, and decision-making (no woo required).
- Choose your inputs: Boundaries aren’t selfish; they’re shelter. Curate news, noise, and drains to protect your joy.
If you’re craving more calm, clarity, and “I’ve got this” energy—this one’s your pocket guide to happier living, straight from the mountains… and made for the modern world.
Ruth Ann Colby Martin has spent her life seeking the Edge - pushing her personal edge where she finds growth, empowerment, and transformation. RACM has honed her skills to facilitate the growth Edge for others as an educator, speaker, midwife, and mentor with over 30 years of experience.
Blending her roles as a midwife, homesteader, adventurer, and practitioner of earth-based skills, Ruth Ann offers transformational EDGE mentoring, speaking, and programming.
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