When Your Persona Becomes a Prison

What if you could feel more like yourself, have the energy and motivation you imagine AND create meaningful change in the world. It’s not a pipe dream.

If you have ever felt 

• like you’re missing something 
• Like there’s an answer just beyond your grasp
• smaller than you know yourself to be
• as if you just weren’t living up to your full potential
• not as happy as you should be

Today’s podcast has answers -and tools- for you!

This week, Maren and Stephanie pull apart the very means to freeing our essence, our energy and our potential - the shadow parts of ourselves. The parts we tuck away are the parts that hold both our gifts and our energy.

“If we cannot look inside to the ‘dark’ places, we will run from them and our life will become very small and restricted.” - Stephanie

The shadow is anything that we neglect or deny in ourselves. We learned early to squash down and turn away from aspects that were shamed, feared or even misunderstood. We created acceptable personas as masks - and we use them in every aspect of our lives. 

The problem is that 1. We get so used to the persona we forget that it's actually not us 2. Our essence, our energy and our life force are all tucked in the shadow and 3. Not being ourselves takes a toll, a toll that gets heavier and more painful with each passing year.

The good news is, it’s all changeable. And this podcast is the perfect place to start.

Be sure to listen to the end where you’ll find 

• great questions to help you uncover (and embrace) more of your essence
• inspiration from the 13th century poet Rumi 
• a process for identifying your shadow parts so you can reclaim your gifts and energy 

Chapters

• 2:04 your glass ceiling
• 5:39 adaptations for the unacceptable within
• 7:05 disassociation and how to recognize the shadow
• 10:51 compassion, ah there you are
• 12:36 making space and embracing the parts
• 16:05 agreements and shadow agreements
• 20:48 who would I be if I weren’t…
• 22:00 this is for more than ourselves
• 23:56 a process of self discovery and self healing- build your root system
• 27:03 Rumi’s The Guest House

TRANSCRIPT

YouTube Video

23:19 Mel Robbins’ "Let Them" - Two Opposing Views

The Guest House

Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

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