November 3, 2023 • 58 mins
We promise you an emotional ride as we welcome Linda Julius to our show. Sharing her unique journey from a small village in Northern Germany to turning life's challenges into opportunities, Linda's tale is one of resilience, transformation, and personal growth. Enjoy her passionate narration about navigating the complexities of cultural identity, her battles with depression, and the power of forgiveness. She also paints a vivid picture of her love for nature and animals - a passion that has given her a sense of belonging in this diverse world.
Struggling with job loss and depression, Linda found solace in the companionship of her dog, Plessy Weirdness. Discover how this bond helped her overcome feelings of loneliness, and led her to regain her strength and confidence. As she progresses through her journey, Linda discusses the role of love and community in personal growth. Listen to how her relationship with her other dog, Blissie, transformed her life and how moving to a new neighborhood created avenues for meaningful connections.
In our conversation, Linda unfolds the transformative power of gratitude and inner peace, and the significance of curiosity. We look into the idea of being present, surrendering to gratitude, and making conscious, healthy decisions. Reflecting on her post-traumatic stress experiences, she emphasizes the importance of rest, exercise, and slowing down in life. Linda's story serves as a poignant reminder that no matter our struggles, there is always a path to healing and growth. Make sure you join us next week as well when we host Brooke Collins to discuss creating a life that is uniquely yours.
Please visit us at: http://retreattopeace.com to find out more about the shows you love to listen to, the upcoming retreats we have planned and your favorite merchandise to help support those in need. Also, send us your testimonial of how the show or Catherine has helped you. We would love to share your story on the air.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey you, wherever you are in the world right now.
Thank you so much for beinghere with me.
We know that we live in somevolatile times and we know that
the world is changing, so let'screate a bridge.
As we travel through oneanother's countries, we're
moving all labels, comingtogether as one people finding
(00:29):
our home in one world.
And as we do this, this is whyour signature talk today Build
your Connection is so important.
So settle in as we jump rightin.
And today I am so excited towelcome my friend, linda Julius.
Hi, linda, hey Kathy, how areyou?
(00:49):
I am doing fantastic.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I am so super excited and so grateful being here with
you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I am super excited to have you with us and, for the
audience who doesn't know you,you are in Germany and I am here
in the United States and youhave such an incredible story to
share with our audience, so I'mgoing to let you kick that off
and let our audience know alittle bit about who you are.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Okay, oh well, who am I?
Where should I start?
Maybe, kathy, I start that I'mthe daughter of an Indian man
and a German woman who livedmost of their time actually, in
Great Britain, and I was adoptedat the age of only four months
(01:47):
by German parents who weren'table to receive children
themselves, and they lived in avery, very small village in
Northern Germany, somewhere Iwould say in the middle of
nowhere, to be honest, and Isomehow believed that, based on
(02:09):
my partly terrible experiences Ihad to make as an innocent
child, I believe for far toolong that I was devoted, kind of
devoted to my destiny and thatany at-aims to get out of a
(02:30):
cycle of rejection was kind ofunsuccessful.
And at that time, of course, Idid not know that one has not to
sleep in the bed which was made, but that it is always, always,
always, always possible tochange your own life for the
(02:53):
better.
I had to learn the hard way,unfortunately, but I mean, on
the other hand, it also made methe human being I am today, and
it seems as if the complexity ofthose experiences just made me
learn so much more stuff which Iwouldn't have learned if
(03:15):
everything would have just gonesmoothly.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So I'm going to ask this question who made your bed?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
That's a very good question.
See, the thing is, there isthis quote, you know, which says
that we people, we peoplealways make our own bed and we
have to sleep in the bed we made.
But this kind of made me thinkthat people who believe this
(03:50):
quote don't think that they areable to get out of a very
challenging situation.
And I believe exactly theopposite, because it is possible
to get out of really, reallyplease excuse my French shitty
situations.
And I'm saying that because andI'm really not exaggerating I
(04:15):
kind of got I can't even counthow many times I got out of
those, but that's what Iactually learned in the end that
, you know, people should notbelieve that they're stuck,
whatever, whatever shit justhappened to them.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And I think it's difficult too, because you're
not saying this to the audience,but I am definitely picking up
on it when, when you're adopted,you're labeled, right.
So that's the bed that you'retalking about.
That was made for you is this?
You know, being labeled andbeing in this environment that
(05:01):
you didn't have any control overthat was created for you.
So how?
I mean, how was that for you?
How was that?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
as far as growing up, Now, on the one hand, as a
child, you think that whateverhappens is supposed to happen
(05:30):
and it's kind of supposed to benormal, right, because you don't
know better, you're a child.
On the other hand, I alwayssensed that I'm a kind of alien.
I always was.
I'm a kind of alien where Igrew up because my skin was
(05:51):
darker, my hair was so muchdarker and so much thicker than
of the people living in northernGermany, mostly being blonde
and having blue eyes I havegreen, brown eyes, by the way.
So, with that said, to me itsometimes feels as if I've
(06:11):
already had like 10 lives behindme, because I felt that I've
died so often from that kind ofemotional pain.
On the other hand, all theseinjuries also make me extremely
sensitive, in a way that Isometimes get frightened about
(06:33):
that myself, you know.
I mean, I knew that it wasmeant to grow up where I grew up
, because I was meant to learnsomething and maybe share it
with the world later.
And here we are and although Ihave lived in many cities now I
(06:55):
also do not want to miss knowinghow village people that's how
you call them right how villagepeople live, because I really am
.
I am a cowgirl, you know.
And when I say that, I actuallyfeel kind of proud because I
(07:18):
always love being in the nature,being close to the universe,
and I always loved animals somuch, and that's something what
you can really explore andinhale when you go up in such a
little village.
And when I say, for example,that I wanted a different life
for myself than what my adoptiveparents had shown me, I say
(07:42):
that without any judgment,because I have forgiven them in
the meantime what had to beforgiven, because they just they
didn't know better at that time.
They thought, from theirperspective, that's what they
have to do.
And for me, being able, afterso many years, to forgive them,
(08:04):
it kind of made me free.
It made me free and I was ableto continue my life.
And this is also something Ireally like to stress and point
out, because there are also somany quotes about forgiveness.
But I'm not sure if peoplereally understand what it means
(08:28):
and how freeing it can be,because in the beginning it
seems like a big, big wall whichis incredible to jump up,
incredible and almost ridiculouswanting to climb up.
But when you're able to do itonce, it's just such an amazing
(08:52):
feeling you don't want to miss,you know, and I mean, I always
had many friends around me andthey said often that they always
liked the way I stood up forthem, which I guess was nothing
also like a natural instinct.
You know, it was like I don'tknow, a matter of my heart and
(09:13):
soul to make sure that in mytiny little cowgirl microcosmos
that no injustice happened there, even if, of course, I couldn't
always avoid it.
So yeah, I mean, that'sactually to be honest, that's
actually how it was.
(09:34):
There were good times and therewere bad times and there were
horrible times, but I alwaysfelt kind of like being an alien
, and it also went on wherever Iwent.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Do you still feel like that?
Like I know, as a child youfelt different and that's part
of what caused you to feel likean alien, but do you still feel
that way?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Sometimes, you know it's funny, it always depends on
the people you're talking to.
There are some people whoreally like people who are
different than them, and thenthere are those who like to put
you in a kind of drawer and ifyou're not doing what they
expect you to do, they kind ofdislike you.
But the big, big difference isthat I don't give a shit anymore
(10:28):
.
And again, excuse my French, Iuse English as a second language
so I'm unable to say it in abetter way.
But yes, yes I do, but I do itwith a lighter heart, because
nowadays it's my decision if Iwant to let people enter my
(10:55):
world, if I would like toconnect with them, or if I
decide not to.
And I became very good actuallyto sort out when I don't feel
like I want to do that.
And that's the big difference,because I was not able to do
(11:17):
that as a child.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, and the idea of forgiveness I think is so
powerful in just releasing thatway that you may have helped, I
think, for a lot of people.
They don't even know how tostart that journey of
forgiveness.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I didn't know either.
It sucked seriously.
It so sucked and I read aboutit and I thought, oh my God,
this is such a bullshit.
I mean, why do people writethis?
Seriously?
You know what I mean?
It's like did they ever do whatthey write?
It's hard, it's really hard,but it's like with a child who I
(12:00):
don't know how to say this inEnglish when you pat on a hot
stove and you burn your fingers,as long as you don't burn your
fingers yourself, you have noclue how it feels.
And this is actually reallylike a burning, explosive moment
of freedom, of pure freedom.
(12:23):
When you're able to do that,yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I think it's interesting.
You're speaking around, youknow you're adopted, you're
practicing this forgiveness workand just releasing yourself
with some of those chains thatpeople get bound with right and
that you know for someone who'sadopted.
(12:51):
I mean, I know a few people whoare adopted and for them, it's
almost like they have thisidentity crisis almost, where
they're not sure where theybelong for some people.
And I think it's reallyinteresting, you know to hear
your journey, because you'rebasically saying, well, I don't
(13:13):
care, you know, like, this iswho I am.
I'm this little cowgirl, I'mgoing to, like, you know, show
up and I'm going to, you know,make sure the world knows I'm
there when I show up and Icommend you for that.
There's a lot of people thatwouldn't have the capacity or
ability to do that.
Do you know where that comesfrom?
(13:33):
Is that something you've alwayshad or is that something that
you've learned to have?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Oh no, not at all.
I mean, if I sometimes tell myfriends how shy I was as a kid
and also as a young adult, as ateenager, I didn't even dare to
speak up in class.
I was really peeing my pantsliterally when I had to report
(14:02):
to the teacher or something andI started stuttering.
I started stuttering and thatactually made me shut up the
entire time.
So people thought, oh my God,she must be such an idiot
because she doesn't speak and Irefused to speak.
So it's kind of for them.
(14:25):
It's interesting when I tellthem because it changed, because
it had to change in order tosurvive, and so when maybe I
tell you when I created actuallythe possibility to go to
college, which was not somethingmy parents were keen on, which
(14:51):
was OK, but it was just not intheir cards and they didn't have
an education at all, which wasOK for me as well.
But I was always curious, andso I earned my own money for
that, like, for example, anursery, nursery and as a
(15:13):
waitress in various restaurants,and I actually did so in the
hope to learn as much aspossible and to travel as much
as possible, which, given theCOVID situation right now, I'm
actually so grateful for,because when I couldn't travel
abroad the past years, I countedout of boredom I guess that I
(15:37):
had visited about 40 countriesso far I mean the little cowgirl
in four, zero countries.
I know it's not a lot for allof the people listening,
probably, but for a littlecowgirl like me it's quite a bit
, and so I soaked up allexperiences like a sponge.
(16:01):
The more I learned, the more Irealized how much there is still
to know, and I hope I know it'sa long answer.
I apologize, but since onelearned in the village not to be
conceited, for example, youknow, I was always and that's
(16:25):
what I wanted to tell you I wasalways rather the shy little
deer and I had to change becauseI wanted to be successful in
what I did, for myself, not foranybody else.
(16:49):
But I came up with some littlegoals.
I always dreamt of, you know,going once to the US, working
there when I saw a show as alittle girl.
And well, one day I got offereda job in Seattle and so I went
to Seattle.
(17:09):
So, with that said, to make avery long answer short, I had to
learn it.
I had to actively really learnit, which is why I believe
everybody can, because ifsomebody like me, who didn't
know anything, who comes fromnothing, where the people
(17:30):
thought and told me I'm such anidiot.
If I can do it, everybody cando it.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
And the fortitude that you had to teach yourself
and just go through that processis remarkable, and I think
that's part of the journey oflife is just taking those baby
steps and putting them intopractice to be where it is that
you want to be.
And I love all of your storyaround that because I think it's
(18:03):
something that talks toeverybody.
It doesn't matter who you are.
It's a practice, right.
So putting a goal in place andthen putting that momentum
forward to make it happen.
I want to ask you I know youtalked a little bit about the
countries and the travel.
I mean, you're well-cultured,you've been around the world,
(18:27):
you've been to 40 countries,like you said, and no, that may
not be a lot for some people,but I would say for most people
that is a lot.
I know people in the UnitedStates that haven't even left
their state, like they've nevereven traveled across the country
(18:49):
or to a neighboring country.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
They don't have to because you have so many
wonderful states.
What is it 51?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, we have a lot of beautiful countries yeah a
lot of beautiful country sidefrom coast to coast and it's
just amazing what we have here.
But when you say 40, I meanthat's a remarkable number.
So I wouldn't say or downplaythat number at all.
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I didn't say that, kathy, because of the number.
It was just the big gap and bigdifference from growing up in
this 800 inhabitants village andjust wanting to go out explore
the world and not letting stopme by anybody kind of being
(19:46):
unstoppable, like Tony Robbinswould say yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It's beautiful, I mean it just goes to show you
how you can stop yourself withyour mindset or you can change
your mindset and just go afteryour dreams and put them into
action and, as you said, takethose little big steps to make
it happen.
And I know one of the things theworld's experiencing right now
(20:14):
with this global pandemic isthey've really been put in a
place where we've been forced toshut down around the world.
A lot of people have lost theirjobs, a lot of people have been
forced to reevaluate.
And it's interesting becausepre-COVID there was so much
(20:36):
hustle and bustle around.
You know, we have to do thishard grind with jobs and running
kids to their events and doingthis and doing that, and a lot
of it was just like outward kindof expression, right, and I'd
love for you to share with ouraudience I mean, I know your
(21:00):
story, but I would love for youto share with the audience a
little bit around your journeyand how you were in that grind
and what happened to you whenyou.
You know we're going throughthat like, tell us some, tell us
what happened to you.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Speaking about people who lost their job.
I know well how that is,because I kind of have also lost
jobs, and especially the lastone, I guess because of a
depression, the seconddepression I had to go through,
(21:42):
which was combined to a reallysevere burnout.
I know it's a kind of fancyword and everybody has a burnout
, but this is a really severedisease.
I know that in between, alsothe depression.
I actually I hope I'm notcrying, but it's for me it was
(22:13):
always hard to speak about thatbecause I thought it meant being
vulnerable, and since I alwayshad to be vulnerable, I didn't
want it anymore, and maybethat's also part of the reason
why I try to push through withmy other goals.
(22:34):
Because I hated being.
What's the world?
What's the word?
What's the word?
I hated being dependent.
Yes, I always was looking forindependence, and so If I fast
(22:58):
forward a little bit now, I dounderstand why I got depressed
these two times, over both timesperiod of many months.
I even spent a few months in aclinic when that happened the
first time, and the second timeis not long ago.
(23:19):
And on top of all of that, Ithen found myself in one of my
darkest hours with acancellation notice from my
apartment from my landlord and Ithought I couldn't breathe
anymore.
I didn't know what to do and Iwas unable to do.
I mean, if you know what a realdepression is, you simply don't
(23:42):
open your mail, you just don'tdo anything, and and you always
want to, but you can't.
And so I think that thosestrange experiences I had to
make, and also bullying in thecompanies I work for, was part
(24:07):
of it.
They threw me somehow back tothe basics, to my shyness and
resistance of wanting to connectwith others.
So, on the one hand, here's theperson who visits 40 countries,
who connects with so manydifferent cultures, who loves
people all over the world, wholooks right into their hearts
(24:30):
and that's what they said likethe little prince of Antoine de
Soix, the paris, and on theother hand, she doesn't want to
connect with others anymore allof a sudden.
And so the the only one at thattime who was always with me and
(24:50):
to therefore be case somethinglike the love of my life is
actually my dog Plessy Weirdness, but probably sound so, um,
yeah, I think I lost it.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
That's okay, I'll jump in.
So I appreciate how transparentyou're being with the audience.
I'm sure there's many peoplethat relate to exactly what
you're saying.
Um, I know, you know, just frommy own walk in life, that a lot
of times and I've seen this inthe corporate arena, I've seen
(25:31):
it in other arenas as wellthat's not corporate.
You, you do see this kind ofeffect where your career has,
you know, taken a turn and itdoes change that person as far
as their job responsibilitiesand what it is that they're
doing.
And part in part, you know, thejob responsibilities are what
(25:55):
define people and it definestheir lifestyle and how they're
living and a lot of thesedifferent things.
And it's interesting because inthe world we live in, it's like
, instead of money being lookedat as a tool, it's, you know,
something that is used toprovide your lifestyle, whatever
that looks like.
(26:16):
Um, so it's a very interestingway of looking at things, but
also for people to definethemselves with that.
But I didn't want to talk somuch around that, but just, you
know, really acknowledge how rawand how real depression is for
people and not being able toeven open your own door to the
(26:40):
world and just do the basicthings of life.
I think that is a very difficultspace to be in and a lot of
times I mean there's somebodylistening right now that may be
in that space today, but a lotof times when we're in that
place, it is so vitally, vitallyimportant to have a
(27:02):
connectedness with other people.
And your connectedness, you said, was with your dog, because
that was, you know some, thatwas what was closest to you and
just had you feel a lot of loveand compassion and you know a
lot of things and it just reallyfilled you.
(27:24):
So, you know, I think that's areally nice, a nice way to look
at how your dog had helped you.
I would, I would love for youto just share with the audience
though I mean you said that yourbelt of depression.
It happened twice to you andyou're on the other side of that
(27:48):
.
So somebody who is listeningright now may not be on the
other side and they may needsome help in understanding, some
resources or some tools thatcan help them.
And, of course, if anybody islistening and they're feeling
suicidal in any way, encourageyou to seek out your closest
(28:11):
professionals that are in yourcommunities and, you know, get
that support around you.
But if you're not in that space, I would love for you, linda,
just to share some ideas thatwere helpful for you to help you
.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Um, first of all, I truly believe that healing is
possible for any human being andany animal, no matter what
horrible things they had to gothrough they.
(28:50):
They just need to know it's nottheir fault at all where they
are now.
It's okay, it's okay to be downand it's also so worth it,
taking every step In their own.
(29:14):
So, step by step, day by day,there is there is no need to put
pressure on them Because it'shard to say, um, there is so
(29:35):
much pressure already on all ofus in this world.
You know, especially in thejobs with family, you need to
make money to survive, etc.
Etc.
But on the other life, on theother hand, life is also meant
to be beautiful.
(29:56):
Life is beautiful and makingthis step out of the darkness
into the light is something theycan do when they when they are
(30:19):
willing to go into a deeperconnection, first of all with
themselves, second of all, ifit's either a pet or a neighbor
or someone far away, in a letter, if people like to write I, for
example, I love writing, youknow, I know it's very
(30:41):
old-fashioned, but the tinylittle things which don't have
to cost much, they are soprecious and they can help us to
get out of the darkest momentsIf you go outside into the woods
(31:02):
and just look at the leaves,how amazing they are, how
beautiful they are, or at thewater.
I know it sounds a little bitweird when I'm saying this, but
for me it's all back to thebasics and back to the roots.
And since, for me, I think thatmy dog actually Blessie she
(31:29):
saved my life Really.
I mean, she saved my life bybecoming sick herself.
I know this sounds weird again,but it's just what I currently
feel, so maybe I should tell youwhat I mean by that.
(31:52):
In one of the darkest hours, Ikind of stumbled over that Tony
Robbins guy.
I didn't know who that dude is.
I just saw this Netflixdocumentation and I'm here in
Germany, you know.
So people do not really knowhim and I'm like what, what is
he doing?
(32:12):
This is amazing.
And I signed up.
No, no, that's untrue.
I first researched him and Ithought, oh my gosh, this is way
too expensive, I cannot attendany of his events.
And so I followed him for manymonths.
(32:32):
And then, all of a sudden, hehad this one certification
course which was affordable forme, and so I made a
certification as a knowledgebroker.
And ever since I thought okay,now you will get out of the dark
, step by step, you will buildyour own company, because you
(32:56):
don't want to be bullied anymorein other people's companies and
you just teach what you taughtas an international trainer, as
a project manager and keyaccount manager to other people,
because the past years I workedas an international coach for
(33:16):
kitchenware and I explained, forexample, how conventional
pressure cookers work.
And so, with that said, Ithought, okay, I can build up my
own company and, funny enough,the company I worked for I lost
(33:37):
the job and I had to.
So I started preparingeverything for human beings and
I even made a better test,online training for people who
wanted to learn with aconventional to cook with a
conventional pressure cooker,because that's currently the
(33:57):
world's healthiest cookingmethod as it eliminates the
oxygen during the cookingprocess.
And with that said, I hadalmost built up everything when
I got the diagnosis fromBlissie's vet, saying that she
(34:19):
has an inoperable liver tumorand she has hours, maximum days,
to live.
So I don't know if anyone canimagine how my world really
seemed to completely collapseagain, because, you know, after
(34:43):
receiving a tumor sample fromthe lab they had sent it to in
Berlin, they said to me that Ineed to consider putting her
down, and I left the clinic withher as I was unable to think,
to breathe or to do anything.
And I just remember how Blissielooked at me then, as if she was
(35:05):
saying please do not give up onme yet.
And actually I didn't.
And guess what?
This is nine freaking monthsago.
I get goosebumps when I saythis Wow, yeah, I know I mean.
(35:27):
And what I then did, if I maysay that, is that okay, yeah.
So what I did was that you knowwhat I other was taught the
people who wanted to cookthemselves in conventional
pressure cookers.
I suddenly cooked for Blissie,and a lot of people have simply
(35:49):
forgotten how healthy this is,because these things used to be
so cumbersome and not safe andeverything, but because
evolution has also come there,it is nowadays very easy to use
them.
So I actually created a way toconnect even more with Blissie
(36:13):
by making her food, you know,with real ingredients and with
tons of love, and I noticed thatmy connection to helping one
another changed, how I looked atliving it completely,
completely changed because shewas there.
(36:34):
I will never forget how shelooked at me.
I will never, ever forget that.
And it was like please do notgive up on me yet.
I mean, I moved another timewith Blissie because I got this
cancellation from my landlord.
He needed my apartment and alsocreated a community by going to
(36:59):
you know the neighbors sayinghello and if they need anything,
my door is always open.
So, speaking of that, duringlockdown I looked for ways to
connect with others by helpingalso the seniors and I'm still
helping them by our community todo the grocery shopping.
(37:21):
And the funny thing is that oneday oh yeah, I need to tell
this one day a friend of minewho had just lost her dog,
unfortunately, and who knew whatI was doing for Blissie, she
said Linda, you really reallyneed to share.
You really need to share withthe world what you're doing for
(37:41):
her.
I mean, this is, this is kindof like a miracle.
So to again, to make a longstory short, I'm just writing
this down and how I extended mydog's life.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
When you talked about .
You know being in depression andjust going outside to nature
and looking at the leaves andthe trees, and you know
experiencing the world in thatmoment how powerful that is is
just being present in today,just being in full
(38:24):
acknowledgement of today andwhere you are feeling the chair
beneath your butt or feeling theair in your lungs when you take
a deep breath in and deepbreath out.
There's just so much around thatand it's a very powerful
healing tool as well.
But Blissie is incrediblebecause she allowed you to be in
(38:48):
that present state where shewas engaging you as much as you
were engaging her in her life.
The fact that you had this keeninsight to find a way to keep
her nine more months than whatthe veterinarian had expressed,
(39:09):
as far as you know, having toput her down and it's a
testament to this incrediblewoman that you are and I know
you haven't said this, but I'mgoing to say it for you.
(39:31):
So you, you moved, but when youmoved, you actually redesigned
your quote unquote dream house.
Like you're, you're in thatplace that you've always wanted
to be, that you've always talkedabout.
So I just think that yourjourney was so beautifully
(39:52):
choreographed to give you thisappreciation that you have and
all of these connections thatyou built.
I mean you moved to this newneighborhood and tell, tell the
audience what you did to buildmore connections.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
You know, I mean it seems as if moving had become
one of my hobbies, because thiswas my 11th move or something.
So since I grew up in my littlevillage and we were always
close and for me it was justnormal to help each other out.
When you know you were missingeggs over the weekend or milk or
(40:31):
something, you just went overto the neighbor.
And so I thought I actuallyinventing doing that every time
I moved.
And so here also I went to theneighbor's and said you know,
here it's me and my dog, and ifyou need anything my door is
open.
I don't, you don't, don't beafraid, I don't want anything
from you, but if you want tohave a cup of coffee, you can
(40:54):
always come.
And I then put down a noteduring the lockdown here at the
supermarket that if there areseniors who are unable to do
grocery shopping or go to thepharmacy, that I'd be happy to
do that.
And then the mayor called meand said you know we're doing
(41:16):
this as a concerted action herewith our community center.
Would you like to participate?
I said sure.
So they took my information andthis is a village here where I
live now, with 1800 people, andthey email us the lists of the
seniors who cannot do thegrocery shopping and we have a
(41:40):
little card and we go to certainsupermarkets and that's the way
you know, we help them.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
It's a wonderful way of branching out to your
community too and just you know,as you said, getting these
connections belt, and I know fora lot of people listening with
depression, one of the thingsthat's really important is
having those connections andjust.
You know getting out into yourcommunity and with your family
(42:09):
and your friends, and all ofthat and with lockdown, it's
been really hard.
You know, with this globalpandemic it's been really hard
to Do that and connect withpeople like that.
So I do applaud you forredesigning life.
Yeah, redesigning life.
I mean it's you.
You literally were in one placea year ago and today you're in
(42:33):
a completely different place andit's just beautiful.
I mean, today you're, you'reexactly where you want to be.
You have this wonderfulopportunity to heal your dog and
share that with the world andbe part of a beautiful community
.
So it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
You know, the the thing is, kathy, that I kind of
feel that I'm on a mission, andI'm kind of on a mission for dog
lovers now, in order tocultivate global change through
nutrition, throughself-awareness, creativity and
(43:12):
also placing that overboardingand endless love and compassion
into action.
And this is this is onlybecause of my dog.
I mean, if I see how myrelationship with my blissy,
(43:34):
that this can be the case for somany hurt souls out there as
well, as they will really get toan authentic love in return A
million, gazillion times morethan they are spreading it,
those animals, as a connectionbetween people and nature, are
(43:57):
just a miracle, each of them,and In between it even seems as
if I know blissy's thoughts.
I know it sounds weird, butthat's how I feel her feelings,
her perceptions, her life and inand her dislikes, and I really,
I truly embrace the realitythat this is entirely possible
(44:20):
Through the art of how Icommunicate with blissy and how
she communicates with me.
You know the way she looked atme.
I will never, ever forget thatand it it even works so much
that that I ignored what thisvet said in the clinic nine
months ago and instead Icommunicated solely with her
eyes.
You know, and I believe thatother people can have that too
(44:47):
if I can have it, they can haveit as well, and there are so
many shelters out there whenthose little souls are just
waiting to be loved and to beable to spread the love and love
, to be loved and to be able tospread their love the gazillion
(45:08):
times more in return yeah, Ilove your passion around all of
it and I mean, your podcast isso beautiful because it's so.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
It's so many layers, like we started talking about
how People rescued you right,you were adopted and then we end
with you rescuing blissy andit's just so beautiful and your
heart is so, you know, filledwith love and it's so pure.
So I'm just really filled withgratitude that you're with us
(45:41):
today.
But I do have one more questionfor you, linda.
If I were to find your earthangel feather on the ground and
I picked it up, what was yourmessage to the world be?
Speaker 2 (45:56):
What would the message to the world be?
I mean, how long did we speakover an hour so far.
And I think that the peoplelistening they understand
through how much shit I had towalk through so far and I felt
(46:22):
and I was heard a gazilliontimes.
But what all of that taught meis and I think I said it before
that healing is possible for anyhuman being and any animal, no
matter no matter at all whathorrible things they had to go
(46:43):
through.
They just need to know they areabsolutely okay the way they
are now.
They are loved.
They are truly loved by us.
It's not their fault and it'sworth taking every single step,
no matter how long it takes, dayby day, to get them wherever
(47:05):
they want to be, and they haveeverything.
They have all the power intheir hands.
They are the director of theirown life.
It's like being in a stage playand they're sitting there as
the director and they can decide.
They can make the decisionright now while listening, but
(47:28):
they're going to improve theirlives Because that's their
decision and they want to do it.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Thank you so much for that and I thank you again for
being with me today and sharingall of these beautiful messages
with the audience and Justfilled with gratitude, like I
said, for having you here withme today.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
And you know what's what's interesting that your
doggy is Is speaking to blizzy,because I think she, she, she,
she can hear that we're speakingabout blizzy.
So Thanks, thank you so muchfor having me, kathy.
It's such an honor, thank you,thank you very, very much and I.
(48:17):
I feel humbled for for all yourcompliments, I'm not sure if I
can take all of those.
Speaker 1 (48:27):
That's okay.
You can take them when you'reready.
And, yes, my, my little one isthat I guess he has to be heard
in this moment.
So, anyway, that's all we havetime for today.
This is Catherine Daniels,reminding you to live your
authentic life with peace andretreat to peace.
We will see you next time.
(48:53):
Before we go, I just want tojump in and ask you how much
time are you listening to thenews these days?
You know, right now, with theworld just seemingly just kind
of Feeling like things are allover the place and out of
(49:14):
control, I think it's reallyimportant that we take an
opportunity to look at how muchtime we are spending on the news
.
So If you know anyone who'sreally struggling lately with
the news, I mean it makesperfect sense because there's so
(49:34):
much that's outside ofeveryone's control, so you
really want to take account forwhat is happening within
yourself.
I mean, the news is a constantamount of bombardment of
negativity that we're exposed to.
Every once in a while, a newsanchor will end on a
(49:56):
lighthearted note with a warm,heartwarming story, but
generally we're surrounded withthe realization that this big
world we're living in has a lotof things happening that are
just making us cringe.
I think about the shutdownsthat are happening around the
globe as we speak, all theparents out there that are
(50:19):
trying to figure out what arethey going to do with their kids
again, if they're homeschooling, and how that's all going to
work, and then also the peoplethat Are really questioning how
can they, you know, keeptrudging along like this when
things have just been turnedupside down?
So let's think about how we goabout our day or day to day
(50:41):
interactions.
Are you someone who's focusedon negativity or someone who's
focused on more of the optimism?
In this question it does liethe answer to how your attitude
towards the world actually is.
So, trust me, we have a lot ofreasons to be upset, to feel
(51:02):
angry, to feel tired.
The list goes on.
We have a laundry list ofthings that we wish we could
just put down and leave for awhile and not address, but the
truth is, some of these thingswe really need to reevaluate and
decide how much energy shouldwe really give it.
Recently, I read a book thattalked about how we see the
(51:24):
world and living with posttraumatic stress.
Did you know that people whosuffer from post traumatic
stress have a lens on the worldthat is continually looking out
for their own safety.
Safety, this lens is why it maybe hard for some to watch
horror films or seeuncomfortable events unfold,
(51:46):
because it does bring up a spacein them that Hightens some of
those feelings of what they'vealready been through more
intensely.
That is, and past may feel moredeeply than others that don't
relate to the world with theirwhole heart, and for those
people it just makes it easierfor them to feel more hurt and
(52:07):
pain.
But what if that person isbeing judged by other people
that they're just taking thisinformation too intensely?
It can make the person withpost traumatic stress Feel
misunderstood, maybe evenisolated by their feelings.
(52:28):
So to all of you who arestruggling in this moment, it's
okay.
You are who you are and when welook at the world we do have
the ability to Look at it insuch a way that we can decide
what we're going to give ourenergy to and what we're going
to focus on.
So ask yourself if you reallywant to be spending as much time
(52:52):
as you are Watching the news.
If it's not serving you, maybetake a news sabbatical so that
you're not spending as much timeon that.
Do you know anyone who's got alot going on right now.
It seems that a lot of peoplehave been going through a lot of
(53:15):
major, major life things.
Think about where you are andjust be present in this moment.
Surrender to gratitude, becheerful of the possibilities
that you have for your life.
This grace that you provideyourself will give you inner
(53:37):
peace and healing, and it willalso provide the unconditional
love and support that you needto be your own best friend, if
nothing more.
Be only in this moment andchoose to be grateful for this
moment.
Feel the breath that comes intoyour body when you fill your
(53:59):
lungs with air.
It is especially important totake time to rest.
You can do this merely bychanging your perspective.
Change your view on time andconsciously take the time to
slow down and not be in such ahurry.
Make sure you're getting arestful sleep.
(54:19):
You'll be able to also sleepeasier if you're eating food
that is healthy and nutritious.
If you're lacking in your dailymultivitamins, you may want to
take a supplement.
Make a conscious decision withevery bite of food that it will
be healthy and not poison toyour being.
Make sure you're drinking a lotof water to detox the body.
(54:44):
Flesh out anything that willharm you, and as much as resting
is important, it's alsoimportant for your mind to be
clear and level thinking.
You can practice yogameditation that will help to
train the body and the mindconnection, and also to practice
resting.
(55:05):
The gentle exercise of yoga hasshown benefits such as lower
blood pressure, mental clarity.
Also improved posture.
Meditation also provides thesebenefits, but it also can help
to enhance your self confidence.
Go at your own pace and listento your body.
(55:26):
Ideally, the body does needphysical exercise as much as it
does rest.
If you're not already doing anexercise routine, consider
incorporating it into yourlifestyle to make sure that your
body is performing at its peak.
Taxes are something that we wantto eliminate out of our lives.
(55:49):
If you're introducing your bodyto taxes on a daily basis, you
will be poisoned and get sickfrom them at some point.
So please value your self worthand treat your body like the
temple that it is.
If you're in a toxicrelationship, environment or
(56:09):
suffering from toxic emotions,again remove yourself.
Studies have consistently shownover and over that stress is a
toxin that will elevate yournatural cortisone level and can
lead to heart disease, amongother lasting ailments.
Part of being a restful state ofmind is just living life
(56:34):
thinking that everything isgoing to be a major problem.
You've already made thedecision that it will be by
affirming that thought process.
But if you have a flexibleattitude towards life, you'll
seek understanding and take adifferent approach.
Now, when you look at theproblems as opportunities,
you'll see growth opportunityahead with encouragement that
(56:56):
you are learning and growing.
Think about the state of theenvironment that we live in the
world today and look for theopportunities to learn and to
grow.
Seek opportunities that, if youare in a dilemma, ask yourself
how much are you in control ofthis dilemma?
(57:20):
What can you do as we rest andwe recover and seek new
opportunities to create anattitude of learning.
It really does bring us backinto a state of curiosity, which
is one that children live in.
It allows us to go into placesthat we didn't know that we
(57:44):
would go into, and as we seek,we learn and we discover new
experiences.
Sometimes they're unpleasant,but that is also part of growing
.
As you begin this journey, justseek and wonder and curiosity
and limit the amount of exposureof toxins and things that are
(58:07):
going to bring you down.
Do the inner work that it'sgoing to take to help you feel
good, and don't forget to joinus next week as we welcome
Brooke Collins to our show withher signature.
Ape Be brave to live a lifecreated by you.
(58:32):
We'll see you next time.
This is Catherine DeMills.
Retreat to peace.
Have a wonderful day.
Hey you, wherever you are in the world right now.
Thank you so much for beinghere with me.
We know that we live in somevolatile times and we know that
the world is changing, so let'screate a bridge.
As we travel through oneanother's countries, we're
moving all labels, comingtogether as one people finding
(00:29):
our home in one world.
And as we do this, this is whyour signature talk today Build
your Connection is so important.
So settle in as we jump rightin.
And today I am so excited towelcome my friend, linda Julius.
Hi, linda, hey Kathy, how areyou?
(00:49):
I am doing fantastic.
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I am so super excited and so grateful being here with
you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I am super excited to have you with us and, for the
audience who doesn't know you,you are in Germany and I am here
in the United States and youhave such an incredible story to
share with our audience, so I'mgoing to let you kick that off
and let our audience know alittle bit about who you are.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Okay, oh well, who am I?
Where should I start?
Maybe, kathy, I start that I'mthe daughter of an Indian man
and a German woman who livedmost of their time actually, in
Great Britain, and I was adoptedat the age of only four months
(01:47):
by German parents who weren'table to receive children
themselves, and they lived in avery, very small village in
Northern Germany, somewhere Iwould say in the middle of
nowhere, to be honest, and Isomehow believed that, based on
(02:09):
my partly terrible experiences Ihad to make as an innocent
child, I believe for far toolong that I was devoted, kind of
devoted to my destiny and thatany at-aims to get out of a
(02:30):
cycle of rejection was kind ofunsuccessful.
And at that time, of course, Idid not know that one has not to
sleep in the bed which was made, but that it is always, always,
always, always possible tochange your own life for the
(02:53):
better.
I had to learn the hard way,unfortunately, but I mean, on
the other hand, it also made methe human being I am today, and
it seems as if the complexity ofthose experiences just made me
learn so much more stuff which Iwouldn't have learned if
(03:15):
everything would have just gonesmoothly.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So I'm going to ask this question who made your bed?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
That's a very good question.
See, the thing is, there isthis quote, you know, which says
that we people, we peoplealways make our own bed and we
have to sleep in the bed we made.
But this kind of made me thinkthat people who believe this
(03:50):
quote don't think that they areable to get out of a very
challenging situation.
And I believe exactly theopposite, because it is possible
to get out of really, reallyplease excuse my French shitty
situations.
And I'm saying that because andI'm really not exaggerating I
(04:15):
kind of got I can't even counthow many times I got out of
those, but that's what Iactually learned in the end that
, you know, people should notbelieve that they're stuck,
whatever, whatever shit justhappened to them.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And I think it's difficult too, because you're
not saying this to the audience,but I am definitely picking up
on it when, when you're adopted,you're labeled, right.
So that's the bed that you'retalking about.
That was made for you is this?
You know, being labeled andbeing in this environment that
(05:01):
you didn't have any control overthat was created for you.
So how?
I mean, how was that for you?
How was that?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
as far as growing up, Now, on the one hand, as a
child, you think that whateverhappens is supposed to happen
(05:30):
and it's kind of supposed to benormal, right, because you don't
know better, you're a child.
On the other hand, I alwayssensed that I'm a kind of alien.
I always was.
I'm a kind of alien where Igrew up because my skin was
(05:51):
darker, my hair was so muchdarker and so much thicker than
of the people living in northernGermany, mostly being blonde
and having blue eyes I havegreen, brown eyes, by the way.
So, with that said, to me itsometimes feels as if I've
(06:11):
already had like 10 lives behindme, because I felt that I've
died so often from that kind ofemotional pain.
On the other hand, all theseinjuries also make me extremely
sensitive, in a way that Isometimes get frightened about
(06:33):
that myself, you know.
I mean, I knew that it wasmeant to grow up where I grew up
, because I was meant to learnsomething and maybe share it
with the world later.
And here we are and although Ihave lived in many cities now I
(06:55):
also do not want to miss knowinghow village people that's how
you call them right how villagepeople live, because I really am
.
I am a cowgirl, you know.
And when I say that, I actuallyfeel kind of proud because I
(07:18):
always love being in the nature,being close to the universe,
and I always loved animals somuch, and that's something what
you can really explore andinhale when you go up in such a
little village.
And when I say, for example,that I wanted a different life
for myself than what my adoptiveparents had shown me, I say
(07:42):
that without any judgment,because I have forgiven them in
the meantime what had to beforgiven, because they just they
didn't know better at that time.
They thought, from theirperspective, that's what they
have to do.
And for me, being able, afterso many years, to forgive them,
(08:04):
it kind of made me free.
It made me free and I was ableto continue my life.
And this is also something Ireally like to stress and point
out, because there are also somany quotes about forgiveness.
But I'm not sure if peoplereally understand what it means
(08:28):
and how freeing it can be,because in the beginning it
seems like a big, big wall whichis incredible to jump up,
incredible and almost ridiculouswanting to climb up.
But when you're able to do itonce, it's just such an amazing
(08:52):
feeling you don't want to miss,you know, and I mean, I always
had many friends around me andthey said often that they always
liked the way I stood up forthem, which I guess was nothing
also like a natural instinct.
You know, it was like I don'tknow, a matter of my heart and
(09:13):
soul to make sure that in mytiny little cowgirl microcosmos
that no injustice happened there, even if, of course, I couldn't
always avoid it.
So yeah, I mean, that'sactually to be honest, that's
actually how it was.
(09:34):
There were good times and therewere bad times and there were
horrible times, but I alwaysfelt kind of like being an alien
, and it also went on wherever Iwent.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Do you still feel like that?
Like I know, as a child youfelt different and that's part
of what caused you to feel likean alien, but do you still feel
that way?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Sometimes, you know it's funny, it always depends on
the people you're talking to.
There are some people whoreally like people who are
different than them, and thenthere are those who like to put
you in a kind of drawer and ifyou're not doing what they
expect you to do, they kind ofdislike you.
But the big, big difference isthat I don't give a shit anymore
(10:28):
.
And again, excuse my French, Iuse English as a second language
so I'm unable to say it in abetter way.
But yes, yes I do, but I do itwith a lighter heart, because
nowadays it's my decision if Iwant to let people enter my
(10:55):
world, if I would like toconnect with them, or if I
decide not to.
And I became very good actuallyto sort out when I don't feel
like I want to do that.
And that's the big difference,because I was not able to do
(11:17):
that as a child.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, and the idea of forgiveness I think is so
powerful in just releasing thatway that you may have helped, I
think, for a lot of people.
They don't even know how tostart that journey of
forgiveness.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I didn't know either.
It sucked seriously.
It so sucked and I read aboutit and I thought, oh my God,
this is such a bullshit.
I mean, why do people writethis?
Seriously?
You know what I mean?
It's like did they ever do whatthey write?
It's hard, it's really hard,but it's like with a child who I
(12:00):
don't know how to say this inEnglish when you pat on a hot
stove and you burn your fingers,as long as you don't burn your
fingers yourself, you have noclue how it feels.
And this is actually reallylike a burning, explosive moment
of freedom, of pure freedom.
(12:23):
When you're able to do that,yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I think it's interesting.
You're speaking around, youknow you're adopted, you're
practicing this forgiveness workand just releasing yourself
with some of those chains thatpeople get bound with right and
that you know for someone who'sadopted.
(12:51):
I mean, I know a few people whoare adopted and for them, it's
almost like they have thisidentity crisis almost, where
they're not sure where theybelong for some people.
And I think it's reallyinteresting, you know to hear
your journey, because you'rebasically saying, well, I don't
(13:13):
care, you know, like, this iswho I am.
I'm this little cowgirl, I'mgoing to, like, you know, show
up and I'm going to, you know,make sure the world knows I'm
there when I show up and Icommend you for that.
There's a lot of people thatwouldn't have the capacity or
ability to do that.
Do you know where that comesfrom?
(13:33):
Is that something you've alwayshad or is that something that
you've learned to have?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Oh no, not at all.
I mean, if I sometimes tell myfriends how shy I was as a kid
and also as a young adult, as ateenager, I didn't even dare to
speak up in class.
I was really peeing my pantsliterally when I had to report
(14:02):
to the teacher or something andI started stuttering.
I started stuttering and thatactually made me shut up the
entire time.
So people thought, oh my God,she must be such an idiot
because she doesn't speak and Irefused to speak.
So it's kind of for them.
(14:25):
It's interesting when I tellthem because it changed, because
it had to change in order tosurvive, and so when maybe I
tell you when I created actuallythe possibility to go to
college, which was not somethingmy parents were keen on, which
(14:51):
was OK, but it was just not intheir cards and they didn't have
an education at all, which wasOK for me as well.
But I was always curious, andso I earned my own money for
that, like, for example, anursery, nursery and as a
(15:13):
waitress in various restaurants,and I actually did so in the
hope to learn as much aspossible and to travel as much
as possible, which, given theCOVID situation right now, I'm
actually so grateful for,because when I couldn't travel
abroad the past years, I countedout of boredom I guess that I
(15:37):
had visited about 40 countriesso far I mean the little cowgirl
in four, zero countries.
I know it's not a lot for allof the people listening,
probably, but for a littlecowgirl like me it's quite a bit
, and so I soaked up allexperiences like a sponge.
(16:01):
The more I learned, the more Irealized how much there is still
to know, and I hope I know it'sa long answer.
I apologize, but since onelearned in the village not to be
conceited, for example, youknow, I was always and that's
(16:25):
what I wanted to tell you I wasalways rather the shy little
deer and I had to change becauseI wanted to be successful in
what I did, for myself, not foranybody else.
(16:49):
But I came up with some littlegoals.
I always dreamt of, you know,going once to the US, working
there when I saw a show as alittle girl.
And well, one day I got offereda job in Seattle and so I went
to Seattle.
(17:09):
So, with that said, to make avery long answer short, I had to
learn it.
I had to actively really learnit, which is why I believe
everybody can, because ifsomebody like me, who didn't
know anything, who comes fromnothing, where the people
(17:30):
thought and told me I'm such anidiot.
If I can do it, everybody cando it.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
And the fortitude that you had to teach yourself
and just go through that processis remarkable, and I think
that's part of the journey oflife is just taking those baby
steps and putting them intopractice to be where it is that
you want to be.
And I love all of your storyaround that because I think it's
(18:03):
something that talks toeverybody.
It doesn't matter who you are.
It's a practice, right.
So putting a goal in place andthen putting that momentum
forward to make it happen.
I want to ask you I know youtalked a little bit about the
countries and the travel.
I mean, you're well-cultured,you've been around the world,
(18:27):
you've been to 40 countries,like you said, and no, that may
not be a lot for some people,but I would say for most people
that is a lot.
I know people in the UnitedStates that haven't even left
their state, like they've nevereven traveled across the country
(18:49):
or to a neighboring country.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
They don't have to because you have so many
wonderful states.
What is it 51?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, we have a lot of beautiful countries yeah a
lot of beautiful country sidefrom coast to coast and it's
just amazing what we have here.
But when you say 40, I meanthat's a remarkable number.
So I wouldn't say or downplaythat number at all.
I think that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
I didn't say that, kathy, because of the number.
It was just the big gap and bigdifference from growing up in
this 800 inhabitants village andjust wanting to go out explore
the world and not letting stopme by anybody kind of being
(19:46):
unstoppable, like Tony Robbinswould say yeah, it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It's beautiful, I mean it just goes to show you
how you can stop yourself withyour mindset or you can change
your mindset and just go afteryour dreams and put them into
action and, as you said, takethose little big steps to make
it happen.
And I know one of the things theworld's experiencing right now
(20:14):
with this global pandemic isthey've really been put in a
place where we've been forced toshut down around the world.
A lot of people have lost theirjobs, a lot of people have been
forced to reevaluate.
And it's interesting becausepre-COVID there was so much
(20:36):
hustle and bustle around.
You know, we have to do thishard grind with jobs and running
kids to their events and doingthis and doing that, and a lot
of it was just like outward kindof expression, right, and I'd
love for you to share with ouraudience I mean, I know your
(21:00):
story, but I would love for youto share with the audience a
little bit around your journeyand how you were in that grind
and what happened to you whenyou.
You know we're going throughthat like, tell us some, tell us
what happened to you.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Speaking about people who lost their job.
I know well how that is,because I kind of have also lost
jobs, and especially the lastone, I guess because of a
depression, the seconddepression I had to go through,
(21:42):
which was combined to a reallysevere burnout.
I know it's a kind of fancyword and everybody has a burnout
, but this is a really severedisease.
I know that in between, alsothe depression.
I actually I hope I'm notcrying, but it's for me it was
(22:13):
always hard to speak about thatbecause I thought it meant being
vulnerable, and since I alwayshad to be vulnerable, I didn't
want it anymore, and maybethat's also part of the reason
why I try to push through withmy other goals.
(22:34):
Because I hated being.
What's the world?
What's the word?
What's the word?
I hated being dependent.
Yes, I always was looking forindependence, and so If I fast
(22:58):
forward a little bit now, I dounderstand why I got depressed
these two times, over both timesperiod of many months.
I even spent a few months in aclinic when that happened the
first time, and the second timeis not long ago.
(23:19):
And on top of all of that, Ithen found myself in one of my
darkest hours with acancellation notice from my
apartment from my landlord and Ithought I couldn't breathe
anymore.
I didn't know what to do and Iwas unable to do.
I mean, if you know what a realdepression is, you simply don't
(23:42):
open your mail, you just don'tdo anything, and and you always
want to, but you can't.
And so I think that thosestrange experiences I had to
make, and also bullying in thecompanies I work for, was part
(24:07):
of it.
They threw me somehow back tothe basics, to my shyness and
resistance of wanting to connectwith others.
So, on the one hand, here's theperson who visits 40 countries,
who connects with so manydifferent cultures, who loves
people all over the world, wholooks right into their hearts
(24:30):
and that's what they said likethe little prince of Antoine de
Soix, the paris, and on theother hand, she doesn't want to
connect with others anymore allof a sudden.
And so the the only one at thattime who was always with me and
(24:50):
to therefore be case somethinglike the love of my life is
actually my dog Plessy Weirdness, but probably sound so, um,
yeah, I think I lost it.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
That's okay, I'll jump in.
So I appreciate how transparentyou're being with the audience.
I'm sure there's many peoplethat relate to exactly what
you're saying.
Um, I know, you know, just frommy own walk in life, that a lot
of times and I've seen this inthe corporate arena, I've seen
(25:31):
it in other arenas as wellthat's not corporate.
You, you do see this kind ofeffect where your career has,
you know, taken a turn and itdoes change that person as far
as their job responsibilitiesand what it is that they're
doing.
And part in part, you know, thejob responsibilities are what
(25:55):
define people and it definestheir lifestyle and how they're
living and a lot of thesedifferent things.
And it's interesting because inthe world we live in, it's like
, instead of money being lookedat as a tool, it's, you know,
something that is used toprovide your lifestyle, whatever
that looks like.
(26:16):
Um, so it's a very interestingway of looking at things, but
also for people to definethemselves with that.
But I didn't want to talk somuch around that, but just, you
know, really acknowledge how rawand how real depression is for
people and not being able toeven open your own door to the
(26:40):
world and just do the basicthings of life.
I think that is a very difficultspace to be in and a lot of
times I mean there's somebodylistening right now that may be
in that space today, but a lotof times when we're in that
place, it is so vitally, vitallyimportant to have a
(27:02):
connectedness with other people.
And your connectedness, you said, was with your dog, because
that was, you know some, thatwas what was closest to you and
just had you feel a lot of loveand compassion and you know a
lot of things and it just reallyfilled you.
(27:24):
So, you know, I think that's areally nice, a nice way to look
at how your dog had helped you.
I would, I would love for youto just share with the audience
though I mean you said that yourbelt of depression.
It happened twice to you andyou're on the other side of that
(27:48):
.
So somebody who is listeningright now may not be on the
other side and they may needsome help in understanding, some
resources or some tools thatcan help them.
And, of course, if anybody islistening and they're feeling
suicidal in any way, encourageyou to seek out your closest
(28:11):
professionals that are in yourcommunities and, you know, get
that support around you.
But if you're not in that space, I would love for you, linda,
just to share some ideas thatwere helpful for you to help you
.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Um, first of all, I truly believe that healing is
possible for any human being andany animal, no matter what
horrible things they had to gothrough they.
(28:50):
They just need to know it's nottheir fault at all where they
are now.
It's okay, it's okay to be downand it's also so worth it,
taking every step In their own.
(29:14):
So, step by step, day by day,there is there is no need to put
pressure on them Because it'shard to say, um, there is so
(29:35):
much pressure already on all ofus in this world.
You know, especially in thejobs with family, you need to
make money to survive, etc.
Etc.
But on the other life, on theother hand, life is also meant
to be beautiful.
(29:56):
Life is beautiful and makingthis step out of the darkness
into the light is something theycan do when they when they are
(30:19):
willing to go into a deeperconnection, first of all with
themselves, second of all, ifit's either a pet or a neighbor
or someone far away, in a letter, if people like to write I, for
example, I love writing, youknow, I know it's very
(30:41):
old-fashioned, but the tinylittle things which don't have
to cost much, they are soprecious and they can help us to
get out of the darkest momentsIf you go outside into the woods
(31:02):
and just look at the leaves,how amazing they are, how
beautiful they are, or at thewater.
I know it sounds a little bitweird when I'm saying this, but
for me it's all back to thebasics and back to the roots.
And since, for me, I think thatmy dog actually Blessie she
(31:29):
saved my life Really.
I mean, she saved my life bybecoming sick herself.
I know this sounds weird again,but it's just what I currently
feel, so maybe I should tell youwhat I mean by that.
(31:52):
In one of the darkest hours, Ikind of stumbled over that Tony
Robbins guy.
I didn't know who that dude is.
I just saw this Netflixdocumentation and I'm here in
Germany, you know.
So people do not really knowhim and I'm like what, what is
he doing?
(32:12):
This is amazing.
And I signed up.
No, no, that's untrue.
I first researched him and Ithought, oh my gosh, this is way
too expensive, I cannot attendany of his events.
And so I followed him for manymonths.
(32:32):
And then, all of a sudden, hehad this one certification
course which was affordable forme, and so I made a
certification as a knowledgebroker.
And ever since I thought okay,now you will get out of the dark
, step by step, you will buildyour own company, because you
(32:56):
don't want to be bullied anymorein other people's companies and
you just teach what you taughtas an international trainer, as
a project manager and keyaccount manager to other people,
because the past years I workedas an international coach for
(33:16):
kitchenware and I explained, forexample, how conventional
pressure cookers work.
And so, with that said, Ithought, okay, I can build up my
own company and, funny enough,the company I worked for I lost
(33:37):
the job and I had to.
So I started preparingeverything for human beings and
I even made a better test,online training for people who
wanted to learn with aconventional to cook with a
conventional pressure cooker,because that's currently the
(33:57):
world's healthiest cookingmethod as it eliminates the
oxygen during the cookingprocess.
And with that said, I hadalmost built up everything when
I got the diagnosis fromBlissie's vet, saying that she
(34:19):
has an inoperable liver tumorand she has hours, maximum days,
to live.
So I don't know if anyone canimagine how my world really
seemed to completely collapseagain, because, you know, after
(34:43):
receiving a tumor sample fromthe lab they had sent it to in
Berlin, they said to me that Ineed to consider putting her
down, and I left the clinic withher as I was unable to think,
to breathe or to do anything.
And I just remember how Blissielooked at me then, as if she was
(35:05):
saying please do not give up onme yet.
And actually I didn't.
And guess what?
This is nine freaking monthsago.
I get goosebumps when I saythis Wow, yeah, I know I mean.
(35:27):
And what I then did, if I maysay that, is that okay, yeah.
So what I did was that you knowwhat I other was taught the
people who wanted to cookthemselves in conventional
pressure cookers.
I suddenly cooked for Blissie,and a lot of people have simply
(35:49):
forgotten how healthy this is,because these things used to be
so cumbersome and not safe andeverything, but because
evolution has also come there,it is nowadays very easy to use
them.
So I actually created a way toconnect even more with Blissie
(36:13):
by making her food, you know,with real ingredients and with
tons of love, and I noticed thatmy connection to helping one
another changed, how I looked atliving it completely,
completely changed because shewas there.
(36:34):
I will never forget how shelooked at me.
I will never, ever forget that.
And it was like please do notgive up on me yet.
I mean, I moved another timewith Blissie because I got this
cancellation from my landlord.
He needed my apartment and alsocreated a community by going to
(36:59):
you know the neighbors sayinghello and if they need anything,
my door is always open.
So, speaking of that, duringlockdown I looked for ways to
connect with others by helpingalso the seniors and I'm still
helping them by our community todo the grocery shopping.
(37:21):
And the funny thing is that oneday oh yeah, I need to tell
this one day a friend of minewho had just lost her dog,
unfortunately, and who knew whatI was doing for Blissie, she
said Linda, you really reallyneed to share.
You really need to share withthe world what you're doing for
(37:41):
her.
I mean, this is, this is kindof like a miracle.
So to again, to make a longstory short, I'm just writing
this down and how I extended mydog's life.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
When you talked about .
You know being in depression andjust going outside to nature
and looking at the leaves andthe trees, and you know
experiencing the world in thatmoment how powerful that is is
just being present in today,just being in full
(38:24):
acknowledgement of today andwhere you are feeling the chair
beneath your butt or feeling theair in your lungs when you take
a deep breath in and deepbreath out.
There's just so much around thatand it's a very powerful
healing tool as well.
But Blissie is incrediblebecause she allowed you to be in
(38:48):
that present state where shewas engaging you as much as you
were engaging her in her life.
The fact that you had this keeninsight to find a way to keep
her nine more months than whatthe veterinarian had expressed,
(39:09):
as far as you know, having toput her down and it's a
testament to this incrediblewoman that you are and I know
you haven't said this, but I'mgoing to say it for you.
(39:31):
So you, you moved, but when youmoved, you actually redesigned
your quote unquote dream house.
Like you're, you're in thatplace that you've always wanted
to be, that you've always talkedabout.
So I just think that yourjourney was so beautifully
(39:52):
choreographed to give you thisappreciation that you have and
all of these connections thatyou built.
I mean you moved to this newneighborhood and tell, tell the
audience what you did to buildmore connections.
Speaker 2 (40:10):
You know, I mean it seems as if moving had become
one of my hobbies, because thiswas my 11th move or something.
So since I grew up in my littlevillage and we were always
close and for me it was justnormal to help each other out.
When you know you were missingeggs over the weekend or milk or
(40:31):
something, you just went overto the neighbor.
And so I thought I actuallyinventing doing that every time
I moved.
And so here also I went to theneighbor's and said you know,
here it's me and my dog, and ifyou need anything my door is
open.
I don't, you don't, don't beafraid, I don't want anything
from you, but if you want tohave a cup of coffee, you can
(40:54):
always come.
And I then put down a noteduring the lockdown here at the
supermarket that if there areseniors who are unable to do
grocery shopping or go to thepharmacy, that I'd be happy to
do that.
And then the mayor called meand said you know we're doing
(41:16):
this as a concerted action herewith our community center.
Would you like to participate?
I said sure.
So they took my information andthis is a village here where I
live now, with 1800 people, andthey email us the lists of the
seniors who cannot do thegrocery shopping and we have a
(41:40):
little card and we go to certainsupermarkets and that's the way
you know, we help them.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
It's a wonderful way of branching out to your
community too and just you know,as you said, getting these
connections belt, and I know fora lot of people listening with
depression, one of the thingsthat's really important is
having those connections andjust.
You know getting out into yourcommunity and with your family
(42:09):
and your friends, and all ofthat and with lockdown, it's
been really hard.
You know, with this globalpandemic it's been really hard
to Do that and connect withpeople like that.
So I do applaud you forredesigning life.
Yeah, redesigning life.
I mean it's you.
You literally were in one placea year ago and today you're in
(42:33):
a completely different place andit's just beautiful.
I mean, today you're, you'reexactly where you want to be.
You have this wonderfulopportunity to heal your dog and
share that with the world andbe part of a beautiful community
.
So it's amazing.
Speaker 2 (42:49):
You know, the the thing is, kathy, that I kind of
feel that I'm on a mission, andI'm kind of on a mission for dog
lovers now, in order tocultivate global change through
nutrition, throughself-awareness, creativity and
(43:12):
also placing that overboardingand endless love and compassion
into action.
And this is this is onlybecause of my dog.
I mean, if I see how myrelationship with my blissy,
(43:34):
that this can be the case for somany hurt souls out there as
well, as they will really get toan authentic love in return A
million, gazillion times morethan they are spreading it,
those animals, as a connectionbetween people and nature, are
(43:57):
just a miracle, each of them,and In between it even seems as
if I know blissy's thoughts.
I know it sounds weird, butthat's how I feel her feelings,
her perceptions, her life and inand her dislikes, and I really,
I truly embrace the realitythat this is entirely possible
(44:20):
Through the art of how Icommunicate with blissy and how
she communicates with me.
You know the way she looked atme.
I will never, ever forget thatand it it even works so much
that that I ignored what thisvet said in the clinic nine
months ago and instead Icommunicated solely with her
eyes.
You know, and I believe thatother people can have that too
(44:47):
if I can have it, they can haveit as well, and there are so
many shelters out there whenthose little souls are just
waiting to be loved and to beable to spread the love and love
, to be loved and to be able tospread their love the gazillion
(45:08):
times more in return yeah, Ilove your passion around all of
it and I mean, your podcast isso beautiful because it's so.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
It's so many layers, like we started talking about
how People rescued you right,you were adopted and then we end
with you rescuing blissy andit's just so beautiful and your
heart is so, you know, filledwith love and it's so pure.
So I'm just really filled withgratitude that you're with us
(45:41):
today.
But I do have one more questionfor you, linda.
If I were to find your earthangel feather on the ground and
I picked it up, what was yourmessage to the world be?
Speaker 2 (45:56):
What would the message to the world be?
I mean, how long did we speakover an hour so far.
And I think that the peoplelistening they understand
through how much shit I had towalk through so far and I felt
(46:22):
and I was heard a gazilliontimes.
But what all of that taught meis and I think I said it before
that healing is possible for anyhuman being and any animal, no
matter no matter at all whathorrible things they had to go
(46:43):
through.
They just need to know they areabsolutely okay the way they
are now.
They are loved.
They are truly loved by us.
It's not their fault and it'sworth taking every single step,
no matter how long it takes, dayby day, to get them wherever
(47:05):
they want to be, and they haveeverything.
They have all the power intheir hands.
They are the director of theirown life.
It's like being in a stage playand they're sitting there as
the director and they can decide.
They can make the decisionright now while listening, but
(47:28):
they're going to improve theirlives Because that's their
decision and they want to do it.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Thank you so much for that and I thank you again for
being with me today and sharingall of these beautiful messages
with the audience and Justfilled with gratitude, like I
said, for having you here withme today.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
And you know what's what's interesting that your
doggy is Is speaking to blizzy,because I think she, she, she,
she can hear that we're speakingabout blizzy.
So Thanks, thank you so muchfor having me, kathy.
It's such an honor, thank you,thank you very, very much and I.
(48:17):
I feel humbled for for all yourcompliments, I'm not sure if I
can take all of those.
Speaker 1 (48:27):
That's okay.
You can take them when you'reready.
And, yes, my, my little one isthat I guess he has to be heard
in this moment.
So, anyway, that's all we havetime for today.
This is Catherine Daniels,reminding you to live your
authentic life with peace andretreat to peace.
We will see you next time.
(48:53):
Before we go, I just want tojump in and ask you how much
time are you listening to thenews these days?
You know, right now, with theworld just seemingly just kind
of Feeling like things are allover the place and out of
(49:14):
control, I think it's reallyimportant that we take an
opportunity to look at how muchtime we are spending on the news
.
So If you know anyone who'sreally struggling lately with
the news, I mean it makesperfect sense because there's so
(49:34):
much that's outside ofeveryone's control, so you
really want to take account forwhat is happening within
yourself.
I mean, the news is a constantamount of bombardment of
negativity that we're exposed to.
Every once in a while, a newsanchor will end on a
(49:56):
lighthearted note with a warm,heartwarming story, but
generally we're surrounded withthe realization that this big
world we're living in has a lotof things happening that are
just making us cringe.
I think about the shutdownsthat are happening around the
globe as we speak, all theparents out there that are
(50:19):
trying to figure out what arethey going to do with their kids
again, if they're homeschooling, and how that's all going to
work, and then also the peoplethat Are really questioning how
can they, you know, keeptrudging along like this when
things have just been turnedupside down?
So let's think about how we goabout our day or day to day
(50:41):
interactions.
Are you someone who's focusedon negativity or someone who's
focused on more of the optimism?
In this question it does liethe answer to how your attitude
towards the world actually is.
So, trust me, we have a lot ofreasons to be upset, to feel
(51:02):
angry, to feel tired.
The list goes on.
We have a laundry list ofthings that we wish we could
just put down and leave for awhile and not address, but the
truth is, some of these thingswe really need to reevaluate and
decide how much energy shouldwe really give it.
Recently, I read a book thattalked about how we see the
(51:24):
world and living with posttraumatic stress.
Did you know that people whosuffer from post traumatic
stress have a lens on the worldthat is continually looking out
for their own safety.
Safety, this lens is why it maybe hard for some to watch
horror films or seeuncomfortable events unfold,
(51:46):
because it does bring up a spacein them that Hightens some of
those feelings of what they'vealready been through more
intensely.
That is, and past may feel moredeeply than others that don't
relate to the world with theirwhole heart, and for those
people it just makes it easierfor them to feel more hurt and
(52:07):
pain.
But what if that person isbeing judged by other people
that they're just taking thisinformation too intensely?
It can make the person withpost traumatic stress Feel
misunderstood, maybe evenisolated by their feelings.
(52:28):
So to all of you who arestruggling in this moment, it's
okay.
You are who you are and when welook at the world we do have
the ability to Look at it insuch a way that we can decide
what we're going to give ourenergy to and what we're going
to focus on.
So ask yourself if you reallywant to be spending as much time
(52:52):
as you are Watching the news.
If it's not serving you, maybetake a news sabbatical so that
you're not spending as much timeon that.
Do you know anyone who's got alot going on right now.
It seems that a lot of peoplehave been going through a lot of
(53:15):
major, major life things.
Think about where you are andjust be present in this moment.
Surrender to gratitude, becheerful of the possibilities
that you have for your life.
This grace that you provideyourself will give you inner
(53:37):
peace and healing, and it willalso provide the unconditional
love and support that you needto be your own best friend, if
nothing more.
Be only in this moment andchoose to be grateful for this
moment.
Feel the breath that comes intoyour body when you fill your
(53:59):
lungs with air.
It is especially important totake time to rest.
You can do this merely bychanging your perspective.
Change your view on time andconsciously take the time to
slow down and not be in such ahurry.
Make sure you're getting arestful sleep.
(54:19):
You'll be able to also sleepeasier if you're eating food
that is healthy and nutritious.
If you're lacking in your dailymultivitamins, you may want to
take a supplement.
Make a conscious decision withevery bite of food that it will
be healthy and not poison toyour being.
Make sure you're drinking a lotof water to detox the body.
(54:44):
Flesh out anything that willharm you, and as much as resting
is important, it's alsoimportant for your mind to be
clear and level thinking.
You can practice yogameditation that will help to
train the body and the mindconnection, and also to practice
resting.
(55:05):
The gentle exercise of yoga hasshown benefits such as lower
blood pressure, mental clarity.
Also improved posture.
Meditation also provides thesebenefits, but it also can help
to enhance your self confidence.
Go at your own pace and listento your body.
(55:26):
Ideally, the body does needphysical exercise as much as it
does rest.
If you're not already doing anexercise routine, consider
incorporating it into yourlifestyle to make sure that your
body is performing at its peak.
Taxes are something that we wantto eliminate out of our lives.
(55:49):
If you're introducing your bodyto taxes on a daily basis, you
will be poisoned and get sickfrom them at some point.
So please value your self worthand treat your body like the
temple that it is.
If you're in a toxicrelationship, environment or
(56:09):
suffering from toxic emotions,again remove yourself.
Studies have consistently shownover and over that stress is a
toxin that will elevate yournatural cortisone level and can
lead to heart disease, amongother lasting ailments.
Part of being a restful state ofmind is just living life
(56:34):
thinking that everything isgoing to be a major problem.
You've already made thedecision that it will be by
affirming that thought process.
But if you have a flexibleattitude towards life, you'll
seek understanding and take adifferent approach.
Now, when you look at theproblems as opportunities,
you'll see growth opportunityahead with encouragement that
(56:56):
you are learning and growing.
Think about the state of theenvironment that we live in the
world today and look for theopportunities to learn and to
grow.
Seek opportunities that, if youare in a dilemma, ask yourself
how much are you in control ofthis dilemma?
(57:20):
What can you do as we rest andwe recover and seek new
opportunities to create anattitude of learning.
It really does bring us backinto a state of curiosity, which
is one that children live in.
It allows us to go into placesthat we didn't know that we
(57:44):
would go into, and as we seek,we learn and we discover new
experiences.
Sometimes they're unpleasant,but that is also part of growing
.
As you begin this journey, justseek and wonder and curiosity
and limit the amount of exposureof toxins and things that are
(58:07):
going to bring you down.
Do the inner work that it'sgoing to take to help you feel
good, and don't forget to joinus next week as we welcome
Brooke Collins to our show withher signature.
Ape Be brave to live a lifecreated by you.
(58:32):
We'll see you next time.
This is Catherine DeMills.
Retreat to peace.
Have a wonderful day.
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