August 8, 2023 • 45 mins
To kick off the new season of The Big Quit, I sit down with my good friend and the visionary behind Meditation Circle, Carli Michelle. Most of us know that being an attorney is tough but ICarli gives us the real tea on the how the big checks of big law come at the cost of big burnout. We delve deep into the realms of discovering clarity around purpose by getting clear that what you do isn’t all that you are, and summoning the bravery to bid adieu to the cozy cocoon of the familiar, all in pursuit of the intrinsic call of the unknown.
Connect with Carli:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meditationcircle_/
TikTok: @meditationcircle (https://www.tiktok.com/@meditationcircle?_t=8aFV1hIG5PC&_r=1)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meditationcirclellc
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meditationcircle_
Website: https://www.meditationcircle.co/
E-mail: hello@meditationcircle.co
Connect with Carli:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meditationcircle_/
TikTok: @meditationcircle (https://www.tiktok.com/@meditationcircle?_t=8aFV1hIG5PC&_r=1)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meditationcirclellc
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meditationcircle_
Website: https://www.meditationcircle.co/
E-mail: hello@meditationcircle.co
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the Big Quit with Chris, a show that
originally started off as a place to connect with those
that identified as part of the Great Resignation and said
see it to their jobs, and has evolved to a
show where we talk about how quitting is just the
beginning for so many things, whether it's leaving a job,
a relationship, a comfort zone, or any other status quo.
We're here to explore the courageous journey of letting go
(00:27):
and embracing new possibilities. When my friends and I unravel
the mysteries of making life altering decisions, whether it's a
career relationship, weighing which builds the skip to secure renaissance tickets,
(00:48):
or beyond what question frequently emerges, how can one discern
the most opportune moment to take an audacious leap?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Like when is the right time? And how do you know? Today?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Carly Show, founder of Meditation Circle, guides us through her
personal narrative, revealing how her intuition acted as the compass
ordering her steps into a life that resonates with her
deepest desires. Join us as we navigate the terrain and
timing of embracing change while mindfully bridging the gap between
where you are and where you want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Hi, Carly, Hi, how are you?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Hi? I'm good?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I am super? Thank you?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I love that. What was today's meditation? Today's meditation?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
So, actually starting yesterday, I was like, I am going
to challenge myself for one hundred days, to do the
same thing for one hundred days straight, because as we
will get into, I'm growing my business. I've recently started
a business, and so I'm trying to attract more clients
into my life. And so there's a meditation, actually a
(01:56):
guided meditation that I came across that is specific too
attracting in your most aligned clients. And every time I've
actually done that meditation here and there, like I've done
like three or four times sporadically every time something has
happened in my business, whether I get like an email
or a DM someone inquiring, or someone purchases something like,
something happens within like thirty forty five minutes of me
(02:20):
doing that meditation. So I was like, if I actually
just compound this energy for one hundred days, there would
likely be a lot more, you know, coming to me.
So today's day till I started on August first, today's August. Second,
I'm reporting this so day two, So that was my
meditation that I focused on this morning. After I did
I did some breathwork first to pride myself and then that.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So yeah, ooh okay, I love this and I love
that we're catching you on day two of this. We'll
definitely have to circle back on day one oh one
or do day one hundred. I guess you're gonna end
at one hundred, so we'll have to follow up on
one on one and see like what's changed, Like what's
news to do?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Because I'm gonna be my plan us to track this,
like record metrics, like I was like, let me, let
me like count.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
My followers on Instagram and.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
TikTok right now, and you know, just track everything, track
the money I've made, and then watch over the next
three plus months how things hopefully increase.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah okay, look hopefully, but not even hopefully, like you
know that they're going to increase because you've already been
on this journey of following your intuition, which definitely ties
into today's episode of Taking the Leap.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And I think you're the perfect person to talk.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
About this with my fellow SAG sister who very firmly
believes in like, the plan is no plan. Okay, we're
just figuring it out as we go, and sometimes that
involves jumping off.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Of a cliff.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So to not leave people on a cliffhanger, let's get
into this. Can you briefly share your story of quitting
or making that significant life transition.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Yes, I I don't know how brief it will be,
but I'll do my best. So I by trade, I
am an attorney. I graduated from law school in May
of twenty twenty, took the bar that following well, it
(04:19):
was supposed to be summer, but that was heat of
the pandemic, so it kept getting pushed back.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
So it took the bar in October.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Found out I passed on December first, and started my
big girl, big law, big time commitment at the top
of January twenty twenty one. And so I worked in
big law, which, for anyone who doesn't really know that terminology,
that is working in the largest law firms in the world. Right,
(04:48):
So I worked at one of the absolute largest law
firms in the world. I think at the time it
was the largest law firm in the world. And I
worked a lot of hours, sixty to eighty hour weeks.
I was pulling all nighters on a weekly baby, if
not a couple of times a week. Sometimes I would
get phone calls at like eleven PM saying hey, I
need something at nine like I was in bed, so
(05:10):
things like that. It was very demanding. I mean, and
being a lawyer, as we all probably know, it's not
just busy work, like this is pure labor, and it's
not like you know, manual labor, but it's mental labor, and.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
You have to be correct. You have to be right.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
People's livelihoods, lives, businesses are all on the line, and
you can be sued from our practice if you are wrong.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So you have to be right.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
So you can't there's no like just oh, you know,
just kind of like halfway doing it, like you can't.
It just has to be on point all the time.
So it's just a lot of mental labor. It's really arduous, really,
and so doing that for a year straight, even though
I knew what I signed up for, sometimes you just
don't realize it until you get into it. Right in
the first few months, I was like, is it me?
(05:56):
Is it just me making an adjustment? Is it the
fact that it's a global pandemic, and I don't get
that face to face time because we were all remote.
So that was also another hurdle and challenge that I
think it would have been a little bit easier had
we been in the office. But all of that to say,
I was very isolated and by myself. I didn't have
the tools to leane on other people. I was working
ridiculous hours. I was never leaving my house. It was
(06:18):
just it was an interesting time and I hated it.
It was awful. I did not enjoy it. I did
not enjoy the work I was doing. I did not
you know, I worked for a very large law firm,
So I wasn't helping the little guy, right, And that's
kind of my thing, Like I like to help the individual,
the person. I want to really impact someone's life in
a positive way. And I knew that I was only
(06:41):
helping these large conglomerates make more money, merge their businesses, whatever,
Like I wasn't. I didn't feel like I was really
doing any good in the world. I wasn't helping asylum seekers.
I wasn't helping you know, people escape their abusive partners
or find you know, affordable housing. Like I wasn't helping
people out of like a horrible situation. So I felt
(07:02):
kind of useless and kind of worthless in the role,
like I was just this cog in this giant corporate machine.
So the more I was realizing all of those thoughts
as well as it was really starting to take a
toll on my health. And I am a very health
conscious person. I you know, love my veggies. I eat
(07:23):
more veggies than anybody I know.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Very true, one hundred percent true. Carly actually like introduced
me to veggies as an adult. She was like, eat this.
I can't believe you're not eating green things. It's like,
I'm sorry, you must eat great things.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Oh yes, I love veggies. I'm always making a smoothie,
a juice, going doing some type of cleanse like that
is my vibe. I also love to work out and
be active, and then I care about my mental and
spiritual health a lot as well, hence the meditation, Like
I'm always making sure you know my anxiety is at ease.
You know, I don't want to feel anything of disease, right.
(08:01):
I always want to feel the best I can physically, mentally, spiritually,
and emotionally. That is all very important to me, and
that is the pinnacle of health to have all four
in a balance or harmonious state, and that just wasn't
happening for me in this career. So taking some inventory
of that, talking to my physician, she was saying that
this is really having an impact on my adrenals and
(08:23):
my nervous system and that it just wasn't healthy and
really no one. Of course she'd be pulling all nighters,
but it just really wasn't doing well for me. And
prior to taking this job, I had been meditating for
a few years already, and one of the things I
noticed about meditation during my journey is that it healed
(08:44):
me of anxiety and depression. And I know I won't
say that that can happen for everybody because everyone's different,
but it alleviated those symptoms in such a significant way.
Because I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was
about fifteen years old in high school. I started meditating
when I was twenty seven, So just to put that
in perspective, that's almost fifteen years of being depressed clinically.
(09:06):
When I was nineteen or twenty, I was diagnosed with
anxiety and I started having very frequent panic attacks at
that point. So I was very used to like always
having this mental anguish, and that kind of disappeared after
about about three or four months of meditating daily, and
I was thrilled and over the moon. And that's when
I knew I would never stop. So now to fast
(09:27):
forward a few years and those symptoms are now starting
to creep back in. I was like, it's a no
for me.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I can't do what I mean, you can hear Carly,
recognizing that the stress of her job was literally bringing
back anxiety and panic attacks for too many of us,
myself included. Our bodies have to take over for our
minds because we will try to find ways to accommodate
or rationalize any discomfort or stress that we're feeling, especially
(09:52):
when it's related to our careers and compensation. Hello, do
you listen to your body or your mind in these situations?
Take a moment to think about that, and we'll be
right back.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Welcome back. Carly shared that when her anxiety and depression
began to return, she knew staying at this job was
a no and it was time to go. As most
people know, when you decide to leave a job, there's
so much to consider. You've got compensation, how to resign?
I'm going to send an email to it, write a
letter like what do I do? And then what am
I going to do next? And so much more so,
(10:28):
what exactly was Carly walking away from? What does she
need to consider as she was planning to resign? Let's
hear more from her.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Now.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You know, I was making a lot of money.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I'd never seen that much money in my life knowing
and my family had ever seen that much money. I
was making two hundred thousand dollars a year. I mean
that should have been the pinnacle, right. Everyone was happy,
they were impressed. You know, there was a certain amount
of prestige and honor that kind of came with this role,
from my friends, from my family, from myself, just from strangers.
You know, you tell someone I'm a lawyer and I'm
(10:58):
at this firm, I mean their entire body, language, mood,
everything would change. And so that can kind of be
intoxicating to know you kind of have that.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Power over people.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I don't know if powers the right word, but influence
or something that you can do that. But I also
didn't like that because I could see how people start
to treat me differently based on a title. So it
was this culmination of all of these things and I
was like, I can't do this. It doesn't feel good
for me. This doesn't feel right in my body, doesn't
feel right with my spirit, and it doesn't align with
(11:31):
my values.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
And I am very I have.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
A four pillar value system that I try to live
my entire life by, whether that's general life, whether that's romance,
whether that's career, whether that's eating a meal, Like, I
really want everything to fall into these four categories. And
if it doesn't hit at minimum three, then I know
it's not aligned, but it really ideally it should hit
(11:55):
all four. It really it's not aligned if it doesn't
hit all four. But sometimes I make exception.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Right, But if it doesn't hit free, then it's not
for me.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
I like.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I like it. I like it.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
And so those four pillars are one is freedom them
freedom I must feel free right in all aspects. To me,
freedom encompasses a lot of things, from like the freedom
to just get up and go right. Like I love
to travel, So to me, traveling is an aspect of
freedom that I must have if I want to get
(12:25):
on a plane tomorrow morning.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
I don't want to have.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
The call where I don't want to have to do
anything I don't want to. You know, financial freedom is
included in that, the freedom to just do things I
want to do.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Luxury is included in that.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
And I don't mean luxury as in I need a
Gucci bag every day, like anything like that, but like
the luxury to have quality things right, or like live
in some sort of luxury in that capacity. It doesn't
have to be like a branded thing, but like have
the luxury to just go for a drive in the
middle of the day, or have the luxury to just go,
(12:58):
you know, walk my dog at two p because I
feel like it and I'm not tied to an office,
So things like that. Freedom is number one. Number two
is ease or wellness. That it must feel easeful, it
must make me feel well.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
It doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
That doesn't mean that things aren't challenging. I feel like
when I say that people are like, well, life isn't
always easy. Ease doesn't mean easy to me. That's not
the same thing. Ease means that you can do it
in a state of flow, whether there might be challenges,
it might be difficult, but you're not forcing it right,
like you're overcoming your challenges with grace, with compassion, with trust,
(13:35):
with this sense of flow, Like even if it's challenging,
you can still go for go through it without fighting it.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
And I think that's the difference.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It's not about like beating it over the head with
the stick trying to make it happen. It's like, Okay,
beating it is not going to help. But maybe if
I push it and I make little incremental pushes, yes
it's still challenging. Yes, so giving me an arm workout,
but this is the direction in which it wants to go,
and it moves a little bit better that way, if
that makes sense. So ease is very important to me,
(14:07):
and that encompass is wellness. And then the third thing
is that it has to be a contribute to my
spirituality or my self development. So that's kind of one bucket.
Spirituality self development goes into one thing for me. But
if it doesn't do that, I don't want it. If
you know, for me, the legal career was not adding
(14:30):
to my self development or my spiritual you know essence whatsoever.
It was really taking away from all of that, And
so I had to go. And then the fourth pillar,
that is really important to me is like intimacy or
deep connection, and being in that legal field, I wasn't
able to be intimate or deeply connected with my coworkers.
Everything was very surface. Everything was very egoic, like I'm
(14:52):
the best because I do this, or you know very
much in that energy, and I want to have deep conversations.
I want to know tell me about like your fears
and like what are your goals and your dreams, Like
I want to be able to have these authentic, deep
connections with people and my clients and whomever that you
can't get in a lot of corporate office environments.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I want that in relationships.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
I want to have a deep intimate connection with my
Chipotle legitimately, like I I'm.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So Sidium's due, yes, but that is That's kind of that.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And so that's kind of what led me to really
leaving that first job is realizing like this does not
align essentially, Like it's bad for my health, it's bad
for my in all aspects, and it just doesn't align
with these four pillars that I'm saying I want to
live by. So if I am saying these are my pillars,
I have to put my money where my mouth is
and take the leap, and so I did do that.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I went. You know, my.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Doctor actually wrote me a note around early December of
twenty twenty one, and she was like, you need two
weeks off because you're killing yourself with this job. So
she writes me a note for two weeks off. I
decide I'm going to Mexico for these two weeks. It
was almost my birthday. It's Chicago in December, so I
was like, Mexico is sounding real nice. I'm a sad baby,
(16:13):
so I was like, let's do it. So I go
to Mexico. I take those two weeks literally just to
lay on the beach and decompress. I went by myself.
It was an amazing time. I'd come back. My doctor
gives me an additional week off because she's like, you
still need some more time. I go back to my
job after these three weeks off of work, and at
that time is when I've severed my relationship with the company.
(16:37):
It just wasn't It just wasn't serving me anymore. I
don't think it was serving them. I think we kind
of all knew that this just wasn't it. And so
my relationship with the company was severed at the end.
At the end, well, I think it carried through through January,
and so I've worked there for a full year, and
then after that I took a few months off and
then transitioned into a brand new law firm that I
(17:01):
thought would be and was a much better fit, but
it still wasn't quite what I needed.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
That's so real. Did that second law firm? Let me
back up a little bit. I think a lot of
folks think about, Okay, maybe it's just the place that
I'm at, right, Like, maybe it's this company, it's this organization,
and if I find a different company, things will be better.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Was that kind of your thought going into that second
law firm?
Speaker 4 (17:27):
One, I think there was a lot, right because I
knew going into big law that it was a large
time commitment.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
It was a lot to do, and.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
A lot of people always said that big law isn't
for everybody, right, It's a lot of hours, it's a
lot of work, YadA, YadA YadA. So sometimes maybe easing
that down is the medicine. So of course I was like, well,
let me try. I've just spent one hundred and eighty
thousand dollars on this degree, so I gotta give it
another go.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
That's so real.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Because it's not for m not in any capacity, no, ma'am.
And so yeah, I was intentional. I was really intentional
about finding that second law firm the first one. I
just wanted a job, right, and I wanted the job
with the most money, with the most prestige. And I
got that. I fully obtained that. Right with the second
(18:19):
job was not about that. It was about finding something
that felt a lot more aligned. And I went into
it think with my pillars in mind and knowing. One
thing that I brought up in interviews was like, I
want to bring meditation into wherever I work because that
is a passion of mine. So that was like one
thing that was on the table, and I wanted to
make sure that, like I told them, I'm coming from
big law, I do not want to replicate any of that.
(18:42):
So I'm looking for something that is a lot more sustainable,
a lot more work life balance, et cetera, et cetera.
And so I went into interviewing with all of that,
and I told people that first and foremost, I was
not shy, and I was like so that I was
really impressed with myself about right and when I found
this firm. They you know, I mentioned the meditation thing,
(19:02):
and it's a woman owned firm, which was really cool
to me too, because most law firms are not, so
that was something that I really enjoyed.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So it's woman owned.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
That's already a plus, right, it's you know, they were
talking about the work life balance. They were saying, it's
closer to like a forty to sixty hour workweek.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Check.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Okay, that's infinitely better than what I was doing prior.
And then I mentioned the thing about meditation, and the
woman who owned the firm was like, oh, actually, I
love to meditate and I try to do it as
often as possible, so I would love if you brought
that into the firm. And so I was like, okay,
this is a stepping stone, and so I am super
appreciative for that job.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
It wasn't the end all be all, but.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
It was a stepping stone because I did get to
practice meditating with a law firm and like leading people
who had never meditated in any capacity or completely divorced
from the world into things like that and like practicing
bringing it into a company.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
So it was beneficial.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
It did provide me, obviously, with some income a lot
less than what I was making before, but still six
figures went from what two hundred to like one twenty
five I believe, So still a significant decrease, but still
a lot of money, right, Like It's.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
So we did that.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
But you know, towards the end of my eight months
there and a full time capacity, some things just started
not sitting right.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
I you know, I went.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
On a breathwork retreat actually in August of twenty twenty two,
and that was during my time at that firm, and
so I was gone for a week in Spain on
this retreat. And when I was in that retreat, one
of the things that I knew that I was I
didn't really want to be a lawyer anymore. So those
inklings are really coming into my into my awareness. And
(20:42):
so one of the things I wanted to solve in
this retreat was like what am I supposed to do
with my career, with my business, with my like oh
I didn't have a business yet, but like with my life.
And one day, you know, in breathwork, and we did
about ninety ish minutes of breathwork every single morning at
the top of the day.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It was very deep.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Work, like I felt like I was on another planet.
But I had this intuitive, spiritual like visualization experience you're
in breath work, in which my boss at that job,
she we were standing at the top of like a
mountain and we're holding hands, and then she lets my
hands go and I fall down this like rainbow slide
(21:23):
and I am just enjoy like I am having the
time of my life. I'm laughing, I'm you know, giggling.
I'm just having so much fun sliding down this rainbow slide,
and then it empties me out into this body of water,
maybe an ocean, and I'm just like serenely just floating
on this ocean, on this body of water, and it's
so peaceful, and then money is just.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Like raining down on me.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
So right, So I come out of that and I'm
journaling now to like, you know, take note of it.
And what I realized in my journaling was that if
I left this position, if I just let it go
and then followed my joy, followed my happiness, followed my bliss,
and just have trust in that journey and in that path.
And because it was a rainbow slide, I felt that
(22:05):
that was like a symbolism of the chakras being aligned,
since there are in the colors of the rainbow. And
so if I just like you know, stay in my joy,
I will be aligned, you know, perfectly for my journey.
And then I can just rest right and I'll be
financially taken care of. I can rest in that stillness,
rest in my emotions, rest in my intuitive knowledge. The
(22:27):
water represents emotions and intuition, so I can just rest
in that and know I'll be taken care of.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And so when I.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Left that retreat, that stuck with me really, really deeply.
And I mean when I got back towards the end
of August, not too long after a few a few
maybe two weeks later, I put in my notice and
it was a it was a thirty day notice, and
then a month after that, I was gone.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Carly's rainbow slide was a beautiful visualization turn realization when
she submitted her thirty day notice. We're going to take
a quick break and we'll be back to hear more
from Carly about where the visualization has taken her. Okay,
let's get back into the show. Having a visualization of
leaving your job and money raining down on you, which, okay, hello,
(23:16):
that is literally a dream is one thing, but having
the courage to submit the thirty day notice in the
WORL world is another. I wanted to know more about
how Carly found the courage to resign and the difference
between purpose and career. Wow, what a journey, What a
literal journey of traveling to this different place and going
(23:36):
through the Breathwork, the Breathwork retreat and really having these
like beautiful visualizations that are supporting what you want to
do in real life and this transition from being an
attorney to really stepping into what you this seems like
is you're calling, you know, And with that, it's one
thing to have a visualization, right and to have something
(23:59):
so beautiful with rainbows and water and all of that,
and it's like, okay, yes that's it.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
But then you're coming back to the US.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
You're back in Chicago, right, How did you find the
courage to submit that letter of resignation to move into a.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Contractor role after being on that retreat.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
The retreat just had such a profound impact, Like I
can't state it enough how much it truly had an
impact on my life. And I mean even the people
in my life could tell, like I just it was
just it was just it was so impactful and I
knew I felt like I was floating even for weeks
after it, right, like it just had such a deep
impact on my life. I shed so much on that trip,
(24:45):
so I just I just had so much faith and
trust and I knew it was correct. So I can't
speak to that much more than it was just like
this energetic feeling that like I have to do this,
I don't really have a choice kind of thing, and
like I can't go back, like there's.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
No there's no other choice.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
So like I felt like I didn't have if I
stayed in the job, it would have been detrimental, like
it would have literally killed me in some capacity, just
would have been really bad for my life trajectory. And
I wouldn't I don't know obtain the things, the bounty,
the glory that is designed for me, and so I
just kind of knew that inside and I can't. I
(25:22):
wish I could make it make more logical sense, but
I cannot.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
It's all good.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I mean, that's how it is, you know, That's how
some things are. You just know, Yeah, And I hope
for folks that are listening, you know, obviously Carly's story
is Carly's story. It's for her, it's herr individual journey.
But at the same time, if you're hearing that ping,
if you're getting that feeling like I'm just really being
pulled in a different direction, I'm being called somewhere else,
(25:48):
like answer it, It's okay, it's okay to like pick
up the phone and see, like what's on the other side.
And so, like you're saying, you knew that it was
going to be detrimental to stay in that field, But
let's talk about where you are heading, Like as you're
leaving the field of being an attorney and leaving big
law and even the boutique law firm, But what did
(26:09):
you feel is your calling?
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Like what are you up to now?
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yes, so.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
My calling my I think of purpose. A lot of
people attach purpose to their career.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
I think that my purpose is legit. It's very simple.
It can be placed almost in one word. My purpose
is to inspire, point blank period. I remember actually coming
to this realization crossing the street my second year of
law school.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I remember exactly where I was, and I just like.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
It hit me that, like, oh, that's my purpose, Like
I'm here to inspire, and I don't even it just
it just happened, and I just I just knew because
it's and it hit me because it's like it's my
favorite compliment that I ever receive. Like you can tell
me all the things, you can tell me that you
like my smile, or like I have on a cute dress,
or you know that I'm a you know, a good person.
(26:58):
All of that's great, of course, But like when people
tell me I inspired them in some way, I get goosebumps,
full body chills, like I could almost cry, like it
feels so good to me. And so for me, that
is my purpose. And I think that the ways in
which I am now led to inspire are through diverse
(27:18):
meditative practices like meditation, breath work, and yoga. For me,
those have been the most inspiring things for me. So
now I use those as tools to inspire others. And
this inspiration is too to just find your own personal
sense of freedom. Right, That's what meditation, breathwork, and yoga
(27:39):
did for me. It gave me this freedom that I
had never experienced. Freedom from my mental anguish, freedom from
stress and anxiety, freedom from you know, critical self talk,
freedom from really hating myself. Freedom, freedom from you know,
a lot of pain and trauma that I had held
(28:00):
onto for years and decades. It freed me from so
much that I didn't even know was holding me back.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
I had no.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Idea because I was not aware. And so it increased
this self awareness because you're sitting with self now and
you're focusing on the breath now in ways that you've
never done before, most of us. And so there's now
this time and space in between you and your thoughts,
in between you and your emotions, in between you and
your actions that you don't ever take the time. Most
(28:28):
of us don't ever take the time to notice, because
we're always on we're always on the go, we're always
on the move, we're always watching TV, we're always on
our phones, we're always doing something to keep us distracted,
because sometimes it's too hard to just even sit with yourself.
You don't like what you're thinking, you don't like what
your feeling, so we numb, we distract, and its habitual,
so we don't even realize we're doing it right. And
(28:51):
so that's what it gave me. It gave me the
sense of freedom, and once I tasted it, I couldn't
go back, and I want to just offer that to
everyone because I think every body really just deserves to
feel what I feel, and that's all I want to do.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
That was beautiful, It was inspiring, It.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Really was though.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I'm like, that's you touched on so many really good
things there, and I actually want to kind of circle back,
circle to the top of that conversation where you were saying,
you realize that purpose and career are two separate things, right,
and how meditation gave you that freedom, which it sounds
like you may have already had a pretty good idea
(29:33):
that like, hey, I am not my career. But in
thinking about purpose and career being separate and a lot
of people feeling that they're very intertwined. I personally, I
was in HR for ten years and I very much
so identified as Chris from HR, and there was a
grieving period when I finally said, you know what, that
career is not for me anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
And I had to figure out, like, well, who am
I without that career? You know, and grieve this grieve
walking away from ten.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Years of building something you know, of building connections and
building skills and all that. And I finally realized like
through after long grieving process. I mean it took me
over a year to kind of recover from walking away
from that career and also the burnout.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Like let's be real, burnoutoo, it's so real.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
But I finally realized, like you're saying, my purpose is
not my career, I am somebody different. And I want
to speak to the folks that are having a hard
time separating the two, right, and what is my purpose
is it?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
If it's not my career, what is it?
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And if you can speak to like how you figured
out that your purpose was not your career, that your
purpose was to inspire.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I think one way to figure out your purpose is
to really just I think it takes the ability to
to really separate yourself from everything else. Right, So if
you can just sit down and just be like asking yourself,
who am I? And that's a hard question for a
(31:09):
lot of us to answer because we do think I
am a lawyer, I am a sister, I am a daughter,
I am you know, a employee, I am you know
I am these things? But that is these are roles,
these are titles, These are things that you are to others, Right,
who are you?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
To you?
Speaker 3 (31:28):
And only you?
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Right, I am not a lawyer to me and only me,
Like I do not advise myself on legal matters, so
I am like I am a lawyer to people who
need someone to interpret the law for them, but I
am I am intrinsically just not a lawyer, Like that's
not what I came into this earth to be. But
like when I was born, I'm sure right that in
(31:52):
some way I inspired my parents. That is intrinsic, right,
you know, like as soon as they had their firstborn child,
they were inspired in some way, right, that was always
intrinsic to me.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
I was not a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
I was not a sister yet I'm the first born,
so I was not a sister like I even like
I wasn't these other titles that people put on me.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
So what is intrinsic to you?
Speaker 4 (32:15):
I think looking for me another thing was like looking
up the ways and people, which the ways in which
people compliment you and which lights you up the most?
Most of us, of course, we like being complimented on
our appearance, right or some work that we did and
we did a good job, but that is not them
complimenting you. And what's something that is like that is
(32:35):
your meat suit that they are complimenting, But that from
change if you get by a bus tomorrow, right, like
that that is ever changing, ever evolving. So your beauty,
while we all have our own beauty, it's not who
you are, right that is, it's in the eye of
the beholder. So that is also something that only matters
to the person looking upon you. So you have to
(32:57):
find the compliments that are not tied to something external.
But what makes you feel so good when someone says
it like top tier, did someone say, oh my god,
you have you hold space so beautifully, like I always
feel at home when I'm with you. Because then that's
your purpose, right, that might be your purpose to just
be a spaceholder to show people what it's like to
(33:18):
come home to themselves. Or do people tell you that
you know when I'm around you, like I just feel
like so much peace, And maybe that's your purpose is
to be a symbol of peace or.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
You know things like that.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
So like, what are the compliments you receive in which
ones really align with you and make you feel like,
you know, out.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Of this world?
Speaker 4 (33:39):
And I think a third thing to do when we're
considering what is my purpose and not marrying it to
my job, or my career or my you know, my
expectations from my family or whatever it is. I think
it's just knowing that whatever you say, your purpose can
(33:59):
I think it can change. I think it can develop.
I think it can morph over time. And so it's
just for me to say that my purpose right now
is to inspire does not mean I don't think that's
necessarily going away. But I do think that maybe it
can change shape, it can morph over time, maybe something
adds into it, right like, maybe it's to inspire and
(34:21):
to hold space. So I think when you're considering these things,
also consider that it doesn't have to be this one
stagnant thing, but allow your purpose to be living, allow
it to be breathing, Allow it to be ever changing
and ever developing, because you always are. And so the
more that you learn and experience and grow, that is
going to be integrated into your purpose and then shown
(34:44):
out through you.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
Oof.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
That was beautiful. That was really really beautiful, and so
well said. I especially love the last part about your
purpose evolving, and it speaks to the idea that impermanence
is the only permanent right, change is the only constant,
and being open to that is such a huge plus
(35:07):
for anyone, right, Like if you can be open to
the idea that maybe you won't be in the same
career field for thirty five years, which I know our
generation is very open to eat. We switch every two years,
okay on the long end. But for other folks that
maybe maybe they're older, or maybe they they only have
been taught that there's one option, Right, there's so many
(35:30):
options out there. Be open and try and if it
doesn't work for you, you can always go back, right if
you don't like what you tried, that's okay. It doesn't
have to eat the very last thing, right, It's not
the end all be all. So I love this idea
of your purpose evolving and very much so just being
open to that. Yeah, I think I think that's going
(35:52):
to be key for a lot of folks and realizing like, oh,
I do.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Have other options.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
You know, I can't try something and go back if
I don't like it, or I can try something and
if I love it, like maybe I'll follow that.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
I also think in line with purpose in trying to
figure it out, does it fit? I am a big
believer in like the four pillars that I have, So
does this purpose that you have figured out or that
you have named, does it also align with these four pillars?
Speaker 3 (36:22):
And you know, I think.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
Finding out your four values, your four pillars, however you
want to call it, of your life can be really
really changed, really really affirming. And again that can evolve
and change over time, especially if you get to know
yourself better through certain practices like meditation or breath work,
So that will change and evolve and you'll get more
and more in tune with yourself. But for me, inspiration
(36:45):
falls squarely into all four pillars. It makes me feel free, right,
It makes me feel at ease and full of wellness.
It makes me feel like I have a deep connection
with the other person, like there's some sort of intimacy
if they've been inspired by me, they're clearly connected to me, right.
And it also what didn't I say? It also brings
up this sense of uh, I'm missing one?
Speaker 3 (37:08):
What is my fourth pillar? What didn't I say? I said?
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
In spirituality, in spirituality and self development, there we go
like what am I missing? And it brings worth that
like me inspiring that to me, to me, purpose is spiritual.
It's not it's not logical, it's not this egoic thing.
It's not of the world for me. Purpose is a
very spiritual thing which your soul decided to come here
(37:33):
to illuminate. And so this if I am walking in purpose,
I'm walking in my spirituality.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Period. And we're walking on the move. That is not ease.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Okay, running in summer right now while we're recording, it's
too damn hot to be running anywhere. So we are
walking into ease, right And I want to walk people
in to learning more about Meditation Circle, Like, let's talk
about how you've taken your four pillars and really built
on them and are now like, hey, I want to
(38:10):
reach out and inspire other people. I want to help
them connect with themselves, which is again really beautiful.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
And I've heard nothing but good things.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I've gotten a chance to participate in a very early
like almost say, test run of Meditation Circle when you
first were getting started. But tell us more about what
Meditation Circle is and how you decided to bring your
inspiration that lives inside outside to share with other people.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Yes, I love talking about Meditation Circle.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
So Meditation Circle is my baby. We officially launched the
company March first of twenty twenty three. We're recording this
now August second, So what is that March April, May, June, July, August.
Five months in business, So that's exciting. Yay, it's a
baby baby. It is a baby baby, but it's my
(39:03):
baby and I love my baby. So Meditation Circle is
a wellness company that is focused on diverse meditative practices
like meditation, breathwork, and yoga. I'm fully certified in meditation, breathwork,
in yoga. I have a certification in the Fundamentals of
breath Work Fundamental or I'm sorry, certification in the Integrated
(39:25):
Energy Healing, which includes training in breathwork, energy healing, and meditation.
And then I'm certified as a two hundred hour registered
Yoga teacher, which also includes some meditation training. So I
have all my certifications. But you know, with Meditation Circle,
the aim really is to help individuals, groups in communities
(39:48):
as well as corporations, find wellness, find ease, find that
first taste of freedom, and really hopefully learn to compound
on that and build, you know, a sustainable practice in
some way. I really want to introduce these tools that
have really just changed my life in such incredible ways
(40:12):
to other people. So some of the ways in which
I do that is maybe hosting events virtually or or
in real life. So that is one way in which
people can you know, sign up and just come in
to these public events. But what I really really love
is I love taking one on one clients. That is,
(40:33):
you know, working with someone one on one and even
just one container or even over a long form is
beautiful to me. Watching and helping someone over time really
develop that practice that really really speaks to my soul.
I really like helping people one on one. And then
another thing that I love as a part of my
business is going back into the corporate settings, back into
(40:55):
the law firms, back into you know, the fortune five
hundred companies, back into these settings and introducing you know,
wellness in some capacity, meditation, breathwork, yoga to these overworked, overstressed,
overwhelmed individuals who are suffering from maybe burnout or on
productivity or lack of focus or just you know, overwhelmed
(41:18):
from their existence. Generally, I want to bring that to
them and help them realize that, like, there's something better.
You don't have to be so stressed out, you don't
have to be suffering like this. You can take a
couple of minutes a day and start to alleviate. It
doesn't have to be this long, arduous process. You can
start very small to alleviate some of these symptoms and
(41:41):
get back in tune with who you are. And so
that is Those are the ways in which Medicate Meditation
Circle operates definitely for the individual, for the community, and
for the corporation.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
Come on now, come on now wherever, Carly will meet you,
wherever you are. I love that, like as an individual
or like you're saying, going back into the corporate setting,
which I think is so needed.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
Right.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
A lot of organizations will offer, you know, three sessions
with a therapist or three sessions of some type of
like meditation or yoga or something like that through their
employee assistance program, but that's always enough.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
It's hard to get to.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Some of these things, right, or you're trying to call
it to get into make an appointment and it's like, sorry,
we're booked for the next six months because everybody stressed out.
So going through the actual corporate setting I think is
really powerful and it's also very it's again ease. It
creates ease for the folks that are there. They can
just come and meet you and they're like, oh wow,
(42:43):
I didn't know I needed these six minutes away from
my desk, away from my phone, just reconnecting to self.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Yeah, it's and it's always, it's always great. I love
the corporate space because everyone's so skeptical.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
They're so skeptical. Like the people who.
Speaker 4 (42:56):
Come into like the events, they kind of have maybe
a baseline like, oh, this is what I want to do.
I saw it on event, right, so like, let me
go do something that I do. But the corporate space
is everyone's usually so skeptical. They look, they're side eyeing me,
like what is this girl talking about? You know, I
do my presentation and then you know, we get into
it and I usually I like to do I always
(43:17):
like to lead with breathwork because I think it helps
people just chill out first. And by the end there's
always someone in tears. There's always someone like I didn't
know that's what I needed. Like they're always just amazed,
and so that brings me such joy too, because it's
like just you got a glimpse, you got a taste,
you have thirty minutes here or whatever, you know, whatever
(43:38):
your organization paid for, and they walk away with something
they didn't know they needed and something that is healing.
I actually was reading reviews from the last corporate event
I did, and one person said, I feel relaxed, refreshed
and somehow cleansed.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
I didn't know I needed that. And I was like
that that is beautiful.
Speaker 4 (43:58):
And the person who said I was like, this person
was so skeptical when they walk in the room.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
So that is that's always one of my favorite parts.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Next on a Big quit.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
But what has the response been like to you sharing
so openly about your journey?
Speaker 4 (44:14):
So that's been interesting. From the strangers on TikTok's they've resonated.
They have always said things like thank you for sharing,
or I'm going through this too, or you know, this
is really inspiring in some capacity, right, But from like
friends and family, you know, you can kind of see
on TikTok who views it, whether they like it or not.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
You can see them views.
Speaker 4 (44:37):
And it's been interesting because a lot of my friends
from my college or you know, prior to law school
in my life, they view every TikTok that they don't
like it.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Join us in the next episode as we discuss the
journey of sharing online and hearing about your decisions in
real life. If you want to keep up with Carly
Michelle in the meantime, all of her information is linked
in the show notes. I hope you enjoyed this episode
of The Big Quit with Chris. It's been such a
good conversation and there's more to come. Subscribe and follow
to the show wherever you get your podcasts, and join
(45:13):
us as we share stories of the question, Embrace change,
navigate uncertainties, and create a life fill with purpose.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Fulfillment and fun.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Duh, this is the Big Create with Chris, where the
end is only the start of something incredible.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
Remember, quitters win to
Welcome to the Big Quit with Chris, a show that
originally started off as a place to connect with those
that identified as part of the Great Resignation and said
see it to their jobs, and has evolved to a
show where we talk about how quitting is just the
beginning for so many things, whether it's leaving a job,
a relationship, a comfort zone, or any other status quo.
We're here to explore the courageous journey of letting go
(00:27):
and embracing new possibilities. When my friends and I unravel
the mysteries of making life altering decisions, whether it's a
career relationship, weighing which builds the skip to secure renaissance tickets,
(00:48):
or beyond what question frequently emerges, how can one discern
the most opportune moment to take an audacious leap?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Like when is the right time? And how do you know? Today?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Carly Show, founder of Meditation Circle, guides us through her
personal narrative, revealing how her intuition acted as the compass
ordering her steps into a life that resonates with her
deepest desires. Join us as we navigate the terrain and
timing of embracing change while mindfully bridging the gap between
where you are and where you want to be.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Hi, Carly, Hi, how are you?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Hi? I'm good?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I am super? Thank you?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I love that. What was today's meditation? Today's meditation?
Speaker 4 (01:36):
So, actually starting yesterday, I was like, I am going
to challenge myself for one hundred days, to do the
same thing for one hundred days straight, because as we
will get into, I'm growing my business. I've recently started
a business, and so I'm trying to attract more clients
into my life. And so there's a meditation, actually a
(01:56):
guided meditation that I came across that is specific too
attracting in your most aligned clients. And every time I've
actually done that meditation here and there, like I've done
like three or four times sporadically every time something has
happened in my business, whether I get like an email
or a DM someone inquiring, or someone purchases something like,
something happens within like thirty forty five minutes of me
(02:20):
doing that meditation. So I was like, if I actually
just compound this energy for one hundred days, there would
likely be a lot more, you know, coming to me.
So today's day till I started on August first, today's August. Second,
I'm reporting this so day two, So that was my
meditation that I focused on this morning. After I did
I did some breathwork first to pride myself and then that.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So yeah, ooh okay, I love this and I love
that we're catching you on day two of this. We'll
definitely have to circle back on day one oh one
or do day one hundred. I guess you're gonna end
at one hundred, so we'll have to follow up on
one on one and see like what's changed, Like what's
news to do?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Because I'm gonna be my plan us to track this,
like record metrics, like I was like, let me, let
me like count.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
My followers on Instagram and.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
TikTok right now, and you know, just track everything, track
the money I've made, and then watch over the next
three plus months how things hopefully increase.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah okay, look hopefully, but not even hopefully, like you
know that they're going to increase because you've already been
on this journey of following your intuition, which definitely ties
into today's episode of Taking the Leap.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And I think you're the perfect person to talk.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
About this with my fellow SAG sister who very firmly
believes in like, the plan is no plan. Okay, we're
just figuring it out as we go, and sometimes that
involves jumping off.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Of a cliff.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So to not leave people on a cliffhanger, let's get
into this. Can you briefly share your story of quitting
or making that significant life transition.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Yes, I I don't know how brief it will be,
but I'll do my best. So I by trade, I
am an attorney. I graduated from law school in May
of twenty twenty, took the bar that following well, it
(04:19):
was supposed to be summer, but that was heat of
the pandemic, so it kept getting pushed back.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
So it took the bar in October.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Found out I passed on December first, and started my
big girl, big law, big time commitment at the top
of January twenty twenty one. And so I worked in
big law, which, for anyone who doesn't really know that terminology,
that is working in the largest law firms in the world. Right,
(04:48):
So I worked at one of the absolute largest law
firms in the world. I think at the time it
was the largest law firm in the world. And I
worked a lot of hours, sixty to eighty hour weeks.
I was pulling all nighters on a weekly baby, if
not a couple of times a week. Sometimes I would
get phone calls at like eleven PM saying hey, I
need something at nine like I was in bed, so
(05:10):
things like that. It was very demanding. I mean, and
being a lawyer, as we all probably know, it's not
just busy work, like this is pure labor, and it's
not like you know, manual labor, but it's mental labor, and.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
You have to be correct. You have to be right.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
People's livelihoods, lives, businesses are all on the line, and
you can be sued from our practice if you are wrong.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
So you have to be right.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
So you can't there's no like just oh, you know,
just kind of like halfway doing it, like you can't.
It just has to be on point all the time.
So it's just a lot of mental labor. It's really arduous, really,
and so doing that for a year straight, even though
I knew what I signed up for, sometimes you just
don't realize it until you get into it. Right in
the first few months, I was like, is it me?
(05:56):
Is it just me making an adjustment? Is it the
fact that it's a global pandemic, and I don't get
that face to face time because we were all remote.
So that was also another hurdle and challenge that I
think it would have been a little bit easier had
we been in the office. But all of that to say,
I was very isolated and by myself. I didn't have
the tools to leane on other people. I was working
ridiculous hours. I was never leaving my house. It was
(06:18):
just it was an interesting time and I hated it.
It was awful. I did not enjoy it. I did
not enjoy the work I was doing. I did not
you know, I worked for a very large law firm,
So I wasn't helping the little guy, right, And that's
kind of my thing, Like I like to help the individual,
the person. I want to really impact someone's life in
a positive way. And I knew that I was only
(06:41):
helping these large conglomerates make more money, merge their businesses, whatever,
Like I wasn't. I didn't feel like I was really
doing any good in the world. I wasn't helping asylum seekers.
I wasn't helping you know, people escape their abusive partners
or find you know, affordable housing. Like I wasn't helping
people out of like a horrible situation. So I felt
(07:02):
kind of useless and kind of worthless in the role,
like I was just this cog in this giant corporate machine.
So the more I was realizing all of those thoughts
as well as it was really starting to take a
toll on my health. And I am a very health
conscious person. I you know, love my veggies. I eat
(07:23):
more veggies than anybody I know.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Very true, one hundred percent true. Carly actually like introduced
me to veggies as an adult. She was like, eat this.
I can't believe you're not eating green things. It's like,
I'm sorry, you must eat great things.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
Oh yes, I love veggies. I'm always making a smoothie,
a juice, going doing some type of cleanse like that
is my vibe. I also love to work out and
be active, and then I care about my mental and
spiritual health a lot as well, hence the meditation, Like
I'm always making sure you know my anxiety is at ease.
You know, I don't want to feel anything of disease, right.
(08:01):
I always want to feel the best I can physically, mentally, spiritually,
and emotionally. That is all very important to me, and
that is the pinnacle of health to have all four
in a balance or harmonious state, and that just wasn't
happening for me in this career. So taking some inventory
of that, talking to my physician, she was saying that
this is really having an impact on my adrenals and
(08:23):
my nervous system and that it just wasn't healthy and
really no one. Of course she'd be pulling all nighters,
but it just really wasn't doing well for me. And
prior to taking this job, I had been meditating for
a few years already, and one of the things I
noticed about meditation during my journey is that it healed
(08:44):
me of anxiety and depression. And I know I won't
say that that can happen for everybody because everyone's different,
but it alleviated those symptoms in such a significant way.
Because I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was
about fifteen years old in high school. I started meditating
when I was twenty seven, So just to put that
in perspective, that's almost fifteen years of being depressed clinically.
(09:06):
When I was nineteen or twenty, I was diagnosed with
anxiety and I started having very frequent panic attacks at
that point. So I was very used to like always
having this mental anguish, and that kind of disappeared after
about about three or four months of meditating daily, and
I was thrilled and over the moon. And that's when
I knew I would never stop. So now to fast
(09:27):
forward a few years and those symptoms are now starting
to creep back in. I was like, it's a no
for me.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
I can't do what I mean, you can hear Carly,
recognizing that the stress of her job was literally bringing
back anxiety and panic attacks for too many of us,
myself included. Our bodies have to take over for our
minds because we will try to find ways to accommodate
or rationalize any discomfort or stress that we're feeling, especially
(09:52):
when it's related to our careers and compensation. Hello, do
you listen to your body or your mind in these situations?
Take a moment to think about that, and we'll be
right back.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Welcome back. Carly shared that when her anxiety and depression
began to return, she knew staying at this job was
a no and it was time to go. As most
people know, when you decide to leave a job, there's
so much to consider. You've got compensation, how to resign?
I'm going to send an email to it, write a
letter like what do I do? And then what am
I going to do next? And so much more so,
(10:28):
what exactly was Carly walking away from? What does she
need to consider as she was planning to resign? Let's
hear more from her.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Now.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You know, I was making a lot of money.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
I'd never seen that much money in my life knowing
and my family had ever seen that much money. I
was making two hundred thousand dollars a year. I mean
that should have been the pinnacle, right. Everyone was happy,
they were impressed. You know, there was a certain amount
of prestige and honor that kind of came with this role,
from my friends, from my family, from myself, just from strangers.
You know, you tell someone I'm a lawyer and I'm
(10:58):
at this firm, I mean their entire body, language, mood,
everything would change. And so that can kind of be
intoxicating to know you kind of have that.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Power over people.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
I don't know if powers the right word, but influence
or something that you can do that. But I also
didn't like that because I could see how people start
to treat me differently based on a title. So it
was this culmination of all of these things and I
was like, I can't do this. It doesn't feel good
for me. This doesn't feel right in my body, doesn't
feel right with my spirit, and it doesn't align with
(11:31):
my values.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
And I am very I have.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
A four pillar value system that I try to live
my entire life by, whether that's general life, whether that's romance,
whether that's career, whether that's eating a meal, Like, I
really want everything to fall into these four categories. And
if it doesn't hit at minimum three, then I know
it's not aligned, but it really ideally it should hit
(11:55):
all four. It really it's not aligned if it doesn't
hit all four. But sometimes I make exception.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Right, But if it doesn't hit free, then it's not
for me.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
I like.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I like it. I like it.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
And so those four pillars are one is freedom them
freedom I must feel free right in all aspects. To me,
freedom encompasses a lot of things, from like the freedom
to just get up and go right. Like I love
to travel, So to me, traveling is an aspect of
freedom that I must have if I want to get
(12:25):
on a plane tomorrow morning.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
I don't want to have.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
The call where I don't want to have to do
anything I don't want to. You know, financial freedom is
included in that, the freedom to just do things I
want to do.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Luxury is included in that.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
And I don't mean luxury as in I need a
Gucci bag every day, like anything like that, but like
the luxury to have quality things right, or like live
in some sort of luxury in that capacity. It doesn't
have to be like a branded thing, but like have
the luxury to just go for a drive in the
middle of the day, or have the luxury to just go,
(12:58):
you know, walk my dog at two p because I
feel like it and I'm not tied to an office,
So things like that. Freedom is number one. Number two
is ease or wellness. That it must feel easeful, it
must make me feel well.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
It doesn't.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
That doesn't mean that things aren't challenging. I feel like
when I say that people are like, well, life isn't
always easy. Ease doesn't mean easy to me. That's not
the same thing. Ease means that you can do it
in a state of flow, whether there might be challenges,
it might be difficult, but you're not forcing it right,
like you're overcoming your challenges with grace, with compassion, with trust,
(13:35):
with this sense of flow, Like even if it's challenging,
you can still go for go through it without fighting it.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
And I think that's the difference.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It's not about like beating it over the head with
the stick trying to make it happen. It's like, Okay,
beating it is not going to help. But maybe if
I push it and I make little incremental pushes, yes
it's still challenging. Yes, so giving me an arm workout,
but this is the direction in which it wants to go,
and it moves a little bit better that way, if
that makes sense. So ease is very important to me,
(14:07):
and that encompass is wellness. And then the third thing
is that it has to be a contribute to my
spirituality or my self development. So that's kind of one bucket.
Spirituality self development goes into one thing for me. But
if it doesn't do that, I don't want it. If
you know, for me, the legal career was not adding
(14:30):
to my self development or my spiritual you know essence whatsoever.
It was really taking away from all of that, And
so I had to go. And then the fourth pillar,
that is really important to me is like intimacy or
deep connection, and being in that legal field, I wasn't
able to be intimate or deeply connected with my coworkers.
Everything was very surface. Everything was very egoic, like I'm
(14:52):
the best because I do this, or you know very
much in that energy, and I want to have deep conversations.
I want to know tell me about like your fears
and like what are your goals and your dreams, Like
I want to be able to have these authentic, deep
connections with people and my clients and whomever that you
can't get in a lot of corporate office environments.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I want that in relationships.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
I want to have a deep intimate connection with my
Chipotle legitimately, like I I'm.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
So Sidium's due, yes, but that is That's kind of that.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And so that's kind of what led me to really
leaving that first job is realizing like this does not
align essentially, Like it's bad for my health, it's bad
for my in all aspects, and it just doesn't align
with these four pillars that I'm saying I want to
live by. So if I am saying these are my pillars,
I have to put my money where my mouth is
and take the leap, and so I did do that.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I went. You know, my.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Doctor actually wrote me a note around early December of
twenty twenty one, and she was like, you need two
weeks off because you're killing yourself with this job. So
she writes me a note for two weeks off. I
decide I'm going to Mexico for these two weeks. It
was almost my birthday. It's Chicago in December, so I
was like, Mexico is sounding real nice. I'm a sad baby,
(16:13):
so I was like, let's do it. So I go
to Mexico. I take those two weeks literally just to
lay on the beach and decompress. I went by myself.
It was an amazing time. I'd come back. My doctor
gives me an additional week off because she's like, you
still need some more time. I go back to my
job after these three weeks off of work, and at
that time is when I've severed my relationship with the company.
(16:37):
It just wasn't It just wasn't serving me anymore. I
don't think it was serving them. I think we kind
of all knew that this just wasn't it. And so
my relationship with the company was severed at the end.
At the end, well, I think it carried through through January,
and so I've worked there for a full year, and
then after that I took a few months off and
then transitioned into a brand new law firm that I
(17:01):
thought would be and was a much better fit, but
it still wasn't quite what I needed.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
That's so real. Did that second law firm? Let me
back up a little bit. I think a lot of
folks think about, Okay, maybe it's just the place that
I'm at, right, Like, maybe it's this company, it's this organization,
and if I find a different company, things will be better.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Was that kind of your thought going into that second
law firm?
Speaker 4 (17:27):
One, I think there was a lot, right because I
knew going into big law that it was a large
time commitment.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
It was a lot to do, and.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
A lot of people always said that big law isn't
for everybody, right, It's a lot of hours, it's a
lot of work, YadA, YadA YadA. So sometimes maybe easing
that down is the medicine. So of course I was like, well,
let me try. I've just spent one hundred and eighty
thousand dollars on this degree, so I gotta give it
another go.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
That's so real.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Because it's not for m not in any capacity, no, ma'am.
And so yeah, I was intentional. I was really intentional
about finding that second law firm the first one. I
just wanted a job, right, and I wanted the job
with the most money, with the most prestige. And I
got that. I fully obtained that. Right with the second
(18:19):
job was not about that. It was about finding something
that felt a lot more aligned. And I went into
it think with my pillars in mind and knowing. One
thing that I brought up in interviews was like, I
want to bring meditation into wherever I work because that
is a passion of mine. So that was like one
thing that was on the table, and I wanted to
make sure that, like I told them, I'm coming from
big law, I do not want to replicate any of that.
(18:42):
So I'm looking for something that is a lot more sustainable,
a lot more work life balance, et cetera, et cetera.
And so I went into interviewing with all of that,
and I told people that first and foremost, I was
not shy, and I was like so that I was
really impressed with myself about right and when I found
this firm. They you know, I mentioned the meditation thing,
(19:02):
and it's a woman owned firm, which was really cool
to me too, because most law firms are not, so
that was something that I really enjoyed.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So it's woman owned.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
That's already a plus, right, it's you know, they were
talking about the work life balance. They were saying, it's
closer to like a forty to sixty hour workweek.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Check.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Okay, that's infinitely better than what I was doing prior.
And then I mentioned the thing about meditation, and the
woman who owned the firm was like, oh, actually, I
love to meditate and I try to do it as
often as possible, so I would love if you brought
that into the firm. And so I was like, okay,
this is a stepping stone, and so I am super
appreciative for that job.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
It wasn't the end all be all, but.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
It was a stepping stone because I did get to
practice meditating with a law firm and like leading people
who had never meditated in any capacity or completely divorced
from the world into things like that and like practicing
bringing it into a company.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
So it was beneficial.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
It did provide me, obviously, with some income a lot
less than what I was making before, but still six
figures went from what two hundred to like one twenty
five I believe, So still a significant decrease, but still
a lot of money, right, Like It's.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
So we did that.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
But you know, towards the end of my eight months
there and a full time capacity, some things just started
not sitting right.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
I you know, I went.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
On a breathwork retreat actually in August of twenty twenty two,
and that was during my time at that firm, and
so I was gone for a week in Spain on
this retreat. And when I was in that retreat, one
of the things that I knew that I was I
didn't really want to be a lawyer anymore. So those
inklings are really coming into my into my awareness. And
(20:42):
so one of the things I wanted to solve in
this retreat was like what am I supposed to do
with my career, with my business, with my like oh
I didn't have a business yet, but like with my life.
And one day, you know, in breathwork, and we did
about ninety ish minutes of breathwork every single morning at
the top of the day.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It was very deep.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Work, like I felt like I was on another planet.
But I had this intuitive, spiritual like visualization experience you're
in breath work, in which my boss at that job,
she we were standing at the top of like a
mountain and we're holding hands, and then she lets my
hands go and I fall down this like rainbow slide
(21:23):
and I am just enjoy like I am having the
time of my life. I'm laughing, I'm you know, giggling.
I'm just having so much fun sliding down this rainbow slide,
and then it empties me out into this body of water,
maybe an ocean, and I'm just like serenely just floating
on this ocean, on this body of water, and it's
so peaceful, and then money is just.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Like raining down on me.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
So right, So I come out of that and I'm
journaling now to like, you know, take note of it.
And what I realized in my journaling was that if
I left this position, if I just let it go
and then followed my joy, followed my happiness, followed my bliss,
and just have trust in that journey and in that path.
And because it was a rainbow slide, I felt that
(22:05):
that was like a symbolism of the chakras being aligned,
since there are in the colors of the rainbow. And
so if I just like you know, stay in my joy,
I will be aligned, you know, perfectly for my journey.
And then I can just rest right and I'll be
financially taken care of. I can rest in that stillness,
rest in my emotions, rest in my intuitive knowledge. The
(22:27):
water represents emotions and intuition, so I can just rest
in that and know I'll be taken care of.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And so when I.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Left that retreat, that stuck with me really, really deeply.
And I mean when I got back towards the end
of August, not too long after a few a few
maybe two weeks later, I put in my notice and
it was a it was a thirty day notice, and
then a month after that, I was gone.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Carly's rainbow slide was a beautiful visualization turn realization when
she submitted her thirty day notice. We're going to take
a quick break and we'll be back to hear more
from Carly about where the visualization has taken her. Okay,
let's get back into the show. Having a visualization of
leaving your job and money raining down on you, which, okay, hello,
(23:16):
that is literally a dream is one thing, but having
the courage to submit the thirty day notice in the
WORL world is another. I wanted to know more about
how Carly found the courage to resign and the difference
between purpose and career. Wow, what a journey, What a
literal journey of traveling to this different place and going
(23:36):
through the Breathwork, the Breathwork retreat and really having these
like beautiful visualizations that are supporting what you want to
do in real life and this transition from being an
attorney to really stepping into what you this seems like
is you're calling, you know, And with that, it's one
thing to have a visualization, right and to have something
(23:59):
so beautiful with rainbows and water and all of that,
and it's like, okay, yes that's it.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
But then you're coming back to the US.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
You're back in Chicago, right, How did you find the
courage to submit that letter of resignation to move into a.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Contractor role after being on that retreat.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
The retreat just had such a profound impact, Like I
can't state it enough how much it truly had an
impact on my life. And I mean even the people
in my life could tell, like I just it was
just it was just it was so impactful and I
knew I felt like I was floating even for weeks
after it, right, like it just had such a deep
impact on my life. I shed so much on that trip,
(24:45):
so I just I just had so much faith and
trust and I knew it was correct. So I can't
speak to that much more than it was just like
this energetic feeling that like I have to do this,
I don't really have a choice kind of thing, and
like I can't go back, like there's.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
No there's no other choice.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
So like I felt like I didn't have if I
stayed in the job, it would have been detrimental, like
it would have literally killed me in some capacity, just
would have been really bad for my life trajectory. And
I wouldn't I don't know obtain the things, the bounty,
the glory that is designed for me, and so I
just kind of knew that inside and I can't. I
(25:22):
wish I could make it make more logical sense, but
I cannot.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
It's all good.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I mean, that's how it is, you know, That's how
some things are. You just know, Yeah, And I hope
for folks that are listening, you know, obviously Carly's story
is Carly's story. It's for her, it's herr individual journey.
But at the same time, if you're hearing that ping,
if you're getting that feeling like I'm just really being
pulled in a different direction, I'm being called somewhere else,
(25:48):
like answer it, It's okay, it's okay to like pick
up the phone and see, like what's on the other side.
And so, like you're saying, you knew that it was
going to be detrimental to stay in that field, But
let's talk about where you are heading, Like as you're
leaving the field of being an attorney and leaving big
law and even the boutique law firm, But what did
(26:09):
you feel is your calling?
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Like what are you up to now?
Speaker 3 (26:12):
Yes, so.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
My calling my I think of purpose. A lot of
people attach purpose to their career.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
I think that my purpose is legit. It's very simple.
It can be placed almost in one word. My purpose
is to inspire, point blank period. I remember actually coming
to this realization crossing the street my second year of
law school.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I remember exactly where I was, and I just like.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
It hit me that, like, oh, that's my purpose, Like
I'm here to inspire, and I don't even it just
it just happened, and I just I just knew because
it's and it hit me because it's like it's my
favorite compliment that I ever receive. Like you can tell
me all the things, you can tell me that you
like my smile, or like I have on a cute dress,
or you know that I'm a you know, a good person.
(26:58):
All of that's great, of course, But like when people
tell me I inspired them in some way, I get goosebumps,
full body chills, like I could almost cry, like it
feels so good to me. And so for me, that
is my purpose. And I think that the ways in
which I am now led to inspire are through diverse
(27:18):
meditative practices like meditation, breath work, and yoga. For me,
those have been the most inspiring things for me. So
now I use those as tools to inspire others. And
this inspiration is too to just find your own personal
sense of freedom. Right, That's what meditation, breathwork, and yoga
(27:39):
did for me. It gave me this freedom that I
had never experienced. Freedom from my mental anguish, freedom from
stress and anxiety, freedom from you know, critical self talk,
freedom from really hating myself. Freedom, freedom from you know,
a lot of pain and trauma that I had held
(28:00):
onto for years and decades. It freed me from so
much that I didn't even know was holding me back.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
I had no.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Idea because I was not aware. And so it increased
this self awareness because you're sitting with self now and
you're focusing on the breath now in ways that you've
never done before, most of us. And so there's now
this time and space in between you and your thoughts,
in between you and your emotions, in between you and
your actions that you don't ever take the time. Most
(28:28):
of us don't ever take the time to notice, because
we're always on we're always on the go, we're always
on the move, we're always watching TV, we're always on
our phones, we're always doing something to keep us distracted,
because sometimes it's too hard to just even sit with yourself.
You don't like what you're thinking, you don't like what
your feeling, so we numb, we distract, and its habitual,
so we don't even realize we're doing it right. And
(28:51):
so that's what it gave me. It gave me the
sense of freedom, and once I tasted it, I couldn't
go back, and I want to just offer that to
everyone because I think every body really just deserves to
feel what I feel, and that's all I want to do.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
That was beautiful, It was inspiring, It.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Really was though.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I'm like, that's you touched on so many really good
things there, and I actually want to kind of circle back,
circle to the top of that conversation where you were saying,
you realize that purpose and career are two separate things, right,
and how meditation gave you that freedom, which it sounds
like you may have already had a pretty good idea
(29:33):
that like, hey, I am not my career. But in
thinking about purpose and career being separate and a lot
of people feeling that they're very intertwined. I personally, I
was in HR for ten years and I very much
so identified as Chris from HR, and there was a
grieving period when I finally said, you know what, that
career is not for me anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
And I had to figure out, like, well, who am
I without that career? You know, and grieve this grieve
walking away from ten.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Years of building something you know, of building connections and
building skills and all that. And I finally realized like
through after long grieving process. I mean it took me
over a year to kind of recover from walking away
from that career and also the burnout.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Like let's be real, burnoutoo, it's so real.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
But I finally realized, like you're saying, my purpose is
not my career, I am somebody different. And I want
to speak to the folks that are having a hard
time separating the two, right, and what is my purpose
is it?
Speaker 2 (30:37):
If it's not my career, what is it?
Speaker 1 (30:40):
And if you can speak to like how you figured
out that your purpose was not your career, that your
purpose was to inspire.
Speaker 4 (30:48):
I think one way to figure out your purpose is
to really just I think it takes the ability to
to really separate yourself from everything else. Right, So if
you can just sit down and just be like asking yourself,
who am I? And that's a hard question for a
(31:09):
lot of us to answer because we do think I
am a lawyer, I am a sister, I am a daughter,
I am you know, a employee, I am you know
I am these things? But that is these are roles,
these are titles, These are things that you are to others, Right,
who are you?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
To you?
Speaker 3 (31:28):
And only you?
Speaker 4 (31:29):
Right, I am not a lawyer to me and only me,
Like I do not advise myself on legal matters, so
I am like I am a lawyer to people who
need someone to interpret the law for them, but I
am I am intrinsically just not a lawyer, Like that's
not what I came into this earth to be. But
like when I was born, I'm sure right that in
(31:52):
some way I inspired my parents. That is intrinsic, right,
you know, like as soon as they had their firstborn child,
they were inspired in some way, right, that was always
intrinsic to me.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
I was not a lawyer.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
I was not a sister yet I'm the first born,
so I was not a sister like I even like
I wasn't these other titles that people put on me.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
So what is intrinsic to you?
Speaker 4 (32:15):
I think looking for me another thing was like looking
up the ways and people, which the ways in which
people compliment you and which lights you up the most?
Most of us, of course, we like being complimented on
our appearance, right or some work that we did and
we did a good job, but that is not them
complimenting you. And what's something that is like that is
(32:35):
your meat suit that they are complimenting, But that from
change if you get by a bus tomorrow, right, like
that that is ever changing, ever evolving. So your beauty,
while we all have our own beauty, it's not who
you are, right that is, it's in the eye of
the beholder. So that is also something that only matters
to the person looking upon you. So you have to
(32:57):
find the compliments that are not tied to something external.
But what makes you feel so good when someone says
it like top tier, did someone say, oh my god,
you have you hold space so beautifully, like I always
feel at home when I'm with you. Because then that's
your purpose, right, that might be your purpose to just
be a spaceholder to show people what it's like to
(33:18):
come home to themselves. Or do people tell you that
you know when I'm around you, like I just feel
like so much peace, And maybe that's your purpose is
to be a symbol of peace or.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
You know things like that.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
So like, what are the compliments you receive in which
ones really align with you and make you feel like,
you know, out.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Of this world?
Speaker 4 (33:39):
And I think a third thing to do when we're
considering what is my purpose and not marrying it to
my job, or my career or my you know, my
expectations from my family or whatever it is. I think
it's just knowing that whatever you say, your purpose can
(33:59):
I think it can change. I think it can develop.
I think it can morph over time. And so it's
just for me to say that my purpose right now
is to inspire does not mean I don't think that's
necessarily going away. But I do think that maybe it
can change shape, it can morph over time, maybe something
adds into it, right like, maybe it's to inspire and
(34:21):
to hold space. So I think when you're considering these things,
also consider that it doesn't have to be this one
stagnant thing, but allow your purpose to be living, allow
it to be breathing, Allow it to be ever changing
and ever developing, because you always are. And so the
more that you learn and experience and grow, that is
going to be integrated into your purpose and then shown
(34:44):
out through you.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
Oof.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
That was beautiful. That was really really beautiful, and so
well said. I especially love the last part about your
purpose evolving, and it speaks to the idea that impermanence
is the only permanent right, change is the only constant,
and being open to that is such a huge plus
(35:07):
for anyone, right, Like if you can be open to
the idea that maybe you won't be in the same
career field for thirty five years, which I know our
generation is very open to eat. We switch every two years,
okay on the long end. But for other folks that
maybe maybe they're older, or maybe they they only have
been taught that there's one option, Right, there's so many
(35:30):
options out there. Be open and try and if it
doesn't work for you, you can always go back, right if
you don't like what you tried, that's okay. It doesn't
have to eat the very last thing, right, It's not
the end all be all. So I love this idea
of your purpose evolving and very much so just being
open to that. Yeah, I think I think that's going
(35:52):
to be key for a lot of folks and realizing like, oh,
I do.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Have other options.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
You know, I can't try something and go back if
I don't like it, or I can try something and
if I love it, like maybe I'll follow that.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
I also think in line with purpose in trying to
figure it out, does it fit? I am a big
believer in like the four pillars that I have, So
does this purpose that you have figured out or that
you have named, does it also align with these four pillars?
Speaker 3 (36:22):
And you know, I think.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
Finding out your four values, your four pillars, however you
want to call it, of your life can be really
really changed, really really affirming. And again that can evolve
and change over time, especially if you get to know
yourself better through certain practices like meditation or breath work,
So that will change and evolve and you'll get more
and more in tune with yourself. But for me, inspiration
(36:45):
falls squarely into all four pillars. It makes me feel free, right,
It makes me feel at ease and full of wellness.
It makes me feel like I have a deep connection
with the other person, like there's some sort of intimacy
if they've been inspired by me, they're clearly connected to me, right.
And it also what didn't I say? It also brings
up this sense of uh, I'm missing one?
Speaker 3 (37:08):
What is my fourth pillar? What didn't I say? I said?
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
In spirituality, in spirituality and self development, there we go
like what am I missing? And it brings worth that
like me inspiring that to me, to me, purpose is spiritual.
It's not it's not logical, it's not this egoic thing.
It's not of the world for me. Purpose is a
very spiritual thing which your soul decided to come here
(37:33):
to illuminate. And so this if I am walking in purpose,
I'm walking in my spirituality.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
Period. And we're walking on the move. That is not ease.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
Okay, running in summer right now while we're recording, it's
too damn hot to be running anywhere. So we are
walking into ease, right And I want to walk people
in to learning more about Meditation Circle, Like, let's talk
about how you've taken your four pillars and really built
on them and are now like, hey, I want to
(38:10):
reach out and inspire other people. I want to help
them connect with themselves, which is again really beautiful.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
And I've heard nothing but good things.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I've gotten a chance to participate in a very early
like almost say, test run of Meditation Circle when you
first were getting started. But tell us more about what
Meditation Circle is and how you decided to bring your
inspiration that lives inside outside to share with other people.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Yes, I love talking about Meditation Circle.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
So Meditation Circle is my baby. We officially launched the
company March first of twenty twenty three. We're recording this
now August second, So what is that March April, May, June, July, August.
Five months in business, So that's exciting. Yay, it's a
baby baby. It is a baby baby, but it's my
(39:03):
baby and I love my baby. So Meditation Circle is
a wellness company that is focused on diverse meditative practices
like meditation, breathwork, and yoga. I'm fully certified in meditation, breathwork,
in yoga. I have a certification in the Fundamentals of
breath Work Fundamental or I'm sorry, certification in the Integrated
(39:25):
Energy Healing, which includes training in breathwork, energy healing, and meditation.
And then I'm certified as a two hundred hour registered
Yoga teacher, which also includes some meditation training. So I
have all my certifications. But you know, with Meditation Circle,
the aim really is to help individuals, groups in communities
(39:48):
as well as corporations, find wellness, find ease, find that
first taste of freedom, and really hopefully learn to compound
on that and build, you know, a sustainable practice in
some way. I really want to introduce these tools that
have really just changed my life in such incredible ways
(40:12):
to other people. So some of the ways in which
I do that is maybe hosting events virtually or or
in real life. So that is one way in which
people can you know, sign up and just come in
to these public events. But what I really really love
is I love taking one on one clients. That is,
(40:33):
you know, working with someone one on one and even
just one container or even over a long form is
beautiful to me. Watching and helping someone over time really
develop that practice that really really speaks to my soul.
I really like helping people one on one. And then
another thing that I love as a part of my
business is going back into the corporate settings, back into
(40:55):
the law firms, back into you know, the fortune five
hundred companies, back into these settings and introducing you know,
wellness in some capacity, meditation, breathwork, yoga to these overworked, overstressed,
overwhelmed individuals who are suffering from maybe burnout or on
productivity or lack of focus or just you know, overwhelmed
(41:18):
from their existence. Generally, I want to bring that to
them and help them realize that, like, there's something better.
You don't have to be so stressed out, you don't
have to be suffering like this. You can take a
couple of minutes a day and start to alleviate. It
doesn't have to be this long, arduous process. You can
start very small to alleviate some of these symptoms and
(41:41):
get back in tune with who you are. And so
that is Those are the ways in which Medicate Meditation
Circle operates definitely for the individual, for the community, and
for the corporation.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
Come on now, come on now wherever, Carly will meet you,
wherever you are. I love that, like as an individual
or like you're saying, going back into the corporate setting,
which I think is so needed.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
Right.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
A lot of organizations will offer, you know, three sessions
with a therapist or three sessions of some type of
like meditation or yoga or something like that through their
employee assistance program, but that's always enough.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
It's hard to get to.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Some of these things, right, or you're trying to call
it to get into make an appointment and it's like, sorry,
we're booked for the next six months because everybody stressed out.
So going through the actual corporate setting I think is
really powerful and it's also very it's again ease. It
creates ease for the folks that are there. They can
just come and meet you and they're like, oh wow,
(42:43):
I didn't know I needed these six minutes away from
my desk, away from my phone, just reconnecting to self.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Yeah, it's and it's always, it's always great. I love
the corporate space because everyone's so skeptical.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
They're so skeptical. Like the people who.
Speaker 4 (42:56):
Come into like the events, they kind of have maybe
a baseline like, oh, this is what I want to do.
I saw it on event, right, so like, let me
go do something that I do. But the corporate space
is everyone's usually so skeptical. They look, they're side eyeing me,
like what is this girl talking about? You know, I
do my presentation and then you know, we get into
it and I usually I like to do I always
(43:17):
like to lead with breathwork because I think it helps
people just chill out first. And by the end there's
always someone in tears. There's always someone like I didn't
know that's what I needed. Like they're always just amazed,
and so that brings me such joy too, because it's
like just you got a glimpse, you got a taste,
you have thirty minutes here or whatever, you know, whatever
(43:38):
your organization paid for, and they walk away with something
they didn't know they needed and something that is healing.
I actually was reading reviews from the last corporate event
I did, and one person said, I feel relaxed, refreshed
and somehow cleansed.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
I didn't know I needed that. And I was like
that that is beautiful.
Speaker 4 (43:58):
And the person who said I was like, this person
was so skeptical when they walk in the room.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
So that is that's always one of my favorite parts.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Next on a Big quit.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
But what has the response been like to you sharing
so openly about your journey?
Speaker 4 (44:14):
So that's been interesting. From the strangers on TikTok's they've resonated.
They have always said things like thank you for sharing,
or I'm going through this too, or you know, this
is really inspiring in some capacity, right, But from like
friends and family, you know, you can kind of see
on TikTok who views it, whether they like it or not.
Speaker 3 (44:35):
You can see them views.
Speaker 4 (44:37):
And it's been interesting because a lot of my friends
from my college or you know, prior to law school
in my life, they view every TikTok that they don't
like it.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Join us in the next episode as we discuss the
journey of sharing online and hearing about your decisions in
real life. If you want to keep up with Carly
Michelle in the meantime, all of her information is linked
in the show notes. I hope you enjoyed this episode
of The Big Quit with Chris. It's been such a
good conversation and there's more to come. Subscribe and follow
to the show wherever you get your podcasts, and join
(45:13):
us as we share stories of the question, Embrace change,
navigate uncertainties, and create a life fill with purpose.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
Fulfillment and fun.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Duh, this is the Big Create with Chris, where the
end is only the start of something incredible.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
Remember, quitters win to
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