April 19, 2025 • 23 mins
Step into a world where personal tales meet unwavering advocacy in this engaging episode. We welcome our guest, a passionate self-employed advocate who bravely shares her journey through caring for her family, which includes children with mental health challenges. As she recounts the fluctuating dynamics of her life, listeners get a front-row seat to the thoughts and feelings associated with balancing a career while nurturing loved ones who face difficulties.
Lisa Zarcone
- Instagram: lisaunspokentruth
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-zarcone-0ba19135/
- Website: http://www.lisazarcone.net/
- Email: lzarcone@comcast.net
As the episode comes to a close, we turn our attention to an inspiring nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting adult survivors of child abuse. By sharing their mission, we aim to raise awareness and encourage listeners to engage with causes that resonate on a personal level. This episode is more than just a conversation; it’s a rallying cry for community action and personal growth. Join us, and let’s amplify our voices together!
Join us as we support the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse this month!
Don’t forget to subscribe, share this episode with friends, and leave a review. Your engagement helps us continue this important dialogue.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Voiceover (00:03):
Tales from the wild, stories from the heart.
A journey into the mind andsoul of fired up business
professionals, where they sharetheir vision for the future and
hear from a different non-profitorganization every month as
they create awareness of theirgoals and their needs.
Dive into a world of untamedpassion as we join our host,
(00:27):
Shireen Bo tha, for this month'sepisode of Friends from Wild
Places.
Shireen Botha (00:35):
You know you touched on a little bit about
your life.
Currently You're self-employed.
You not only have your own kids, but you also took on two of
your grandchildren, and I thinkyou mentioned one has, um, some
kind of a mental health issue aswell.
Lisa Zarcone (00:55):
A contra yes okay, no, you're right.
My youngest, my youngest, ourgrandson, he's 12, he has autism
, sensory sensory issues andalso, unfortunately, he was
abused in the first couple yearsof life by his own mother who
had mental health issues.
I mean, how profound is that,that that continued on and that
(01:17):
he has complex PTSD because ofit.
So we adopted Liam at the ageof three and you know we've it's
been a work in progress andwe've had to learn so much.
You know, as, as you know,parents doing it over again, you
have to be up with the times,of course, because life has
changed so much since ourchildren grew.
(01:37):
But then to learn about, youknow, the autism piece, the
sensory piece, the trauma piece,I do get and I do understand.
But my husband, you know, he,his life is polar, was polar
opposite of mine.
So you know, when we talkchildhoods together, his
childhood was like, oh, that'swonderful.
He was like he walked on waterand mine was just like a
complete train wreck.
(01:57):
So you know we had to learn.
You know all these things about, you know the autism and so
sensory stuff, so we can helphim the best that we can.
So it really has been aninteresting journey with Liam
and our granddaughter Phoebe,who is 16 now.
We've had her since she was ayoung, young child as well and
she's had her own struggles, youknow, with anxiety and
(02:20):
abandonment issues, you know,because of her parents and
things that have happened.
But you know, we've we've puteverything back into them and
push forward and I have to saythey really are doing wonderful.
They're a work in progress.
Shireen Botha (02:32):
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
So I guess my question beingself employed and have so many
different factors on your plate,like that, you're quite a busy
woman and, as you said, withmany hats.
So I guess I would love for youto just to share one of the
biggest struggles that you'vefaced on this journey and how
(02:52):
you conquered it, how you gotover it and faced it.
And come to the other side.
Lisa Zarcone (02:59):
Yes, so interesting.
So, of course, yeah, my life ispretty, pretty busy, pretty
complicated, with so many thingshappening.
I'm pulled in a milliondifferent directions every
single day and trying to findbalance with all that.
So raising your family anddoing all of those things, and
then you're looking at your ownbusiness.
You're, you know, you'reselling yourself.
When you're self-employed,you're selling yourself, you're
(03:20):
selling who you are, what you do, your talents.
You have to put them out there.
So for me, the biggest challengehas been, you know, finding the
appropriate time to do so.
How do I fit that into my dailylife?
How do I want to present myselfout there and what do I want to
do with all of my gifts andtalents?
So, on that note, beingself-employed, being an author
(03:48):
so, on that note, beingself-employed, being an author,
you kind of get ignored a lotand I'm going to say that very
frankly.
You know, out there, in the bigworld of business, when you're
this small entity, just, youknow, trying to get your voice
out there, you're ignored a lot.
And I have been ignored a lotbecause I think being, you know,
the one woman show, first ofall and second of all, my topics
are strong.
(04:08):
My stop.
My topics are still taboo.
A lot of people don't want totouch upon it.
So I find myself fighting twiceas hard to really push myself
out there.
Always, you know, the wheels arealways turning.
How can I get myself out therein this way?
How can I get someone to noticeme in this light?
(04:28):
And it's a constant.
It's a constant grind.
It's a constant grind and I'vebeen frustrated countless times
where I'm like am I, am I reallylike, meant to be doing this?
But then there's alwayssomething that happens and it
brings me back to my baseline.
It brings me, grounds me backdown to say okay, lisa, you've
got this, you keep going, youkeep pushing out there, you're
(04:49):
going to make your way and theright things are going to fall
into your lap.
And I do believe that becauseit seems like when I'm the most
frustrated, something wonderfulhappens, a new door opens.
So it really is about whenyou're your own boss.
It's about perseverance, it'sabout consistency, it's about
really thinking outside the boxto make your goals, wishes and
(05:12):
dreams all come true.
It's a lot of work, but whenyou do have those successes,
it's really exciting.
Tanya Scotece (05:20):
Lisa, what do you when you speak and you say you
do public speaking engagements.
You're involved in thecommunity.
What type of topics are youspeaking about specifically and
what type of audiences?
For example, like I mean, areyou talking to schools and what
is?
I mean?
We've heard your journey, I'veread your book, anxious to read
(05:41):
the second book, but what arethe topics that people can come
into your presentation and leavewith, and do you have different
formats?
Lisa Zarcone (05:51):
I do have different formats.
It really depends.
So if I'm doing an author talkabout, you know, either one of
my stories or both of my stories.
When someone comes to hear mespeak, they're going to hear
about my books, they're going tohear about you know what I've
been through, how it all came tobe, and I share the story.
So that's one aspect of what Ido.
And when I talk about publicspeaking keynote speaking, I
(06:13):
speak to educators, I speak tosocial workers.
I've spoken, you know, in frontof doctors, nurses and all
those types of things.
So you talk more about theclinical, the clinical aspect,
the mental health aspect.
I, you know, I do a little bitof everything.
The last presentation that I,the biggest presentation I did
(06:33):
in the fall of this past year,was through Helix Human Services
.
So what they do they're,they're social workers, it's
foster care, nurses, doctors andall of that.
So when I spoke that day, Ishared my personal story.
I shared what happened to meand how I overcame all of the
abuse and how I survived andthen thrived forward and how you
(06:58):
can heal.
My workshop that day was aboutthe body keeps score and I
talked in great deal about howtrauma and abuse stays within
the body and how it affects youwhen you don't even realize it
and how silence can be deadly.
So I do speak about a lot ofdifferent topics.
I've done a lot of you knowwork with speaking about suicide
(07:20):
prevention and in that realm Ialways share my personal
experience of when I wanted tocommit suicide and my thought
and my planning and then go intohow we can help people you know
who are struggling find theresources that they need.
So I do a little bit ofeverything.
In a couple of weeks I'm goingto be speaking at a college with
(07:41):
women who have been throughtheir own issues and problems in
life and they've been throughabuse and now they're turning
their lives around.
So I'm going to be speaking ata luncheon just sharing about my
story and how I was able tostep forward to be successful in
my life in a business fashion.
So I'm always you know it'samazing these things come up and
(08:02):
I tap into different parts ofmy life and different parts of
my experiences to.
You know, give them what theyneed whoever is looking for a
certain topic.
So my basis is always does goback to my story and abdicating
for awareness and, you knowchild safety and all of those
(08:22):
things awareness and you knowchild safety and all of those
things.
Tanya Scotece (08:27):
And what would you say?
Or maybe I don't know, I don'tknow how many you have, but
let's say three takeaways forour listeners today from hearing
your journey, you know, withsuch inspiration, such hope for
anybody that may have atriggering event, like you
described the woman that youknow was at your presentation
that you know either positive ornegative.
What are some things that youcould share with us that you do
(08:48):
either daily or weekly, or youknow that you look forward to
doing, to stay grounded yourself.
Lisa Zarcone (08:54):
Yes, it's always a lot.
You know, I'm always big onwhat I call brain breaks and I
you know it's funny I'm onTikTok, okay, and I got onto
TikTok just to sendinspirational messages and
motivation, and when I talkabout those things, I'm on
TikTok, okay, and I got ontoTikTok just to send
inspirational messages andmotivation, and when I talk
about those things, I'm alwaystalking about brain breaks.
We all need brain breaks in ourlives.
We live busy, fast-paced livesand when we have all these past
(09:17):
things that have been sittingheavy with us, they do again
ping out in different ways whenwe don't realize it.
But what we need to do is stopin parts of our days and just be
, just do something for yourselfthat really makes you happy,
brings you joy, makes you feelyou know, talking yourself off
(09:38):
that ledge, bringing you backdown to again your baseline,
grounding yourself.
For me, there's a few things.
Of course, I love writing.
I'll always.
Writing is my thing.
I love to do poetry, I lovejust journaling and putting my
thoughts down.
But I'm a nature geek.
I truly, truly love to be outin nature.
You know birds and and allkinds of nature I garden and my
(09:59):
flowers and my veggies.
But I really, when I'm outthere, I tap into it, Like I tap
into the sites, the sounds, thesmells, and when you do those
things you're actually shiftingyour brain.
Smells, and when you do thosethings you're actually shifting
your brain, you're shifting thegears in your brain.
You're going from this crazychaotic mode to like, all of a
sudden, now you're just slowlybringing yourself back down and
(10:20):
you're giving your brain thosemoments to just rest it.
Whatever you're doing, let itbe carefree and mindless.
You know, I take my dog for awalk, or I'll just be out in the
yard and let her run around andI'm just feeling the breeze,
I'm really focusing on thesunshine or whatever it may be,
and those are the things thatthat really always make me feel
(10:41):
good and relaxes me enough tomove forward on with my day.
And I also say like, if you'restuck in an office building, get
up from that desk, go take awalk, change, change the scenery
, even if it's for ten minutes.
When I worked in an office, Iwould do that.
I would walk the outsideperimeter of the building or, if
it was bad weather, I'd walkinside the building.
(11:02):
I'd look at people, I'd smile,I would do my thing, you know,
and just just taking those fewmoments to change up your
scenery, your location, and itreally does shift the gears
inside of you.
So those are some of the thingsthat I personally do.
Other people love music,driving in their car, you know
all those things, but whateverit is that makes you happy and
what makes you feel good, do it.
(11:23):
Do it as often as possible,take time throughout your day
and really just take care ofyourself for a few minutes.
It's so very important.
Shireen Botha (11:32):
I love that.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yeah, tanya, and I very muchagree with you when it comes to
that.
But yes, I think that's theperfect time, since you did
touch on a few things, but now'sthe perfect time to slot in our
non-profit.
Slot in our non-profit.
(11:55):
Our non-profit for the month isthe National Association of
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse.
We did touch on it earlier on,but, lisa, please go ahead and
share and tell us and thelisteners a little bit about
what they do and how we cansupport them.
Lisa Zarcone (12:10):
Yes, so NASCA is a non-profit, nonprofit
organization and I am theMassachusetts National
Ambassador and Regional Directorfor Massachusetts and you know
we're worldwide, it's aworldwide organization and
there's very, there's so manyfree services within our
organization that are there tohelp adult survivors of child
abuse and it has reached out nowalso to the mental health piece
(12:32):
and, and even you know, drugaddiction, because it all comes
back into the same circles ofyou know the struggles that
people go through.
So NASCA is a great resource totap into.
Go to nascaorg and see all thedifferent things that are on
there and they also do theirblog talk radio show.
See all the different thingsthat are on there and they also
do their blog talk radio show.
(12:53):
I know blog blog talk is nowended and they're they're coming
on and I I'm not sure whothey've chosen to step forward,
but the radio show is going tostep up again and be and be
mobile.
So, and the radio show peoplecan come on as guests, they can
share their personal stories andwhat a huge thing that is for
people to have that opportunityto do so.
When you've done the healingwork and now you're like ready
(13:15):
and you want to share your story.
Nasca gives you the place to dothat and they also have other
you know little support groupsthat people can tap into and
share their struggles andthere's always somebody there to
offer and lend a helping hand.
I know for myself, you knowpeople will write me privately
and I will offer, you know, anysupport and information that I
(13:39):
can.
I, you know I'll do research ifthey're from a different state.
You know I'm from Massachusettsbut if somebody from a
different state you know islooking for help, I'll always
tap into resources wherever Ican find to help get them the
support that they need.
So NASCA really is a wonderfulorganization that does help
people who are struggling.
So I, you know it's it's, it'sreally a wonderful thing.
(13:59):
I've been involved in NASCA foroh my goodness, 10 years now
and I I'm really proud of thework that I've done with them
and I support them and Iencourage people to check it out
.
Shireen Botha (14:13):
Well, we're proud of you.
Yeah, yeah, thank you,listeners, you heard it.
And if you are feeling a littledry, if you are feeling a
little depressed, if you arefeeling like life is a little
bit overwhelming right now andyou feel enclosed, let me tell
you you something.
(14:33):
I think that might be a sign.
It is for me.
I'm not saying that this is foreverybody, but it might be a
sign that you need to maybestart thinking outside of what's
going on in your life andwhat's you know, consuming you
and your mind, and this is theperfect opportunity to put your
(14:58):
mind elsewhere.
go and support NASCA, go andgive a donation, go and out in
your car, go to the shops, buy acouple of loaves of bread, go
get a couple of meals.
Go find a couple of people thatare homeless, that need your
help, that don't know wheretheir next meal is going to come
(15:21):
from, or that are also justmentally suffering in silence.
Put your mind on something elseother than what's going on in
your life.
I can assure you it'll help.
It'll really help.
So, listeners, do yourselves afavor and go to NASCA and see
(15:45):
how you can support theirs.
So we have come to the end ofthe podcast, but the more
lighthearted part of the podcastand I thought, ladies, to end
it off, we could play a littlebit of a game called 20
questions no, tanya, and I haveplayed this before.
(16:05):
Lisa, have you?
No, no.
Lisa Zarcone (16:10):
Because we know we're just going on and play
games.
I know I didn't know we wereplaying games, but I'm excited.
I'm down for it.
Let's do it.
Shireen Botha (16:18):
Right?
Well, it's called 20 questionsbecause it's in one minute.
You have to answer as manyquestions as possible, and I
mean these questions are to getto know each other, and so the
listeners can get to know eachother.
But you know, the winner iswhoever answers as many
questions in that minute aspossible.
(16:39):
So I think, Tanya, I think youshould show us how it's done.
I'll start with you.
I've put one minute on theclock here and I'm just full
disclosure.
Tanya Scotece (16:52):
this has not been rehearsed, so I don't know what
questions are coming my way.
Lisa, you neither right, wedon't know.
Okay, go ahead.
Shireen Botha (16:59):
These ladies listeners don't know what
questions are coming their way.
I've picked new ones, so let'ssee.
Okay, tanya, are you ready?
I'm'm ready.
Let's be put it on the clockand let's begin now.
(17:19):
What is your favorite food?
Lobster.
What is your favorite color?
Black.
What is your favorite song?
Sweet caroline.
Who is your favorite song?
Sweet Caroline?
Who is your favorite celebrity?
Tanya Scotece (17:34):
I don't really have one, but I'm going to say
Neil Diamond, if that counts.
Shireen Botha (17:39):
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Tanya Scotece (17:43):
I'm going to say Christmas just because of the
lights.
What is your favorite fruit?
Shireen Botha (17:49):
Fruit I like pineapple.
What is your favorite fruitFruit I like pineapple.
What is your favorite seasonand why?
Tanya Scotece (17:55):
I'm going to say fall, just because of the crisp
breeze.
Shireen Botha (17:58):
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
I'm going to say Bewitched.
What is your least favoritecolor?
Tanya Scotece (18:08):
My least favorite color is yellow no-transcript
done, done, finished.
Shireen Botha (18:24):
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
11 questions.
That's pretty good 11 questions.
My gosh, tanya, answered thoselike extremely fast okay so 11
questions, one minute okay,let's try.
All right, one minute on theclock, lisa.
(18:45):
Are you ready?
I'm ready.
Okay, let's begin now.
What is your dream destination?
New zealand.
Do you like watching goodmorning cartoons as a kid?
Yes what was, or is yourfavorite subject in school
(19:07):
English?
What is your biggest fear?
The dark.
Are you a night person or amorning person?
Lisa Zarcone (19:17):
I'm a night person .
Shireen Botha (19:18):
What is your favorite color Pink.
Do you have any pets?
Yes.
What are your three favoritecolor Pink.
Do you have any pets?
Yes.
What are your three favoritesongs?
Lisa Zarcone (19:29):
Three favorite.
Oh, my goodness, lean on Me.
Kentucky, rain and theUnforgiven.
Shireen Botha (19:40):
Nice.
What is your dream job?
Lisa Zarcone (19:43):
My dream job is what I'm doing right now lovely.
Shireen Botha (19:46):
What do you like wearing often?
Uh leggings okay, all right,that is 10 questions in a minute
.
Sorry, tanya, you won just byone, just by one Awesome,
awesome.
That's a great game, just toget to know each other a little
(20:09):
bit better.
Tanya Scotece (20:09):
That was fun, that is fun.
Yeah, that is fun, that is fun.
Shireen Botha (20:13):
Thank you for partaking, but I can't believe
that we've come to the end ofthe podcast already.
So you know many listenerslisten and sometimes they really
connect with us.
So if you don't mind, justsharing with the listeners where
they can find you if they wantto reach out, ask you questions
or anything like that.
Lisa, go ahead.
Lisa Zarcone (20:35):
Yes, if anybody wants to reach me, go to
lisasarconenet.
You can find me there.
You can write to me and Ianswer everybody who writes to
me.
I'm a really firm believer inresponding to everyone who
reaches out.
You can also find me on socialmedia.
I'm on LinkedIn, on Instagram,facebook.
I'm all over the place, tiktok.
Like I was saying, write to me,connect with me.
(20:56):
I will answer you and I hope tohear from people because I know
you know people are strugglingand if they need some support
and advice, I'm here to lend ahelping hand.
Shireen Botha (21:07):
I love it.
Thank you, lisa.
Tanya what about yourself?
Tanya Scotece (21:10):
Okay.
Also, linkedin is my hub.
I don't have a TV and haven'twatched it in about 30 years, so
you can find me on LinkedIn.
I serve as the programcoordinator for Miami Dade
College Funeral ServiceEducation Program, so anybody
wanting to become a funeraldirector or embalmer and or
embalmer feel free to seek meout.
(21:31):
I also serve as expert witnessplacement, so I do those two
expert witness for funeral homeand cemetery wrongdoings, and
senior placement for findingcommunities for people who can
no longer live alone, usuallydue to Alzheimer's or
Parkinson's.
So I do cover independentliving, assisted living, memory
care and the little casitas inthe area of Florida, east and
(21:53):
West Coast alike.
And how about you, shireen?
Shireen Botha (21:57):
Thank you, tanya.
So, yes, you can find me,Shireen Botha, on most of the
social medias personally, butyou'll find Shireen's
bookkeeping services mostly onLinkedIn and Instagram.
But friendsfromwildplacesthat's friendsfromwildplaces.
buzzsprout.
com.
Please take a moment to go andsubscribe.
(22:18):
It's just $5 a month for extracontent and leave a message.
Let us know how you, what youthink of this and what did you
think of the latest podcast?
Now, we really enjoy hearingfrom you guys.
We have a youtube channel.
You can catch us on all thelive streaming platforms.
(22:40):
So thank you so much forlistening.
Ladies and gents, we'll see younext time and remember you got
this and stay wild.
Bye, guys.
Voiceover (22:50):
You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places
with Shireen Botha.
Be sure to subscribe to thepodcast from the links to catch
every episode and unleash yourpassion.
Tales from the wild, stories from the heart.
A journey into the mind andsoul of fired up business
professionals, where they sharetheir vision for the future and
hear from a different non-profitorganization every month as
they create awareness of theirgoals and their needs.
Dive into a world of untamedpassion as we join our host,
(00:27):
Shireen Bo tha, for this month'sepisode of Friends from Wild
Places.
Shireen Botha (00:35):
You know you touched on a little bit about
your life.
Currently You're self-employed.
You not only have your own kids, but you also took on two of
your grandchildren, and I thinkyou mentioned one has, um, some
kind of a mental health issue aswell.
Lisa Zarcone (00:55):
A contra yes okay, no, you're right.
My youngest, my youngest, ourgrandson, he's 12, he has autism
, sensory sensory issues andalso, unfortunately, he was
abused in the first couple yearsof life by his own mother who
had mental health issues.
I mean, how profound is that,that that continued on and that
(01:17):
he has complex PTSD because ofit.
So we adopted Liam at the ageof three and you know we've it's
been a work in progress andwe've had to learn so much.
You know, as, as you know,parents doing it over again, you
have to be up with the times,of course, because life has
changed so much since ourchildren grew.
(01:37):
But then to learn about, youknow, the autism piece, the
sensory piece, the trauma piece,I do get and I do understand.
But my husband, you know, he,his life is polar, was polar
opposite of mine.
So you know, when we talkchildhoods together, his
childhood was like, oh, that'swonderful.
He was like he walked on waterand mine was just like a
complete train wreck.
(01:57):
So you know we had to learn.
You know all these things about, you know the autism and so
sensory stuff, so we can helphim the best that we can.
So it really has been aninteresting journey with Liam
and our granddaughter Phoebe,who is 16 now.
We've had her since she was ayoung, young child as well and
she's had her own struggles, youknow, with anxiety and
(02:20):
abandonment issues, you know,because of her parents and
things that have happened.
But you know, we've we've puteverything back into them and
push forward and I have to saythey really are doing wonderful.
They're a work in progress.
Shireen Botha (02:32):
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
So I guess my question beingself employed and have so many
different factors on your plate,like that, you're quite a busy
woman and, as you said, withmany hats.
So I guess I would love for youto just to share one of the
biggest struggles that you'vefaced on this journey and how
(02:52):
you conquered it, how you gotover it and faced it.
And come to the other side.
Lisa Zarcone (02:59):
Yes, so interesting.
So, of course, yeah, my life ispretty, pretty busy, pretty
complicated, with so many thingshappening.
I'm pulled in a milliondifferent directions every
single day and trying to findbalance with all that.
So raising your family anddoing all of those things, and
then you're looking at your ownbusiness.
You're, you know, you'reselling yourself.
When you're self-employed,you're selling yourself, you're
(03:20):
selling who you are, what you do, your talents.
You have to put them out there.
So for me, the biggest challengehas been, you know, finding the
appropriate time to do so.
How do I fit that into my dailylife?
How do I want to present myselfout there and what do I want to
do with all of my gifts andtalents?
So, on that note, beingself-employed, being an author
(03:48):
so, on that note, beingself-employed, being an author,
you kind of get ignored a lotand I'm going to say that very
frankly.
You know, out there, in the bigworld of business, when you're
this small entity, just, youknow, trying to get your voice
out there, you're ignored a lot.
And I have been ignored a lotbecause I think being, you know,
the one woman show, first ofall and second of all, my topics
are strong.
(04:08):
My stop.
My topics are still taboo.
A lot of people don't want totouch upon it.
So I find myself fighting twiceas hard to really push myself
out there.
Always, you know, the wheels arealways turning.
How can I get myself out therein this way?
How can I get someone to noticeme in this light?
(04:28):
And it's a constant.
It's a constant grind.
It's a constant grind and I'vebeen frustrated countless times
where I'm like am I, am I reallylike, meant to be doing this?
But then there's alwayssomething that happens and it
brings me back to my baseline.
It brings me, grounds me backdown to say okay, lisa, you've
got this, you keep going, youkeep pushing out there, you're
(04:49):
going to make your way and theright things are going to fall
into your lap.
And I do believe that becauseit seems like when I'm the most
frustrated, something wonderfulhappens, a new door opens.
So it really is about whenyou're your own boss.
It's about perseverance, it'sabout consistency, it's about
really thinking outside the boxto make your goals, wishes and
(05:12):
dreams all come true.
It's a lot of work, but whenyou do have those successes,
it's really exciting.
Tanya Scotece (05:20):
Lisa, what do you when you speak and you say you
do public speaking engagements.
You're involved in thecommunity.
What type of topics are youspeaking about specifically and
what type of audiences?
For example, like I mean, areyou talking to schools and what
is?
I mean?
We've heard your journey, I'veread your book, anxious to read
(05:41):
the second book, but what arethe topics that people can come
into your presentation and leavewith, and do you have different
formats?
Lisa Zarcone (05:51):
I do have different formats.
It really depends.
So if I'm doing an author talkabout, you know, either one of
my stories or both of my stories.
When someone comes to hear mespeak, they're going to hear
about my books, they're going tohear about you know what I've
been through, how it all came tobe, and I share the story.
So that's one aspect of what Ido.
And when I talk about publicspeaking keynote speaking, I
(06:13):
speak to educators, I speak tosocial workers.
I've spoken, you know, in frontof doctors, nurses and all
those types of things.
So you talk more about theclinical, the clinical aspect,
the mental health aspect.
I, you know, I do a little bitof everything.
The last presentation that I,the biggest presentation I did
(06:33):
in the fall of this past year,was through Helix Human Services
.
So what they do they're,they're social workers, it's
foster care, nurses, doctors andall of that.
So when I spoke that day, Ishared my personal story.
I shared what happened to meand how I overcame all of the
abuse and how I survived andthen thrived forward and how you
(06:58):
can heal.
My workshop that day was aboutthe body keeps score and I
talked in great deal about howtrauma and abuse stays within
the body and how it affects youwhen you don't even realize it
and how silence can be deadly.
So I do speak about a lot ofdifferent topics.
I've done a lot of you knowwork with speaking about suicide
(07:20):
prevention and in that realm Ialways share my personal
experience of when I wanted tocommit suicide and my thought
and my planning and then go intohow we can help people you know
who are struggling find theresources that they need.
So I do a little bit ofeverything.
In a couple of weeks I'm goingto be speaking at a college with
(07:41):
women who have been throughtheir own issues and problems in
life and they've been throughabuse and now they're turning
their lives around.
So I'm going to be speaking ata luncheon just sharing about my
story and how I was able tostep forward to be successful in
my life in a business fashion.
So I'm always you know it'samazing these things come up and
(08:02):
I tap into different parts ofmy life and different parts of
my experiences to.
You know, give them what theyneed whoever is looking for a
certain topic.
So my basis is always does goback to my story and abdicating
for awareness and, you knowchild safety and all of those
(08:22):
things awareness and you knowchild safety and all of those
things.
Tanya Scotece (08:27):
And what would you say?
Or maybe I don't know, I don'tknow how many you have, but
let's say three takeaways forour listeners today from hearing
your journey, you know, withsuch inspiration, such hope for
anybody that may have atriggering event, like you
described the woman that youknow was at your presentation
that you know either positive ornegative.
What are some things that youcould share with us that you do
(08:48):
either daily or weekly, or youknow that you look forward to
doing, to stay grounded yourself.
Lisa Zarcone (08:54):
Yes, it's always a lot.
You know, I'm always big onwhat I call brain breaks and I
you know it's funny I'm onTikTok, okay, and I got onto
TikTok just to sendinspirational messages and
motivation, and when I talkabout those things, I'm on
TikTok, okay, and I got ontoTikTok just to send
inspirational messages andmotivation, and when I talk
about those things, I'm alwaystalking about brain breaks.
We all need brain breaks in ourlives.
We live busy, fast-paced livesand when we have all these past
(09:17):
things that have been sittingheavy with us, they do again
ping out in different ways whenwe don't realize it.
But what we need to do is stopin parts of our days and just be
, just do something for yourselfthat really makes you happy,
brings you joy, makes you feelyou know, talking yourself off
(09:38):
that ledge, bringing you backdown to again your baseline,
grounding yourself.
For me, there's a few things.
Of course, I love writing.
I'll always.
Writing is my thing.
I love to do poetry, I lovejust journaling and putting my
thoughts down.
But I'm a nature geek.
I truly, truly love to be outin nature.
You know birds and and allkinds of nature I garden and my
(09:59):
flowers and my veggies.
But I really, when I'm outthere, I tap into it, Like I tap
into the sites, the sounds, thesmells, and when you do those
things you're actually shiftingyour brain.
Smells, and when you do thosethings you're actually shifting
your brain, you're shifting thegears in your brain.
You're going from this crazychaotic mode to like, all of a
sudden, now you're just slowlybringing yourself back down and
(10:20):
you're giving your brain thosemoments to just rest it.
Whatever you're doing, let itbe carefree and mindless.
You know, I take my dog for awalk, or I'll just be out in the
yard and let her run around andI'm just feeling the breeze,
I'm really focusing on thesunshine or whatever it may be,
and those are the things thatthat really always make me feel
(10:41):
good and relaxes me enough tomove forward on with my day.
And I also say like, if you'restuck in an office building, get
up from that desk, go take awalk, change, change the scenery
, even if it's for ten minutes.
When I worked in an office, Iwould do that.
I would walk the outsideperimeter of the building or, if
it was bad weather, I'd walkinside the building.
(11:02):
I'd look at people, I'd smile,I would do my thing, you know,
and just just taking those fewmoments to change up your
scenery, your location, and itreally does shift the gears
inside of you.
So those are some of the thingsthat I personally do.
Other people love music,driving in their car, you know
all those things, but whateverit is that makes you happy and
what makes you feel good, do it.
(11:23):
Do it as often as possible,take time throughout your day
and really just take care ofyourself for a few minutes.
It's so very important.
Shireen Botha (11:32):
I love that.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yeah, tanya, and I very muchagree with you when it comes to
that.
But yes, I think that's theperfect time, since you did
touch on a few things, but now'sthe perfect time to slot in our
non-profit.
Slot in our non-profit.
(11:55):
Our non-profit for the month isthe National Association of
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse.
We did touch on it earlier on,but, lisa, please go ahead and
share and tell us and thelisteners a little bit about
what they do and how we cansupport them.
Lisa Zarcone (12:10):
Yes, so NASCA is a non-profit, nonprofit
organization and I am theMassachusetts National
Ambassador and Regional Directorfor Massachusetts and you know
we're worldwide, it's aworldwide organization and
there's very, there's so manyfree services within our
organization that are there tohelp adult survivors of child
abuse and it has reached out nowalso to the mental health piece
(12:32):
and, and even you know, drugaddiction, because it all comes
back into the same circles ofyou know the struggles that
people go through.
So NASCA is a great resource totap into.
Go to nascaorg and see all thedifferent things that are on
there and they also do theirblog talk radio show.
See all the different thingsthat are on there and they also
do their blog talk radio show.
(12:53):
I know blog blog talk is nowended and they're they're coming
on and I I'm not sure whothey've chosen to step forward,
but the radio show is going tostep up again and be and be
mobile.
So, and the radio show peoplecan come on as guests, they can
share their personal stories andwhat a huge thing that is for
people to have that opportunityto do so.
When you've done the healingwork and now you're like ready
(13:15):
and you want to share your story.
Nasca gives you the place to dothat and they also have other
you know little support groupsthat people can tap into and
share their struggles andthere's always somebody there to
offer and lend a helping hand.
I know for myself, you knowpeople will write me privately
and I will offer, you know, anysupport and information that I
(13:39):
can.
I, you know I'll do research ifthey're from a different state.
You know I'm from Massachusettsbut if somebody from a
different state you know islooking for help, I'll always
tap into resources wherever Ican find to help get them the
support that they need.
So NASCA really is a wonderfulorganization that does help
people who are struggling.
So I, you know it's it's, it'sreally a wonderful thing.
(13:59):
I've been involved in NASCA foroh my goodness, 10 years now
and I I'm really proud of thework that I've done with them
and I support them and Iencourage people to check it out
.
Shireen Botha (14:13):
Well, we're proud of you.
Yeah, yeah, thank you,listeners, you heard it.
And if you are feeling a littledry, if you are feeling a
little depressed, if you arefeeling like life is a little
bit overwhelming right now andyou feel enclosed, let me tell
you you something.
(14:33):
I think that might be a sign.
It is for me.
I'm not saying that this is foreverybody, but it might be a
sign that you need to maybestart thinking outside of what's
going on in your life andwhat's you know, consuming you
and your mind, and this is theperfect opportunity to put your
(14:58):
mind elsewhere.
go and support NASCA, go andgive a donation, go and out in
your car, go to the shops, buy acouple of loaves of bread, go
get a couple of meals.
Go find a couple of people thatare homeless, that need your
help, that don't know wheretheir next meal is going to come
(15:21):
from, or that are also justmentally suffering in silence.
Put your mind on something elseother than what's going on in
your life.
I can assure you it'll help.
It'll really help.
So, listeners, do yourselves afavor and go to NASCA and see
(15:45):
how you can support theirs.
So we have come to the end ofthe podcast, but the more
lighthearted part of the podcastand I thought, ladies, to end
it off, we could play a littlebit of a game called 20
questions no, tanya, and I haveplayed this before.
(16:05):
Lisa, have you?
No, no.
Lisa Zarcone (16:10):
Because we know we're just going on and play
games.
I know I didn't know we wereplaying games, but I'm excited.
I'm down for it.
Let's do it.
Shireen Botha (16:18):
Right?
Well, it's called 20 questionsbecause it's in one minute.
You have to answer as manyquestions as possible, and I
mean these questions are to getto know each other, and so the
listeners can get to know eachother.
But you know, the winner iswhoever answers as many
questions in that minute aspossible.
(16:39):
So I think, Tanya, I think youshould show us how it's done.
I'll start with you.
I've put one minute on theclock here and I'm just full
disclosure.
Tanya Scotece (16:52):
this has not been rehearsed, so I don't know what
questions are coming my way.
Lisa, you neither right, wedon't know.
Okay, go ahead.
Shireen Botha (16:59):
These ladies listeners don't know what
questions are coming their way.
I've picked new ones, so let'ssee.
Okay, tanya, are you ready?
I'm'm ready.
Let's be put it on the clockand let's begin now.
(17:19):
What is your favorite food?
Lobster.
What is your favorite color?
Black.
What is your favorite song?
Sweet caroline.
Who is your favorite song?
Sweet Caroline?
Who is your favorite celebrity?
Tanya Scotece (17:34):
I don't really have one, but I'm going to say
Neil Diamond, if that counts.
Shireen Botha (17:39):
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Tanya Scotece (17:43):
I'm going to say Christmas just because of the
lights.
What is your favorite fruit?
Shireen Botha (17:49):
Fruit I like pineapple.
What is your favorite fruitFruit I like pineapple.
What is your favorite seasonand why?
Tanya Scotece (17:55):
I'm going to say fall, just because of the crisp
breeze.
Shireen Botha (17:58):
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
I'm going to say Bewitched.
What is your least favoritecolor?
Tanya Scotece (18:08):
My least favorite color is yellow no-transcript
done, done, finished.
Shireen Botha (18:24):
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
11 questions.
That's pretty good 11 questions.
My gosh, tanya, answered thoselike extremely fast okay so 11
questions, one minute okay,let's try.
All right, one minute on theclock, lisa.
(18:45):
Are you ready?
I'm ready.
Okay, let's begin now.
What is your dream destination?
New zealand.
Do you like watching goodmorning cartoons as a kid?
Yes what was, or is yourfavorite subject in school
(19:07):
English?
What is your biggest fear?
The dark.
Are you a night person or amorning person?
Lisa Zarcone (19:17):
I'm a night person .
Shireen Botha (19:18):
What is your favorite color Pink.
Do you have any pets?
Yes.
What are your three favoritecolor Pink.
Do you have any pets?
Yes.
What are your three favoritesongs?
Lisa Zarcone (19:29):
Three favorite.
Oh, my goodness, lean on Me.
Kentucky, rain and theUnforgiven.
Shireen Botha (19:40):
Nice.
What is your dream job?
Lisa Zarcone (19:43):
My dream job is what I'm doing right now lovely.
Shireen Botha (19:46):
What do you like wearing often?
Uh leggings okay, all right,that is 10 questions in a minute
.
Sorry, tanya, you won just byone, just by one Awesome,
awesome.
That's a great game, just toget to know each other a little
(20:09):
bit better.
Tanya Scotece (20:09):
That was fun, that is fun.
Yeah, that is fun, that is fun.
Shireen Botha (20:13):
Thank you for partaking, but I can't believe
that we've come to the end ofthe podcast already.
So you know many listenerslisten and sometimes they really
connect with us.
So if you don't mind, justsharing with the listeners where
they can find you if they wantto reach out, ask you questions
or anything like that.
Lisa, go ahead.
Lisa Zarcone (20:35):
Yes, if anybody wants to reach me, go to
lisasarconenet.
You can find me there.
You can write to me and Ianswer everybody who writes to
me.
I'm a really firm believer inresponding to everyone who
reaches out.
You can also find me on socialmedia.
I'm on LinkedIn, on Instagram,facebook.
I'm all over the place, tiktok.
Like I was saying, write to me,connect with me.
(20:56):
I will answer you and I hope tohear from people because I know
you know people are strugglingand if they need some support
and advice, I'm here to lend ahelping hand.
Shireen Botha (21:07):
I love it.
Thank you, lisa.
Tanya what about yourself?
Tanya Scotece (21:10):
Okay.
Also, linkedin is my hub.
I don't have a TV and haven'twatched it in about 30 years, so
you can find me on LinkedIn.
I serve as the programcoordinator for Miami Dade
College Funeral ServiceEducation Program, so anybody
wanting to become a funeraldirector or embalmer and or
embalmer feel free to seek meout.
(21:31):
I also serve as expert witnessplacement, so I do those two
expert witness for funeral homeand cemetery wrongdoings, and
senior placement for findingcommunities for people who can
no longer live alone, usuallydue to Alzheimer's or
Parkinson's.
So I do cover independentliving, assisted living, memory
care and the little casitas inthe area of Florida, east and
(21:53):
West Coast alike.
And how about you, shireen?
Shireen Botha (21:57):
Thank you, tanya.
So, yes, you can find me,Shireen Botha, on most of the
social medias personally, butyou'll find Shireen's
bookkeeping services mostly onLinkedIn and Instagram.
But friendsfromwildplacesthat's friendsfromwildplaces.
buzzsprout.
com.
Please take a moment to go andsubscribe.
(22:18):
It's just $5 a month for extracontent and leave a message.
Let us know how you, what youthink of this and what did you
think of the latest podcast?
Now, we really enjoy hearingfrom you guys.
We have a youtube channel.
You can catch us on all thelive streaming platforms.
(22:40):
So thank you so much forlistening.
Ladies and gents, we'll see younext time and remember you got
this and stay wild.
Bye, guys.
Voiceover (22:50):
You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places
with Shireen Botha.
Be sure to subscribe to thepodcast from the links to catch
every episode and unleash yourpassion.
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