September 26, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode, I sit down with Judy Lane Boyer… a ghostwriter, writing coach, and storyteller who helps others bring their words to life. We first connected here in Austin, crossed paths again at Podfest, and after a couple of failed recording attempts, we finally made this conversation happen.
Judy shares her powerful story of breaking free from a strict upbringing, finding faith in her own way, and embracing her passion for writing. We talk about what it means to trust the process, to pivot when life calls for it, and to honor the gifts that make us unique.
From traveling to Oxford for a faith-based fantasy conference to launching her very first writing retreat, Judy’s journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to choose differently and create a new chapter for yourself.
This episode is about courage, creativity, and listening to that quiet voice that says: “Why don’t you let me handle it?”
Take a listen. Let it inspire you. And maybe ask yourself… what story inside you is waiting to be told?
Connect with Judy:
🌐 Website: audiencegranted.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/judyelane
📘 Facebook Page: Audience Granted
📘 Personal Facebook: Judy Lane Boyer
Register for the next cohort of NLP Certification Training with Metafit Metamind Academy!
https://metafitmetamind.com/certified/
Check out our YouTube Channel!
Metafit Metamind con Karla
Give us 5⭐ & Review!
- Follow
- CONNECT with Me!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And I stood in this field and I just looked up and I
love shooting stars, and, yeah,I love shooting stars.
And I'm standing there and Iwas looking up at the sky and I
was like, okay, god, if youreally wanted me to be here,
send me a shooting star.
And you know, this thought cameto me was if you ask God for
something and he gives it to you, you're not going to miss it.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hola a todos.
Hi everyone.
Welcome to Meta MetaMindPodcast, a space where we leave
taboo topics behind and diveinto the interconnected worlds
of physical and mental healthand well-being.
I am Hala Rodriguez, your hostand trainer and coach of NLP and
hypnosis, as we get ontransformative conversations
with leaders, entrepreneurs andchangemakers.
Each episode is designed toinspire you to unlock barriers
and embrace growth, mindfulnessand purpose in your life,
(00:49):
whether it's around mentalhealth, wellness or
entrepreneurial journeys.
We've got powerful insightsjust for you.
You know being curious, being alifelong learner, knowing just
how to navigate and learningmore about and you need to tell
the world that you are ready andmanifest and visualize and
become this version of yourself,the real knowing of who I am
has just begun.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
This was the life Like life is happening to me,
but I am able to create the lifethat I want.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So subscribe now and follow the podcast to listen to
these powerful stories and bepart of this community of
empowered individuals who arestriving for greatness and
legacy.
Because, remember, raise yourvoice, share your story, make
sure to connect with us onsocial media at MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast, on our other page, atCoach Carlita, and be part of
our journey to inspire anduplift others.
(01:35):
Hi everyone, hola a todos,welcome back to MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast.
I am Karla Rodriguez and I'm soexcited because there's been so
many things happening.
I'm going to try to make thisvery short so we can get to the
episode, but I just wanted toshare that.
I just got back from the CondorApproach live with Ta and Cole
Witte, who are two beautiful,amazing human beings who are
(01:57):
living their truth.
Yo, it's really cool to see itin person people connecting,
really showing us thepossibilities when we live that
in alignment, and so I'd say I'mon the start of that journey as
well, of living and speaking mytruth.
So you know, stay on thisjourney with me because we are
practicing.
(02:17):
Also, at the end of the year,I'll be opening a new cohort for
the NLP certification training,so stay tuned for more
information on that in the nextcouple of weeks.
But, as you know, it'ssomething that excites me,
something that I love, and I'mgonna be sharing more about that
.
So today I finally get to sharemy conversation with Judy Lane
(02:37):
Boyer.
She is someone amazing.
I connected with her here inAustin and we reconnected at
Podfest earlier this year.
We actually tried to recordthere in person.
Something with my tech didn'thappen, didn't work.
Second time something didn'twork.
So this is a third try.
I believe so, and after acouple failed recordings, you
know, we made it happen.
So she is a ghostwriter, awriting coach who helps people
(03:01):
bring their stories to life, andin this episode she shares her
powerful journey and the lessonsbehind her work.
So I hope you enjoy this episodeand let's get into it.
Yay, we are on.
Thank you so much for beinghere on MetaFit MetaMind podcast
.
I'm so excited because we'vetried to do this a couple times.
(03:22):
Things have happened.
I had a nice recording fromJanuary and then something
happened to the audio.
So it seems like tech issuesare happening with me and you,
judy.
So we're going to do this justthe regular basic recording way
so we can have clean audio.
So thank you so much for beinghere, judy.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yes, no, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, so something I wanted to ask, and I've already
asked you this before, butbecause you have been on so I
kind of know a little bitalready of like your story.
But for people to know who isJudy, yeah, no, that's a great
question.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, no, that's a great question.
So yeah, describing yourself isalways a little bit difficult,
or explaining who you are isalways a little bit difficult.
But you know, I'm a middle-agedwoman who never expected ever
more out of life than just to bemarried and have children and
stay home and run the household,maybe homeschool children or at
least take care of them.
Never have a career, you know,certainly never have a business.
(04:30):
That's how I grew up.
But here I am and then, as timewent on, in my adulthood I kind
of thought that I would neverget married actually and that I
was just going to have to keepworking jobs that I didn't like.
And now realize I resentedBecause my dream of being
married and, you know, beingable to be a stay-at-home wife
(04:52):
and mother was not happening.
But you know, all these thingssome that I wanted and some that
I never expected are true of me.
Now I am very happily marriedalmost five years and I own a
business.
Doing something like thismorning, I was like I had to
make myself stop.
So, like I'm hungry I need togo eat.
(05:13):
Like I am so into what I'mdoing and enjoying it so much
that it's, it's just.
You know, I just love it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It could be like our diet workings went to what we
love.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Exactly exactly.
So yeah, it's, it's you.
Yeah, it's hard to say that I'mliving the dream come true.
That's not entirely accuratebecause some of these things are
not really dreams.
I would say the writing part.
I'm a ghostwriter and a writingcoach.
That's my business.
So writing, actually writingthat part is maybe what I would
(05:45):
call a fantasy.
That I never thought could betrue.
But I never really expected toown my own business at all and
you know it's still in thegrowing stages.
So it's not like I've reachedthe heights of success or
anything.
I'm still in the growing phase.
But just so many and so much ofthe pain and disappointment and
frustration in my life hasturned to blessing.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, and I'm grateful for that and I love
that you say that, that you knowyou're still growing and that
you're still not exactly whereyou want to be yet.
And I think that's really cooland powerful, because I
sometimes meet people who youknow they come in not just in
the podcast but just in generaland they're like, yeah, I'm
already doing this andeverything.
But I think sometimes peoplecan like see this thing on
(06:32):
social or whatever, like, oh mygod, I want that.
But we don't really know thejourney or where you're at in in
your story, in that progress,in that growth.
And so for you, you know what'sbeen that chapter turn that has
led you up to this point so far.
That's going to lead you to whoknows where else it leads you
(06:54):
towards your success.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You know, I wouldn't say there's been one chapter
turn, there's been a few.
You know, one of the biggestones was back in 2013.
So 12 years ago, you know oneof the biggest ones was back in
2013,.
So 12 years ago, when I went toEngland, to Oxford, england,
kind of spur of the moment.
Yeah, well, I heard the story.
Yeah, maybe a month or two ofplanning, you know it was it
(07:19):
just something came up and I waslike I want to do this, and so
I did it, and it was the firsttime in my life that.
So back up a little bit, aswe've talked about before, I
grew up in a very strict churchthat you know, women had a very
narrow role in life, what Idescribed a minute or two ago,
(07:39):
and so that's all I expected.
And then I was watching many ofmy friends get married and
start having children and I nowrealize I kind of resented the
fact that I had to work and so Iwas working different things
and I just a lot of depression,a lot of frustration, a lot of
not getting along with people atwork, and I realized a lot of
that was me, because I wasunhappy.
So when I took this trip, itwas the first time in my life
(08:03):
that I ever made a decision onmy own for me.
Yeah, it was.
You know, previous I'd takensome pretty cool trips.
Before that I'd gone to Israel,I spent five months in Peru,
but all of those things you know.
I bought a house.
I had never done anything majorin my life without, like, going
to a pastor and talking it out.
(08:23):
Is this a good idea?
Is this what good idea?
Is this what God would want?
Yeah, and I still think thatit's important to get advice,
but the problem is I was relyingonly on advice.
I was never really thinkingabout what I wanted, or you know
.
So I took this trip to Oxfordbecause I grew up reading lots
of fairy tales.
My grandmother had her business, even though she was in that
(08:46):
church.
My grandfather was disabled andso he was very limited, so I
think that's how she got awaywith it.
So she had a business buyingand selling old and rare books,
and so we weren't allowed towatch TV or anything.
So I just spent my childhoodreading.
I was reading chapter books bythe time I hit first grade and
loved fairy tales.
(09:09):
As I got older, I put it asidebecause the strictness of the
religion I was in was very muchlike.
You know, you need to bepractical, put away silly
childish things, but I hadgotten back into fantasy.
It's a long story, I won't tellit, but I'd gotten back into it
by just sort of a happenstancething that happened at work and
started realizing that you know,I love it.
Number one.
Number two there's some goodspiritual.
It was the Narnia series thatgot me back into it.
Really, I love Narnia.
(09:29):
It's a Christian, it's fantasy,but it's very Christian-based,
and so I started seeing oh,there's some spiritual things
that you can get out of fantasy.
From there I jumped into Hobbit, lord of the Rings, which was
written by CS Lewis's goodfriend, jrr Tolkien.
And so anyway, this opportunitypopped up for me to go to Oxford
, england, to this conferencethat was a faith-based
(09:55):
conference and spend a weektalking about Tolkien and CS
Lewis and their works, and so Ijust kind of did it.
It was, like, I say, almostvery spur of the moment and that
I would say that trip isprobably one of the most
life-changing things I ever did.
Again, it was a faith-basedconference, so there were
Christians from variousdenominations, which that was
another thing.
In our church we were notallowed to have friendships or
(10:16):
relationships with peopleoutside of our church, even if
they were Christian, like otherdenominations or people that
weren't part of our group.
So it was my first time to bearound a bunch of different
Christians in a very social wayfor any length of time, you know
, for a week, from differentbackgrounds in Christianity, and
(10:37):
I started seeing that many ofthe things I'd been taught about
Christians who weren't in ourgroup were just not true.
They were good people, theywere dedicated people, they
truly loved God.
So that was one thing.
But also they treated learning,academia, going to college,
very seriously.
They treated writing and beingcreative seriously and they
(10:59):
treated fantasy seriouslyfantasy and science fiction,
fantasy.
So those three things were Ihad already kind of started
going to community collegebecause, again, I never expected
to have a career, so I hadnever gone to college.
So, yeah, I had started collegejust before I went on that trip
and that confirmed that this isa good direction.
And anyway, yeah, that's one ofthe big places my life changed
(11:23):
and over the next three or fouryears I slowly but surely moved
away from the cult I was in.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, and yeah, my life is just totally different
now, like the old practices andeverything, and this trip, then,
has showed you like otherpossibilities and other things
that you can do for yourself aswell.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yes, and it showed me too, that I could.
Still it wasn't.
It was, you know, like God.
The way I had learned about Godwas very much like he's in this
box, that you can only pleasehim this way.
There's only you know, thisvery narrow way that you can
follow him.
You know, Instead of realizing.
You know, he gave me this lovefor fantasy, yeah, and he gave
(12:05):
me this love for writing for areason to use, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
And so, yeah, that's I eventually it's.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think it's such a gift to to be like, to be
someone who loves to read and towrite, because I think that's
something that I think nowadaysit's almost getting lost.
I want to say, say just from myoutsider perspective of, like
you know, we have audiobooks.
I'm a very auditory person, soI love them anyway, but, like, I
(12:32):
love holding a book right, butI think the practice of reading
is going, not going away, butit's not as common as it used to
.
Like I remember fairs, likebook fairs and everything that I
would find out about and justso many things.
And I think it's cool that youhave that gift to be able to
help people to, to say, hey, youcan write your book too, so
(12:54):
people can read this physicalcopy, you know, and and it stay
in in a way in basically history.
It's like your legacy orwhatever it is that you create.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
So I think that's the cool thing about what you do
too yeah, no, and actually yousaid it correctly reading is not
going away, it is.
It is changing.
Yeah, um, and some of that Idon't like, but I think, just
like, writing was one of thefirst ways that developed where
people could express themselvesto a much broader audience than
(13:27):
just the people they knew, thepeople around them.
You know, the printing presswas invented, you know, several
hundred years ago, and thenpeople had the ability to start
writing books, and so that wasone way that people learned to
and became that's how you wouldlearn things.
And then we had know, thetelephone, telegraph, radio, and
it became very auditory, right,yeah, and now we've added video
(13:50):
with movies and films and tv.
And now what we're doing rightnow?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
video, yeah, video stuff video anybody can do that
documentaries and history, youknow right so I like, I think
it's really cool and I like towrite, but sometimes my life is
so fast-paced that I'm like,okay, I'm gonna record this for
now, because this is my thoughtsright now.
Maybe I can write it on paperafter you know.
(14:15):
So, yeah, I think that's.
That's such a gift and, and youknow, I think, like I said, I
read somewhere that, like kids,kids ability to read or the
percentages or grade levels thatthey're reading at now are not
at the same level of likeprobably my generation.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
We still had so many books to read, right.
Because, reading from thescreen still affects our brain
in some kind of way.
I don't have all the sciencebehind it right now.
But like it's affected theirbrains in a way that it doesn't
process the same way InterestingBecause of the screen, and so I
need to look for this.
This is where I found this, butI just found that interesting,
(14:55):
and so let me ask you this inthis, in this process, you know
of you finding yourself rightand you it's, it sounds like,
and what I heard is that youknow you would go to somebody to
make sure that it was okay andlike, hey, should I do this or
should I not?
Or what would God say, or howcan he lead me, which is great.
You're that spiritual part ofyou, that that part of you that
(15:19):
is like there.
But what do you think in thisprocess that the like how do I
want to ask this?
Like this of like mental,physical health, emotional
health, spiritual health youknow, how does that play out
into your life?
Now that you did find your own,I want to say like, maybe
self-reliance versus outside ofyou.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
So, excuse me, that is still an ongoing process and
I won't say that I don'tstruggle with it.
I do almost daily, but it'sgetting easier.
And I think the big thing wasnot that.
The one thing that hasn'tchanged is that I want God's
will in my life more thananything.
That has not changed.
But you know, he's okay if I godo something that he'd rather
(16:07):
me not do, but it's okay, that'snot.
That's not where I am.
I really want to do what hewants like the best thing for me
, right.
But what has changed is that Ihave a much broader view of what
that is now, and part of thatis I've always had a relation or
I shouldn't say always, butmean I developed a relationship
with God when in my teens and areal love for him and a prayer
(16:29):
life, yeah.
But I honestly believe thataround that saying or shortly
into that, like a year or twointo that, where I was was
getting to where I was prayingand talking to God on my own, a
lot is when a lot of my friendsstarted getting married and I
got really depressed and I kindof lost that and so I started
feeling like I don't know.
(16:49):
You know, I want to make sureI'm doing the right thing.
A lot of times, when thingsdon't go the way you want or
expect, you think I must bedoing something wrong.
Right, I'm not doing it right.
And so, to make sure that I wasdoing it right, I was going and
talking and even even thoughthe church it's funny even
though the church was reallystrict and, you know, pretty
uber conservative and whatnot, Iremember, even even with that,
(17:12):
one of the pastors telling me hewas like you worry way too much
about what.
I think you need to think itout and like, talk to God and
figure it out for yourself.
But I was just too scared to dothat.
And so it's been, you know, thelast 12 years, I guess, of
learning more that God hears me,he sees me, he is very merciful
(17:33):
and compassionate, he's notwaiting to bring the hammer down
if I step out of line.
And one of the biggest, therewas kind of two things, that
really kind of two points abouta year apart, that helped me
with that.
One was in 2016, when, well,they were both in 2017, but it
(17:57):
started in 2016.
My best friend in the world, hermother and my mother were
friends before we were born.
So we were really.
We were friends from birth,yeah, and we were best friends.
And she'd gotten married alittle later she was 30, I think
, when she got married, yeah,and moved away.
Anyway, during that time iswhen I started moving away from
(18:22):
the cult and started doing.
I started going to a movie hereand there.
I started wearing jeans insteadof just skirts all the time
Things like that.
I started dating.
I never dated, so she knewthose things.
And so in 2016, she was in townvisiting her parents and I found
(18:49):
out through the grapevine,which really kind of hurt,
because we always communicatedand, like in the past, she would
have called me and told me.
So I called her and I said, hey, let's get together, it's your
birthday, let's go out.
And she was, she was reallyhesitant, but finally she said
you know what, let out, let's goout.
And so we met for lunch, sheand her husband and I, and she
told me that I was no longerfollowing God and so I can no
(19:12):
longer talk to her.
I can't send her birthday cards, I can't call her, I can't have
any communication with herUntil, and unless I go back to
the cult and I'm like there allthe time and doing everything
the way they do things, wow,which is never going to happen.
But so I mean, that is that'sstill.
One of the biggest griefs in mylife is I don't have her.
(19:36):
You know we were, we werefriends till, you know, till our
, till 40, age 40.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And so so there's a lot of processing that's still
happening.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Well, I mean, I think I'm pretty.
I still have to think about itand like, forgive her, and I
realize I need to.
Even more than her, I need toforgive her husband because, in
my mind, like she would neverhave done that if it weren't for
him.
But yeah, that's a whole notherstory.
Yeah, over the next few monthsI fell into this just horrible
existential depression andanxiety, like, scared I was
going to go to hell, just like,confused about like, and by that
(20:13):
time I had moved far enoughaway from the cult that I didn't
know who I could talk to toprocess things.
Because I was like, if I talkto anybody that I know who's
still in it, of course they'regoing to tell me well, I need to
come back, right, yeah.
But I didn't know very manypeople outside the cult.
I knew a few people, but notwell enough that I could trust
them.
Yeah, so it was a lot of me.
(20:36):
I just remember bawling my eyesout in the kitchen one day and
just really literally screamingat the ceiling Like I don't know
what you to do, I don't knowwhat you want me to do, I don't
know what you want me to do, andthese words just came into my
head so clearly why don't youlet me handle it?
Nice, wow.
And it was just so clear, likenot out loud but just very clear
(20:58):
in my mind, like why don't youlet me handle it?
And I had to trust that thatwas God.
And so the next few months wasme learning to trust him and
wait, like I wanted an answerright then.
What do I do right now?
Yeah, but I had to learn towait.
Yeah, and it was a few monthslater.
I was working, I had been sentto on a month-long project to
upstate New York.
(21:19):
It was January, so it was likethree feet of snow on the ground
and I went to a little churchup there and they were talking
about faith and just believingGod.
And so after that I wentwalking in the snow.
It was a beautiful sunny dayand I just I remember telling
God like okay, I'm going totrust you.
I am doing things with my lifeI never thought I would do, but
(21:42):
I'm going to trust that not justyou, but that you love me
enough that if I'm going thewrong direction you'll let me
know.
And I mean, from then on, itwas like my life took off.
The next month I got to go onthis really cool mission trip
like helping Bible.
I was a Spanish languagetranslator at the time so I got
to go, you know like translatein Africa, help people like
(22:04):
translate the Bible.
Then I got to go, you know liketranslate in Africa.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Help people like.
Translate the Bible.
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Then I got to go on this so and then.
So about a year, eight monthsafter that, I went on this
really cool retreat where God,just it was, it was miraculous.
I'd really been looking forwardto the retreat and then we got
there and it was so structuredthat was, it was kind of, and
there was a lot of noise.
The church I grew up in, youknow, our worship service was
(22:29):
like somebody playing the pianoand we all sang out of the old
hymn book, so like modernworship with all the drums and
everything is like really it's.
I'm more used to it now.
It's still a littleoverwhelming for me.
So, but that was all there wasat this root.
Every time we had a worship orany sort of anything, there was
like this worship music and itwas like, and then we had to
stay with everybody the wholetime.
(22:50):
We weren't allowed to like goby ourselves anywhere and I was
about to lose my mind and so oneof the ladies I was at the
point where I'm like I'm leaving, but one of the ladies was like
, hey, there was a bunch ofpeople there from different
churches serving and she, shesaid, what if we get you up like
before everybody else so youcan have, like, go walk around
and just have some you time.
(23:10):
And I said sure, so I did that.
And the next morning I got up.
She got me up at like fiveo'clock or something and so I
was outside, you know, walkingaround.
It was still dark and I justwas like God, I really thought
you wanted me to come to thisretreat, but I'm not enjoying it
at all, I'm not gettinganything out of it.
It's causing a lot of anxiety.
(23:31):
Yeah, and I stood in this fieldand I just looked up and I love
shooting stars and yeah, I loveshooting stars, and there's a
big every August.
There's a big like event over acouple of nights when there's
lots of shooting stars, and I'dwanted to do it but I'd missed
it anyway.
And so I'm standing there and Iwas looking up at the sky and I
was like, okay, god, if youreally wanted me to be here,
(23:51):
send me a shooting star.
And I just I just kept lookingand waiting and of course,
nothing happened and I'm waiting.
And I thought then, like I justhad this thought like, if you
know I'm, I was afraid to missit.
I was afraid like what if Ikeep walking and I'm not looking
at the sky and the shootingstar comes and I don't see it
Right.
So that's, I was just standingthere waiting and you know, this
thought came to me was if God,if you ask God for something and
(24:14):
he gives it to you, you're notgoing to miss it.
So I was like okay.
So I turned around and startedwalking again and this enormous
shooting star just zipped acrossthe horizon in front of my face
, like just like right low down,yeah, across the horizon, and I
can't explain it.
(24:36):
If you've ever seen like in amovie where somebody is like in
another dimension, yeah.
Like they're astral.
What is it?
Astral presence?
Like Doctor Strange, they'restill in the same place, but
it's like they're in a differentdimension.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Their being is like seeing you kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Like you're out.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I felt like I was in the same place.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I didn't go somewhere else.
But I felt like I was in atotally different place and it
was just me and it was just meand it was just God.
Yeah, and I felt seen, and youranswer, and I felt, well, I
felt seen and I felt known and II kind of you know it's kind of
funny because you know I wasGod revealed himself to me and
(25:17):
my, my thought was shit, it'sreal.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I love that, you know , and it was.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Did.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
I really want the answer.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, I mean, but when you, I mean I've had faith
for a long time, but havingfaith and having the reality,
like feeling like you're in thepresence of God, I can't
describe it.
It's just and it's like it wasso healing.
It was so healing not just forthat moment, but for everything
I'd been worried about.
You know, like what, if Iwasn't supposed to leave the
(25:47):
cult or what you know, all thosethings.
It's like no, I know you.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
I know your heart, I've got you and so, anyway, a
year after that I moved toAustin, transferred to UT, did a
really it was just mybachelor's, but I did the honors
track so I was able to do athesis where I got to interview
women in Guatemala andTajikistan whose husbands travel
to other countries to work andthey're supposed to send money
(26:13):
back but a lot of times theydon't, and that was just really
good experience learning tointerview people and put things
together that prepare me forwhat I do now actually.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, yeah, which is the writing for.
Right ghost writing yeah, oneof those people.
Yes, exactly, and I think that'sso beautiful, and I think what
I'm hearing too is like somepeople say you know, for you
it's God, but I know some peopleare like universe or source or
whoever, and what's interestingabout that?
(26:42):
It's like sometimes we justwant to control the situation
and their circumstance andsometimes if we just let it go
and turn around, maybe justpivot, like it's gonna happen
right there, you know, soonerthan maybe you expected it, and
I think that's the beautifulmessage that I'm hearing here is
like you just kind of like hadto turn around and trust that it
(27:06):
would come to you and it did.
Right, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And I think that's you know you've heard the phrase
paralysis by over analysis, youknow or you're afraid to move,
and so that has and it still is.
It's something I still have tofight, like when I'm I need to
make a decision.
I read somewhere just recentlythat a lot of successful people,
their success, a lot of timescomes from the fact not that
(27:30):
they make the absolute mostperfect decision, but that they
make a decision and they go withit and they just do it.
And if they need to adjust, ifthey need to, as you say, pivot
or adapt, they can.
But another phrase that I'veheard that was really helpful I
heard it in church, actuallyfrom a pastor in about that
(27:53):
somewhere in that same timeperiod was it's hard to turn a
car that's not already in motion.
So like if you have a car andit's just sitting still like
it's a lot harder to turn thanif you're already moving and you
can turn it.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah, it's the momentum, and sometimes it feels
scary being in that moment,like, oh shoot, I got to like do
a U-turn or something, right.
I just started picking up themotorcycle again and I'm like,
oh my God, I got to go do a leftturn and a right turn.
Am I going to?
I gotta go do a left turn and aright turn.
Am I gonna?
(28:27):
And I'm trying, I'm working onnot thinking about I'm gonna
fall, because once it's inmotion you have balance, like
it's.
It's interesting like peopleare like aren't you gonna fall
or anything.
I'm like no, like it's kind oflike a bike with a motorcycle,
right with a motor where, onceyou're going like it's you're
going, you're balanced right,you just gotta focus.
And the thing about that isthat, with motorcycles, you have
(28:48):
to look where, once you'regoing like it's you're going,
you're balanced Right, you justgot to focus.
And the thing about that isthat, with motorcycles, you have
to look where you're going togo, where you're going to turn.
If you look right in front ofyou, yes, that's where you're
going to go If you look righthere that's the direction it's
going to go.
And so it's about, like you said, that movement, it's movement,
it's it's gonna, it's it'sinteresting.
But yeah, I've heard that.
(29:08):
I think I've heard Cody Sanchezsay that one of the best
lessons of some one of hermentors or someone was that he's
like the reason that a lot ofpeople don't succeed or it was
probably a different phrase, butin the sense, in the lines of
the reason is that I succeed isbecause I take action fast, you
know.
And so I think that's whatthat's about.
So I think that's cool.
(29:28):
And so let me ask you, withaction and what's happening and
momentum and movement, like whatis something that you're
excited about, or goals comingup for you, either personally or
like with your business, yourwriting, like what's coming up
for you?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Yeah, so I am.
I hate to use the word excitedor super excited, because I feel
like it gets way overused.
In the business world, peopleare always excited.
They've got this offer andthey're so excited to present it
.
And they've got this webinarand they're so excited to
present it.
But he's excited a lot in thiscase.
It is absolutely true.
I am thrilled.
How about that?
I'm so thrilled.
I I am thrilled to be hostingmy first writing retreat at the
(30:09):
end of September.
Last weekend of September.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I did see that that you shared that.
That's exciting.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
No, I'm just, you know, kind of still struggling
to believe it, right?
Yeah, so the last two years sothere's a church here, a local
church, austin Stone.
It's big, it's got severalcampuses and they've done a
really good job over the yearsof supporting creatives,
christian creatives.
They've got like a production,they've got a… I don't even know
(30:39):
music and everything.
In fact, some of the ChrisTomlin, if you know who he is,
he's a very big name inChristian music.
He got his start there andanyway.
So one thing they've supportedover the years is writers.
And so the last two years I'vegone to a writing retreat that
they hold and it has beenincredible, just phenomenal.
(31:00):
I mean, I come on what.
You're there with other, youknow fellow writers, and all
different skill levels, alldifferent stages of writing, all
different experience, but justthe energy of being able to feed
off other creatives and rubshoulders and just chit chat
about writing.
And they do offer some, youknow, learning or you know, like
(31:21):
a little presentation or aforum or something.
But all of it's optional, allthat was optional.
So this year they are not ableto do that.
They've got some other thingsgoing on.
They weren't able to host it,so I'd kind of been toying with
the idea and I thought, well,maybe this is a year to do it,
yeah.
So yeah, I put it together.
It's going to be at CampBuckner, which is about an hour
(31:43):
northwest of here.
I think it's Leander Leander.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Okay, or.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Burnett Somewhere in there, Burnett.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Leander, somewhere up there In the.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
North Area.
Yeah, it's up there and I'vebeen there for a church retreat,
so I already know it'sbeautiful.
Yeah, I've already.
I mean, as soon as I kind ofstarted saying, okay, this is
happening, you know, was talkingwith the camp and putting
things together, I reached outto several professionals in the
(32:09):
writing book industry andimmediately I had three of them
say, oh, I want to come, and twoof them were like I want to.
If you want me to, I can give atalk.
And I'm like, wow, Okay, yeah,I guess this is this is it.
This is it, this is you know.
And so, yeah, so far I have Ihad.
I didn't know who all would be.
It's because I'm putting it onand not the church is actually
(32:32):
going to be more expensive, waymore expensive than what the
church could do.
It's still pretty.
A lot of people are stilltelling me that's pretty
inexpensive, but compared towhat the church could do, it's a
lot more expensive.
So I didn't really know, like,how many rooms to reserve.
I reserved two rooms, with twomore like on hold, which I need
to let them know.
Anyway, I've got 12 peoplecoming, so I need to let them
know that.
I need to let them know thatyou know, yes, we need all those
(32:57):
rooms, and we may need to put acouple more on hold, because
people are still talking to meabout it.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
So no, I just yeah, no, it's.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You know, I just didn't know what would happen,
but it's like it's happening andit's so cool and hopefully I
can.
We'll see how it goes, but I'mhoping it can be a yearly thing.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Well, and I'm glad we're doing this today again,
because I don't think you, Idon't know that you were having
this in January no, no so youknow, I think it was just maybe
meant to be that I'll get toshare this, yeah with my
audience and yes yes, andreaders that, hey, this retreat
is coming in.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
September.
Right, yes, in last weekend ofSeptember, Friday evening
through Sunday morning, I haveone friend coming who is she
works with self-published.
She has an agency that workswith self-published authors.
They do everything from editingcover, design, interior layout
through helping you publish, setup your royalty account, market
(33:58):
.
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
All of those things.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, no.
So she's coming and she's goingto talk.
Another lady who's been doingbook marketing for over 20 years
unfortunately has a conflictthat weekend, but she sent me
two excellent videos thatanybody who attends the retreat
will get for free.
Nice.
And then I have a she hasn'tconfirmed yet, but I have a
fantasy author who has six booksout and also works for a
(34:24):
publishing company.
She also is part of apublishing company.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Very interested in coming.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
I'm so happy for you, it's going to be really good.
Yes, it is going to be good.
I would go, but I havesomething that same weekend, so
maybe next year because I dolike.
Personally, I do want to writea book and and I may have shared
this with you back in January,but one of my goals is to record
my mom so I can write her book,or so I can help her, you know
and so I just want to ask herquestions about her life and all
(34:53):
these things you know, so itcan be put into like something
tangible that maybe yeah justfor me, maybe you know we'll
publish it rightright, um, but yeah, that's one
of the goals.
So yeah, if when I'm not gonnasay if when you do this retreat,
again, definitely let me know,because I've been wanting to
write a book or a couple books.
(35:14):
I always get ideas.
And so let me ask you this Ifsomebody wanted to work with you
for ghostwriting or for, and,of course, for the retreats,
where can they find you?
Speaker 1 (35:24):
so they can find me.
My website is audience granted,mom.
And again, I offer ghostwritingservices.
I offer writing coaching, cool.
So if people want to do thewriting themselves, but they
want the same process that I dofor my ghostwriting to help them
organize their material and getthrough it, I I also do the
coaching.
I'm on Facebook, I'm onLinkedIn.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
So yeah, both of those places, the writing
retreat, same thing.
You can go there.
It's on all of those places.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Cool, and I'll put all the links in the show notes.
And let me ask you one lastthing If someone were to want to
learn something from you,what's something that you would
share with them like a piece ofwisdom?
Oh okay.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
So this is.
This is something that Ibelieve with all my heart.
But if you don't know jesuschrist, you need to get to know
him and trust him and believe inhim.
He loves you, he died to saveyou from your sins and all the
brokenness that's in this world,and when you live with him, you
you know.
A lot of times people giveadvice or they say well, you
know, whether it's religion,whether it's a mindset or
(36:28):
perspective or whatever.
You know and this your lifewill be so much better.
The way I look at it is life isgoing to be hard.
There's going to be hardshipsthat come up, whether you follow
Jesus, whether you don't.
There's going to be greatthings, whether you follow Jesus
, whether you don't.
There's going to be greatthings, whether you follow Jesus
, whether you don't.
But it's 100% better to havehim beside you through
everything and you know, forguidance, for love, and then you
(36:49):
know, so you can go to heavenwhen this life is over.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right, yeah.
So thank you so much forsharing that.
It's so important because Iknow that someone's going to
listen to that and it's going tochange their life in some kind
of way or they're going to takeaction in some kind of way.
So I'm so grateful, Judy, forhaving you back on here for like
third attempt or something and,you know, finally making this
(37:12):
work, even with all my issues inthe beginning.
I truly appreciate you and Ican't wait till this podcast is
listened to and for everybodylistening.
Go follow Judy, go to herwebsite, go, do all the things
and write a book.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
So write a book.
Thank you, Carla.
We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode.
Remember, the conversations wehave here are meant to spark
growth, connection and awarenessthat you can bring into your
own journey.
If you love this episode,please make sure to like,
subscribe and share with someonewho needs to hear this message.
Remember, follow the podcast onInstagram at MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast.
Connect with me on my otherpage at Coach Carlita, and now
(37:53):
on TikTok at Coach Carlita aswell, where I share different
content on mindset,communication, health and all
the things a little morepersonal.
Until next time, keep raisingyour voice and
And I stood in this field and I just looked up and I
love shooting stars, and, yeah,I love shooting stars.
And I'm standing there and Iwas looking up at the sky and I
was like, okay, god, if youreally wanted me to be here,
send me a shooting star.
And you know, this thought cameto me was if you ask God for
something and he gives it to you, you're not going to miss it.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hola a todos.
Hi everyone.
Welcome to Meta MetaMindPodcast, a space where we leave
taboo topics behind and diveinto the interconnected worlds
of physical and mental healthand well-being.
I am Hala Rodriguez, your hostand trainer and coach of NLP and
hypnosis, as we get ontransformative conversations
with leaders, entrepreneurs andchangemakers.
Each episode is designed toinspire you to unlock barriers
and embrace growth, mindfulnessand purpose in your life,
(00:49):
whether it's around mentalhealth, wellness or
entrepreneurial journeys.
We've got powerful insightsjust for you.
You know being curious, being alifelong learner, knowing just
how to navigate and learningmore about and you need to tell
the world that you are ready andmanifest and visualize and
become this version of yourself,the real knowing of who I am
has just begun.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
This was the life Like life is happening to me,
but I am able to create the lifethat I want.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
So subscribe now and follow the podcast to listen to
these powerful stories and bepart of this community of
empowered individuals who arestriving for greatness and
legacy.
Because, remember, raise yourvoice, share your story, make
sure to connect with us onsocial media at MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast, on our other page, atCoach Carlita, and be part of
our journey to inspire anduplift others.
(01:35):
Hi everyone, hola a todos,welcome back to MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast.
I am Karla Rodriguez and I'm soexcited because there's been so
many things happening.
I'm going to try to make thisvery short so we can get to the
episode, but I just wanted toshare that.
I just got back from the CondorApproach live with Ta and Cole
Witte, who are two beautiful,amazing human beings who are
(01:57):
living their truth.
Yo, it's really cool to see itin person people connecting,
really showing us thepossibilities when we live that
in alignment, and so I'd say I'mon the start of that journey as
well, of living and speaking mytruth.
So you know, stay on thisjourney with me because we are
practicing.
(02:17):
Also, at the end of the year,I'll be opening a new cohort for
the NLP certification training,so stay tuned for more
information on that in the nextcouple of weeks.
But, as you know, it'ssomething that excites me,
something that I love, and I'mgonna be sharing more about that
.
So today I finally get to sharemy conversation with Judy Lane
(02:37):
Boyer.
She is someone amazing.
I connected with her here inAustin and we reconnected at
Podfest earlier this year.
We actually tried to recordthere in person.
Something with my tech didn'thappen, didn't work.
Second time something didn'twork.
So this is a third try.
I believe so, and after acouple failed recordings, you
know, we made it happen.
So she is a ghostwriter, awriting coach who helps people
(03:01):
bring their stories to life, andin this episode she shares her
powerful journey and the lessonsbehind her work.
So I hope you enjoy this episodeand let's get into it.
Yay, we are on.
Thank you so much for beinghere on MetaFit MetaMind podcast
.
I'm so excited because we'vetried to do this a couple times.
(03:22):
Things have happened.
I had a nice recording fromJanuary and then something
happened to the audio.
So it seems like tech issuesare happening with me and you,
judy.
So we're going to do this justthe regular basic recording way
so we can have clean audio.
So thank you so much for beinghere, judy.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yes, no, thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, so something I wanted to ask, and I've already
asked you this before, butbecause you have been on so I
kind of know a little bitalready of like your story.
But for people to know who isJudy, yeah, no, that's a great
question.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, no, that's a great question.
So yeah, describing yourself isalways a little bit difficult,
or explaining who you are isalways a little bit difficult.
But you know, I'm a middle-agedwoman who never expected ever
more out of life than just to bemarried and have children and
stay home and run the household,maybe homeschool children or at
least take care of them.
Never have a career, you know,certainly never have a business.
(04:30):
That's how I grew up.
But here I am and then, as timewent on, in my adulthood I kind
of thought that I would neverget married actually and that I
was just going to have to keepworking jobs that I didn't like.
And now realize I resentedBecause my dream of being
married and, you know, beingable to be a stay-at-home wife
(04:52):
and mother was not happening.
But you know, all these thingssome that I wanted and some that
I never expected are true of me.
Now I am very happily marriedalmost five years and I own a
business.
Doing something like thismorning, I was like I had to
make myself stop.
So, like I'm hungry I need togo eat.
(05:13):
Like I am so into what I'mdoing and enjoying it so much
that it's, it's just.
You know, I just love it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It could be like our diet workings went to what we
love.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Exactly exactly.
So yeah, it's, it's you.
Yeah, it's hard to say that I'mliving the dream come true.
That's not entirely accuratebecause some of these things are
not really dreams.
I would say the writing part.
I'm a ghostwriter and a writingcoach.
That's my business.
So writing, actually writingthat part is maybe what I would
(05:45):
call a fantasy.
That I never thought could betrue.
But I never really expected toown my own business at all and
you know it's still in thegrowing stages.
So it's not like I've reachedthe heights of success or
anything.
I'm still in the growing phase.
But just so many and so much ofthe pain and disappointment and
frustration in my life hasturned to blessing.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, and I'm grateful for that and I love
that you say that, that you knowyou're still growing and that
you're still not exactly whereyou want to be yet.
And I think that's really cooland powerful, because I
sometimes meet people who youknow they come in not just in
the podcast but just in generaland they're like, yeah, I'm
already doing this andeverything.
But I think sometimes peoplecan like see this thing on
(06:32):
social or whatever, like, oh mygod, I want that.
But we don't really know thejourney or where you're at in in
your story, in that progress,in that growth.
And so for you, you know what'sbeen that chapter turn that has
led you up to this point so far.
That's going to lead you to whoknows where else it leads you
(06:54):
towards your success.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
You know, I wouldn't say there's been one chapter
turn, there's been a few.
You know, one of the biggestones was back in 2013.
So 12 years ago, you know oneof the biggest ones was back in
2013,.
So 12 years ago, when I went toEngland, to Oxford, england,
kind of spur of the moment.
Yeah, well, I heard the story.
Yeah, maybe a month or two ofplanning, you know it was it
(07:19):
just something came up and I waslike I want to do this, and so
I did it, and it was the firsttime in my life that.
So back up a little bit, aswe've talked about before, I
grew up in a very strict churchthat you know, women had a very
narrow role in life, what Idescribed a minute or two ago,
(07:39):
and so that's all I expected.
And then I was watching many ofmy friends get married and
start having children and I nowrealize I kind of resented the
fact that I had to work and so Iwas working different things
and I just a lot of depression,a lot of frustration, a lot of
not getting along with people atwork, and I realized a lot of
that was me, because I wasunhappy.
So when I took this trip, itwas the first time in my life
(08:03):
that I ever made a decision onmy own for me.
Yeah, it was.
You know, previous I'd takensome pretty cool trips.
Before that I'd gone to Israel,I spent five months in Peru,
but all of those things you know.
I bought a house.
I had never done anything majorin my life without, like, going
to a pastor and talking it out.
(08:23):
Is this a good idea?
Is this what good idea?
Is this what God would want?
Yeah, and I still think thatit's important to get advice,
but the problem is I was relyingonly on advice.
I was never really thinkingabout what I wanted, or you know
.
So I took this trip to Oxfordbecause I grew up reading lots
of fairy tales.
My grandmother had her business, even though she was in that
(08:46):
church.
My grandfather was disabled andso he was very limited, so I
think that's how she got awaywith it.
So she had a business buyingand selling old and rare books,
and so we weren't allowed towatch TV or anything.
So I just spent my childhoodreading.
I was reading chapter books bythe time I hit first grade and
loved fairy tales.
(09:09):
As I got older, I put it asidebecause the strictness of the
religion I was in was very muchlike.
You know, you need to bepractical, put away silly
childish things, but I hadgotten back into fantasy.
It's a long story, I won't tellit, but I'd gotten back into it
by just sort of a happenstancething that happened at work and
started realizing that you know,I love it.
Number one.
Number two there's some goodspiritual.
It was the Narnia series thatgot me back into it.
Really, I love Narnia.
(09:29):
It's a Christian, it's fantasy,but it's very Christian-based,
and so I started seeing oh,there's some spiritual things
that you can get out of fantasy.
From there I jumped into Hobbit, lord of the Rings, which was
written by CS Lewis's goodfriend, jrr Tolkien.
And so anyway, this opportunitypopped up for me to go to Oxford
, england, to this conferencethat was a faith-based
(09:55):
conference and spend a weektalking about Tolkien and CS
Lewis and their works, and so Ijust kind of did it.
It was, like, I say, almostvery spur of the moment and that
I would say that trip isprobably one of the most
life-changing things I ever did.
Again, it was a faith-basedconference, so there were
Christians from variousdenominations, which that was
another thing.
In our church we were notallowed to have friendships or
(10:16):
relationships with peopleoutside of our church, even if
they were Christian, like otherdenominations or people that
weren't part of our group.
So it was my first time to bearound a bunch of different
Christians in a very social wayfor any length of time, you know
, for a week, from differentbackgrounds in Christianity, and
(10:37):
I started seeing that many ofthe things I'd been taught about
Christians who weren't in ourgroup were just not true.
They were good people, theywere dedicated people, they
truly loved God.
So that was one thing.
But also they treated learning,academia, going to college,
very seriously.
They treated writing and beingcreative seriously and they
(10:59):
treated fantasy seriouslyfantasy and science fiction,
fantasy.
So those three things were Ihad already kind of started
going to community collegebecause, again, I never expected
to have a career, so I hadnever gone to college.
So, yeah, I had started collegejust before I went on that trip
and that confirmed that this isa good direction.
And anyway, yeah, that's one ofthe big places my life changed
(11:23):
and over the next three or fouryears I slowly but surely moved
away from the cult I was in.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, and yeah, my life is just totally different
now, like the old practices andeverything, and this trip, then,
has showed you like otherpossibilities and other things
that you can do for yourself aswell.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Yes, and it showed me too, that I could.
Still it wasn't.
It was, you know, like God.
The way I had learned about Godwas very much like he's in this
box, that you can only pleasehim this way.
There's only you know, thisvery narrow way that you can
follow him.
You know, Instead of realizing.
You know, he gave me this lovefor fantasy, yeah, and he gave
(12:05):
me this love for writing for areason to use, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
And so, yeah, that's I eventually it's.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I think it's such a gift to to be like, to be
someone who loves to read and towrite, because I think that's
something that I think nowadaysit's almost getting lost.
I want to say, say just from myoutsider perspective of, like
you know, we have audiobooks.
I'm a very auditory person, soI love them anyway, but, like, I
(12:32):
love holding a book right, butI think the practice of reading
is going, not going away, butit's not as common as it used to
.
Like I remember fairs, likebook fairs and everything that I
would find out about and justso many things.
And I think it's cool that youhave that gift to be able to
help people to, to say, hey, youcan write your book too, so
(12:54):
people can read this physicalcopy, you know, and and it stay
in in a way in basically history.
It's like your legacy orwhatever it is that you create.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
So I think that's the cool thing about what you do
too yeah, no, and actually yousaid it correctly reading is not
going away, it is.
It is changing.
Yeah, um, and some of that Idon't like, but I think, just
like, writing was one of thefirst ways that developed where
people could express themselvesto a much broader audience than
(13:27):
just the people they knew, thepeople around them.
You know, the printing presswas invented, you know, several
hundred years ago, and thenpeople had the ability to start
writing books, and so that wasone way that people learned to
and became that's how you wouldlearn things.
And then we had know, thetelephone, telegraph, radio, and
it became very auditory, right,yeah, and now we've added video
(13:50):
with movies and films and tv.
And now what we're doing rightnow?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
video, yeah, video stuff video anybody can do that
documentaries and history, youknow right so I like, I think
it's really cool and I like towrite, but sometimes my life is
so fast-paced that I'm like,okay, I'm gonna record this for
now, because this is my thoughtsright now.
Maybe I can write it on paperafter you know.
(14:15):
So, yeah, I think that's.
That's such a gift and, and youknow, I think, like I said, I
read somewhere that, like kids,kids ability to read or the
percentages or grade levels thatthey're reading at now are not
at the same level of likeprobably my generation.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Right.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
We still had so many books to read, right.
Because, reading from thescreen still affects our brain
in some kind of way.
I don't have all the sciencebehind it right now.
But like it's affected theirbrains in a way that it doesn't
process the same way InterestingBecause of the screen, and so I
need to look for this.
This is where I found this, butI just found that interesting,
(14:55):
and so let me ask you this inthis, in this process, you know
of you finding yourself rightand you it's, it sounds like,
and what I heard is that youknow you would go to somebody to
make sure that it was okay andlike, hey, should I do this or
should I not?
Or what would God say, or howcan he lead me, which is great.
You're that spiritual part ofyou, that that part of you that
(15:19):
is like there.
But what do you think in thisprocess that the like how do I
want to ask this?
Like this of like mental,physical health, emotional
health, spiritual health youknow, how does that play out
into your life?
Now that you did find your own,I want to say like, maybe
self-reliance versus outside ofyou.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
So, excuse me, that is still an ongoing process and
I won't say that I don'tstruggle with it.
I do almost daily, but it'sgetting easier.
And I think the big thing wasnot that.
The one thing that hasn'tchanged is that I want God's
will in my life more thananything.
That has not changed.
But you know, he's okay if I godo something that he'd rather
(16:07):
me not do, but it's okay, that'snot.
That's not where I am.
I really want to do what hewants like the best thing for me
, right.
But what has changed is that Ihave a much broader view of what
that is now, and part of thatis I've always had a relation or
I shouldn't say always, butmean I developed a relationship
with God when in my teens and areal love for him and a prayer
(16:29):
life, yeah.
But I honestly believe thataround that saying or shortly
into that, like a year or twointo that, where I was was
getting to where I was prayingand talking to God on my own, a
lot is when a lot of my friendsstarted getting married and I
got really depressed and I kindof lost that and so I started
feeling like I don't know.
(16:49):
You know, I want to make sureI'm doing the right thing.
A lot of times, when thingsdon't go the way you want or
expect, you think I must bedoing something wrong.
Right, I'm not doing it right.
And so, to make sure that I wasdoing it right, I was going and
talking and even even thoughthe church it's funny even
though the church was reallystrict and, you know, pretty
uber conservative and whatnot, Iremember, even even with that,
(17:12):
one of the pastors telling me hewas like you worry way too much
about what.
I think you need to think itout and like, talk to God and
figure it out for yourself.
But I was just too scared to dothat.
And so it's been, you know, thelast 12 years, I guess, of
learning more that God hears me,he sees me, he is very merciful
(17:33):
and compassionate, he's notwaiting to bring the hammer down
if I step out of line.
And one of the biggest, therewas kind of two things, that
really kind of two points abouta year apart, that helped me
with that.
One was in 2016, when, well,they were both in 2017, but it
(17:57):
started in 2016.
My best friend in the world, hermother and my mother were
friends before we were born.
So we were really.
We were friends from birth,yeah, and we were best friends.
And she'd gotten married alittle later she was 30, I think
, when she got married, yeah,and moved away.
Anyway, during that time iswhen I started moving away from
(18:22):
the cult and started doing.
I started going to a movie hereand there.
I started wearing jeans insteadof just skirts all the time
Things like that.
I started dating.
I never dated, so she knewthose things.
And so in 2016, she was in townvisiting her parents and I found
(18:49):
out through the grapevine,which really kind of hurt,
because we always communicatedand, like in the past, she would
have called me and told me.
So I called her and I said, hey, let's get together, it's your
birthday, let's go out.
And she was, she was reallyhesitant, but finally she said
you know what, let out, let's goout.
And so we met for lunch, sheand her husband and I, and she
told me that I was no longerfollowing God and so I can no
(19:12):
longer talk to her.
I can't send her birthday cards, I can't call her, I can't have
any communication with herUntil, and unless I go back to
the cult and I'm like there allthe time and doing everything
the way they do things, wow,which is never going to happen.
But so I mean, that is that'sstill.
One of the biggest griefs in mylife is I don't have her.
(19:36):
You know we were, we werefriends till, you know, till our
, till 40, age 40.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And so so there's a lot of processing that's still
happening.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Well, I mean, I think I'm pretty.
I still have to think about itand like, forgive her, and I
realize I need to.
Even more than her, I need toforgive her husband because, in
my mind, like she would neverhave done that if it weren't for
him.
But yeah, that's a whole notherstory.
Yeah, over the next few monthsI fell into this just horrible
existential depression andanxiety, like, scared I was
going to go to hell, just like,confused about like, and by that
(20:13):
time I had moved far enoughaway from the cult that I didn't
know who I could talk to toprocess things.
Because I was like, if I talkto anybody that I know who's
still in it, of course they'regoing to tell me well, I need to
come back, right, yeah.
But I didn't know very manypeople outside the cult.
I knew a few people, but notwell enough that I could trust
them.
Yeah, so it was a lot of me.
(20:36):
I just remember bawling my eyesout in the kitchen one day and
just really literally screamingat the ceiling Like I don't know
what you to do, I don't knowwhat you want me to do, I don't
know what you want me to do, andthese words just came into my
head so clearly why don't youlet me handle it?
Nice, wow.
And it was just so clear, likenot out loud but just very clear
(20:58):
in my mind, like why don't youlet me handle it?
And I had to trust that thatwas God.
And so the next few months wasme learning to trust him and
wait, like I wanted an answerright then.
What do I do right now?
Yeah, but I had to learn towait.
Yeah, and it was a few monthslater.
I was working, I had been sentto on a month-long project to
upstate New York.
(21:19):
It was January, so it was likethree feet of snow on the ground
and I went to a little churchup there and they were talking
about faith and just believingGod.
And so after that I wentwalking in the snow.
It was a beautiful sunny dayand I just I remember telling
God like okay, I'm going totrust you.
I am doing things with my lifeI never thought I would do, but
(21:42):
I'm going to trust that not justyou, but that you love me
enough that if I'm going thewrong direction you'll let me
know.
And I mean, from then on, itwas like my life took off.
The next month I got to go onthis really cool mission trip
like helping Bible.
I was a Spanish languagetranslator at the time so I got
to go, you know like translatein Africa, help people like
(22:04):
translate the Bible.
Then I got to go, you know liketranslate in Africa.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Help people like.
Translate the Bible.
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Then I got to go on this so and then.
So about a year, eight monthsafter that, I went on this
really cool retreat where God,just it was, it was miraculous.
I'd really been looking forwardto the retreat and then we got
there and it was so structuredthat was, it was kind of, and
there was a lot of noise.
The church I grew up in, youknow, our worship service was
(22:29):
like somebody playing the pianoand we all sang out of the old
hymn book, so like modernworship with all the drums and
everything is like really it's.
I'm more used to it now.
It's still a littleoverwhelming for me.
So, but that was all there wasat this root.
Every time we had a worship orany sort of anything, there was
like this worship music and itwas like, and then we had to
stay with everybody the wholetime.
(22:50):
We weren't allowed to like goby ourselves anywhere and I was
about to lose my mind and so oneof the ladies I was at the
point where I'm like I'm leaving, but one of the ladies was like
, hey, there was a bunch ofpeople there from different
churches serving and she, shesaid, what if we get you up like
before everybody else so youcan have, like, go walk around
and just have some you time.
(23:10):
And I said sure, so I did that.
And the next morning I got up.
She got me up at like fiveo'clock or something and so I
was outside, you know, walkingaround.
It was still dark and I justwas like God, I really thought
you wanted me to come to thisretreat, but I'm not enjoying it
at all, I'm not gettinganything out of it.
It's causing a lot of anxiety.
(23:31):
Yeah, and I stood in this fieldand I just looked up and I love
shooting stars and yeah, I loveshooting stars, and there's a
big every August.
There's a big like event over acouple of nights when there's
lots of shooting stars, and I'dwanted to do it but I'd missed
it anyway.
And so I'm standing there and Iwas looking up at the sky and I
was like, okay, god, if youreally wanted me to be here,
(23:51):
send me a shooting star.
And I just I just kept lookingand waiting and of course,
nothing happened and I'm waiting.
And I thought then, like I justhad this thought like, if you
know I'm, I was afraid to missit.
I was afraid like what if Ikeep walking and I'm not looking
at the sky and the shootingstar comes and I don't see it
Right.
So that's, I was just standingthere waiting and you know, this
thought came to me was if God,if you ask God for something and
(24:14):
he gives it to you, you're notgoing to miss it.
So I was like okay.
So I turned around and startedwalking again and this enormous
shooting star just zipped acrossthe horizon in front of my face
, like just like right low down,yeah, across the horizon, and I
can't explain it.
(24:36):
If you've ever seen like in amovie where somebody is like in
another dimension, yeah.
Like they're astral.
What is it?
Astral presence?
Like Doctor Strange, they'restill in the same place, but
it's like they're in a differentdimension.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Their being is like seeing you kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Like you're out.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I felt like I was in the same place.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
I didn't go somewhere else.
But I felt like I was in atotally different place and it
was just me and it was just meand it was just God.
Yeah, and I felt seen, and youranswer, and I felt, well, I
felt seen and I felt known and II kind of you know it's kind of
funny because you know I wasGod revealed himself to me and
(25:17):
my, my thought was shit, it'sreal.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
I love that, you know , and it was.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Did.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
I really want the answer.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yeah, I mean, but when you, I mean I've had faith
for a long time, but havingfaith and having the reality,
like feeling like you're in thepresence of God, I can't
describe it.
It's just and it's like it wasso healing.
It was so healing not just forthat moment, but for everything
I'd been worried about.
You know, like what, if Iwasn't supposed to leave the
(25:47):
cult or what you know, all thosethings.
It's like no, I know you.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
I know your heart, I've got you and so, anyway, a
year after that I moved toAustin, transferred to UT, did a
really it was just mybachelor's, but I did the honors
track so I was able to do athesis where I got to interview
women in Guatemala andTajikistan whose husbands travel
to other countries to work andthey're supposed to send money
(26:13):
back but a lot of times theydon't, and that was just really
good experience learning tointerview people and put things
together that prepare me forwhat I do now actually.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
Yeah, yeah, which is the writing for.
Right ghost writing yeah, oneof those people.
Yes, exactly, and I think that'sso beautiful, and I think what
I'm hearing too is like somepeople say you know, for you
it's God, but I know some peopleare like universe or source or
whoever, and what's interestingabout that?
(26:42):
It's like sometimes we justwant to control the situation
and their circumstance andsometimes if we just let it go
and turn around, maybe justpivot, like it's gonna happen
right there, you know, soonerthan maybe you expected it, and
I think that's the beautifulmessage that I'm hearing here is
like you just kind of like hadto turn around and trust that it
(27:06):
would come to you and it did.
Right, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And I think that's you know you've heard the phrase
paralysis by over analysis, youknow or you're afraid to move,
and so that has and it still is.
It's something I still have tofight, like when I'm I need to
make a decision.
I read somewhere just recentlythat a lot of successful people,
their success, a lot of timescomes from the fact not that
(27:30):
they make the absolute mostperfect decision, but that they
make a decision and they go withit and they just do it.
And if they need to adjust, ifthey need to, as you say, pivot
or adapt, they can.
But another phrase that I'veheard that was really helpful I
heard it in church, actuallyfrom a pastor in about that
(27:53):
somewhere in that same timeperiod was it's hard to turn a
car that's not already in motion.
So like if you have a car andit's just sitting still like
it's a lot harder to turn thanif you're already moving and you
can turn it.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Yeah, it's the momentum, and sometimes it feels
scary being in that moment,like, oh shoot, I got to like do
a U-turn or something, right.
I just started picking up themotorcycle again and I'm like,
oh my God, I got to go do a leftturn and a right turn.
Am I going to?
I gotta go do a left turn and aright turn.
Am I gonna?
(28:27):
And I'm trying, I'm working onnot thinking about I'm gonna
fall, because once it's inmotion you have balance, like
it's.
It's interesting like peopleare like aren't you gonna fall
or anything.
I'm like no, like it's kind oflike a bike with a motorcycle,
right with a motor where, onceyou're going like it's you're
going, you're balanced right,you just gotta focus.
And the thing about that isthat, with motorcycles, you have
(28:48):
to look where, once you'regoing like it's you're going,
you're balanced Right, you justgot to focus.
And the thing about that isthat, with motorcycles, you have
to look where you're going togo, where you're going to turn.
If you look right in front ofyou, yes, that's where you're
going to go If you look righthere that's the direction it's
going to go.
And so it's about, like you said, that movement, it's movement,
it's it's gonna, it's it'sinteresting.
But yeah, I've heard that.
(29:08):
I think I've heard Cody Sanchezsay that one of the best
lessons of some one of hermentors or someone was that he's
like the reason that a lot ofpeople don't succeed or it was
probably a different phrase, butin the sense, in the lines of
the reason is that I succeed isbecause I take action fast, you
know.
And so I think that's whatthat's about.
So I think that's cool.
(29:28):
And so let me ask you, withaction and what's happening and
momentum and movement, like whatis something that you're
excited about, or goals comingup for you, either personally or
like with your business, yourwriting, like what's coming up
for you?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Yeah, so I am.
I hate to use the word excitedor super excited, because I feel
like it gets way overused.
In the business world, peopleare always excited.
They've got this offer andthey're so excited to present it
.
And they've got this webinarand they're so excited to
present it.
But he's excited a lot in thiscase.
It is absolutely true.
I am thrilled.
How about that?
I'm so thrilled.
I I am thrilled to be hostingmy first writing retreat at the
(30:09):
end of September.
Last weekend of September.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
I did see that that you shared that.
That's exciting.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
No, I'm just, you know, kind of still struggling
to believe it, right?
Yeah, so the last two years sothere's a church here, a local
church, austin Stone.
It's big, it's got severalcampuses and they've done a
really good job over the yearsof supporting creatives,
christian creatives.
They've got like a production,they've got a… I don't even know
(30:39):
music and everything.
In fact, some of the ChrisTomlin, if you know who he is,
he's a very big name inChristian music.
He got his start there andanyway.
So one thing they've supportedover the years is writers.
And so the last two years I'vegone to a writing retreat that
they hold and it has beenincredible, just phenomenal.
(31:00):
I mean, I come on what.
You're there with other, youknow fellow writers, and all
different skill levels, alldifferent stages of writing, all
different experience, but justthe energy of being able to feed
off other creatives and rubshoulders and just chit chat
about writing.
And they do offer some, youknow, learning or you know, like
(31:21):
a little presentation or aforum or something.
But all of it's optional, allthat was optional.
So this year they are not ableto do that.
They've got some other thingsgoing on.
They weren't able to host it,so I'd kind of been toying with
the idea and I thought, well,maybe this is a year to do it,
yeah.
So yeah, I put it together.
It's going to be at CampBuckner, which is about an hour
(31:43):
northwest of here.
I think it's Leander Leander.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Okay, or.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Burnett Somewhere in there, Burnett.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Leander, somewhere up there In the.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
North Area.
Yeah, it's up there and I'vebeen there for a church retreat,
so I already know it'sbeautiful.
Yeah, I've already.
I mean, as soon as I kind ofstarted saying, okay, this is
happening, you know, was talkingwith the camp and putting
things together, I reached outto several professionals in the
(32:09):
writing book industry andimmediately I had three of them
say, oh, I want to come, and twoof them were like I want to.
If you want me to, I can give atalk.
And I'm like, wow, Okay, yeah,I guess this is this is it.
This is it, this is you know.
And so, yeah, so far I have Ihad.
I didn't know who all would be.
It's because I'm putting it onand not the church is actually
(32:32):
going to be more expensive, waymore expensive than what the
church could do.
It's still pretty.
A lot of people are stilltelling me that's pretty
inexpensive, but compared towhat the church could do, it's a
lot more expensive.
So I didn't really know, like,how many rooms to reserve.
I reserved two rooms, with twomore like on hold, which I need
to let them know.
Anyway, I've got 12 peoplecoming, so I need to let them
know that.
I need to let them know thatyou know, yes, we need all those
(32:57):
rooms, and we may need to put acouple more on hold, because
people are still talking to meabout it.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
So no, I just yeah, no, it's.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
You know, I just didn't know what would happen,
but it's like it's happening andit's so cool and hopefully I
can.
We'll see how it goes, but I'mhoping it can be a yearly thing.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Well, and I'm glad we're doing this today again,
because I don't think you, Idon't know that you were having
this in January no, no so youknow, I think it was just maybe
meant to be that I'll get toshare this, yeah with my
audience and yes yes, andreaders that, hey, this retreat
is coming in.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
September.
Right, yes, in last weekend ofSeptember, Friday evening
through Sunday morning, I haveone friend coming who is she
works with self-published.
She has an agency that workswith self-published authors.
They do everything from editingcover, design, interior layout
through helping you publish, setup your royalty account, market
(33:58):
.
You know.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
All of those things.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah, no.
So she's coming and she's goingto talk.
Another lady who's been doingbook marketing for over 20 years
unfortunately has a conflictthat weekend, but she sent me
two excellent videos thatanybody who attends the retreat
will get for free.
Nice.
And then I have a she hasn'tconfirmed yet, but I have a
fantasy author who has six booksout and also works for a
(34:24):
publishing company.
She also is part of apublishing company.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Very interested in coming.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
I'm so happy for you, it's going to be really good.
Yes, it is going to be good.
I would go, but I havesomething that same weekend, so
maybe next year because I dolike.
Personally, I do want to writea book and and I may have shared
this with you back in January,but one of my goals is to record
my mom so I can write her book,or so I can help her, you know
and so I just want to ask herquestions about her life and all
(34:53):
these things you know, so itcan be put into like something
tangible that maybe yeah justfor me, maybe you know we'll
publish it rightright, um, but yeah, that's one
of the goals.
So yeah, if when I'm not gonnasay if when you do this retreat,
again, definitely let me know,because I've been wanting to
write a book or a couple books.
(35:14):
I always get ideas.
And so let me ask you this Ifsomebody wanted to work with you
for ghostwriting or for, and,of course, for the retreats,
where can they find you?
Speaker 1 (35:24):
so they can find me.
My website is audience granted,mom.
And again, I offer ghostwritingservices.
I offer writing coaching, cool.
So if people want to do thewriting themselves, but they
want the same process that I dofor my ghostwriting to help them
organize their material and getthrough it, I I also do the
coaching.
I'm on Facebook, I'm onLinkedIn.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
So yeah, both of those places, the writing
retreat, same thing.
You can go there.
It's on all of those places.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Cool, and I'll put all the links in the show notes.
And let me ask you one lastthing If someone were to want to
learn something from you,what's something that you would
share with them like a piece ofwisdom?
Oh okay.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
So this is.
This is something that Ibelieve with all my heart.
But if you don't know jesuschrist, you need to get to know
him and trust him and believe inhim.
He loves you, he died to saveyou from your sins and all the
brokenness that's in this world,and when you live with him, you
you know.
A lot of times people giveadvice or they say well, you
know, whether it's religion,whether it's a mindset or
(36:28):
perspective or whatever.
You know and this your lifewill be so much better.
The way I look at it is life isgoing to be hard.
There's going to be hardshipsthat come up, whether you follow
Jesus, whether you don't.
There's going to be greatthings, whether you follow Jesus
, whether you don't.
There's going to be greatthings, whether you follow Jesus
, whether you don't.
But it's 100% better to havehim beside you through
everything and you know, forguidance, for love, and then you
(36:49):
know, so you can go to heavenwhen this life is over.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Right, yeah.
So thank you so much forsharing that.
It's so important because Iknow that someone's going to
listen to that and it's going tochange their life in some kind
of way or they're going to takeaction in some kind of way.
So I'm so grateful, Judy, forhaving you back on here for like
third attempt or something and,you know, finally making this
(37:12):
work, even with all my issues inthe beginning.
I truly appreciate you and Ican't wait till this podcast is
listened to and for everybodylistening.
Go follow Judy, go to herwebsite, go, do all the things
and write a book.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
So write a book.
Thank you, Carla.
We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode.
Remember, the conversations wehave here are meant to spark
growth, connection and awarenessthat you can bring into your
own journey.
If you love this episode,please make sure to like,
subscribe and share with someonewho needs to hear this message.
Remember, follow the podcast onInstagram at MetaFit MetaMind
Podcast.
Connect with me on my otherpage at Coach Carlita, and now
(37:53):
on TikTok at Coach Carlita aswell, where I share different
content on mindset,communication, health and all
the things a little morepersonal.
Until next time, keep raisingyour voice and
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.