April 24, 2025 • 35 mins
Can movement heal trauma? In this transformative conversation, Michael Cole welcomes Veronica Vasquez, an extraordinary practitioner who blends social-emotional learning, dance, and energy work to help people overcome their deepest challenges.
Veronica's journey from "failed dancer" to healing facilitator reveals the profound connection between our physical movements and emotional wellbeing. Once struggling with her own limitations—unable to remember choreography and feeling like an outsider in traditional dance—she discovered these perceived weaknesses were actually gateways to her unique gift: helping others process emotions through intuitive movement.
The discussion explores how our body posture and movement patterns reveal our internal emotional landscape. Veronica shares her revolutionary approach that begins each session with spoken affirmations before incorporating movement patterns that challenge the brain and release trapped emotions. This integration creates powerful breakthroughs, particularly for those with physical limitations or emotional trauma.
A mother's testimony about her daughter with cerebral palsy stands as powerful evidence: "Veronica talks to her about her abilities, not her disabilities." After months in Veronica's program, the child accomplished movements her mother never thought possible. Similar transformations happen for veterans processing PTSD, as movement creates new neural pathways that help redefine traumatic experiences.
For those seeking healing—whether from physical limitations, emotional wounds, or the invisible scars of military service—Veronica offers three practical steps: document your strengths alongside your challenges, take mindful walks to practice presence, and recognize recurring thoughts as signals of unprocessed trauma requiring attention.
Through her nonprofit JMM Dance Co. and mindset journal for children, Veronica continues expanding her impact. Ready to experience how movement might transform your emotional landscape? Connect with Veronica or explore the resources at empowerperformancestrategies.com to begin your journey toward embodied healing.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to your Thoughts, your Reality with
Michael Cole, the podcast thatshines a compassionate light on
the journey of veterans battlingthrough life's challenges.
Michael is a dual elitecertified neuro encoding
specialist in coaching andkeynote training presentations
dedicated to guiding militaryveterans as they navigate the
intricate pathways ofpost-deployment life.
(00:23):
Join him as we delve into theprofound realm of neuroencoding
science, empowering these braveindividuals to conquer universal
battles procrastination,self-doubt, fear and more.
Together, let's uncover thestrength within you to re-engage
with families and society,forging a new path forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hello, hello, hello everybody.
Hey, so we had some tech issues.
We're here and life is good.
So for some reason my emaildidn't want to work and blah,
blah, blah.
So today I'm super excited wehave Veronica Vasquez.
Veronica is an expert inintegrating social-emotional
learning, fitness, dance andenergy work to combat stress and
(01:11):
burnout.
She has a personal connectionto the military community
through her veteran uncle andcousin.
She specializes in holistichealing by combining mental and
physical wellness strategies.
And Veronica is passionateabout helping individuals build
resilience and manage emotionsthrough movement and mindfulness
.
So super excited to have you on, veronica.
(01:33):
So tell us a little bit moreabout yourself, if you will,
please.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Awesome.
Hi, michael.
Well, thank you so much forhaving me.
I'm super excited to be here.
Yay, you so much for having me.
I'm super excited to be here,yay.
So I am a person who is superpassionate about helping people
find their unique thing thatmakes them light up.
So since I was a little girl, Iremember that the one thing I
(02:02):
always wanted to do in the worldwas unite people from different
paths to just understand eachother and see how valuable they
are.
As a person, that was alwaysand has always been.
I don't think I've changedwhat's been the most important
thing to me and all of theventures that I do.
I started at a really young agedancing.
(02:23):
I love dancing and that hastaken me down a path of teaching
, entrepreneurship, traininginstructors to fitness and just
exploring different ways ofsupporting people through
fitness and and and and gettingdifferent, all these
certifications and things tovalue, to bring value to my work
(02:46):
.
But essentially, as a kid, whereit started was I love to dance,
I had health issues and I had adad who was a mental health
therapist and for me,understanding psychology was
just like, it was just normal tome and that's, I think, my
(03:08):
first in like my firstunderstanding of like being so
intuitive with people's feelingsand, of course, I believe I do
have a gift in that area.
But that's kind of where itstarted and where I am now is.
I'm the founder of JMM Dance Co.
A nonprofit that helps peoplethrough bringing mental health
awareness through socialemotional learning with dance,
(03:30):
and I'm also the founder ofElizaron, which is a company
that combines everything that Ido from selling curriculums to
teaching, training people in thedance and fitness world.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Fantastic.
I love that.
You know and here's the thing,right is, I don't really dance,
unless I have a little tequila,you know.
Then I think I can dance right.
But all jokes aside, it is sofreeing when you just move your
body and it's so good for ourmindset and our emotion, etc.
(04:04):
So it's super cool that we haveyou on here.
So thank you for being on.
Before we really get started, Iwant to remind people there I
pointed the wrong way.
On the right top right-handcorner of your screen is a blue
QR code that takes you toempowerperformancestrategiescom
Again for people listening onthe podcast forums later and
power performance strategiescom.
(04:26):
There are free eBooks that I'vewritten.
There are Facebook groups forboth veterans and their families
.
It'll be part of our, our ourmission be part of our community
.
So check that out.
There's all kinds of resourcesthere.
So, with that said, veronica,you ready to get started.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yes, I'm super stoked .
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Fantastic.
So I know you kind of touchedbase a little bit on it.
But what kind of really madeyou move into that journey into
social, emotional learning,fitness, dance and energy, work
and being begin, and whatinspired you to combine these
practices, what really put itall together for you to really
(05:05):
get started doing it?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think the day that I realized was the day I decided
to close my dance studio.
Doesn't sound very good.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It's funny, veronica.
When things like that happenand for whatever reason, we're
like, oh man, my life just gotturned upside down.
It's kind of crazy what opensup and where we move into the
next realm of our lives to findfulfillment and things Right.
So I'm assuming that kind ofworked for you as well.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
It did so as a kid.
I was a special individual andI just saw the world differently
and um, whether that was, Imean I had.
I had what they call attentiondeficit disorder.
I don't like to call that, butI just I see the world
(05:59):
differently and um, and withthat being said, I also had
health problems.
So for me, dancing andexercising wasn't something that
was not just for my healthproblems, but just the culture
that I grew up in.
It wasn't something that wasaccepted, nor was it, I guess,
good for my health.
I'd end up using my inhaler andnebulizer after so those type
(06:23):
of things.
So it made me just want to doit more.
But then also I for me it was anatural connection of
connecting my body with my, withmy emotions, because I had a
hard time speaking up, sometimesnot because I didn't want to
speak, but because I feltmisunderstood.
I would notice and understandthings differently Most of the
(06:44):
time people would be like Idon't know what you're saying
and I'd be so mad.
It's like how do you not knowwhat I'm saying?
But I was just seeing whatpeople were not seeing.
And when I started teaching Iwas 16 years old.
I had already been dancing, fordefinitely my gift is dance.
Had been dancing all my lifeJazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical.
(07:06):
I've been in competition teams.
I had been in doing nineseasons of mega performances for
like a mega church of 1000s ofpeople twice a year.
It was like huge performancesthat I would be in.
So when I started teaching dance, I thought I'm teaching dance
like anybody else is what youknow dance?
(07:26):
I thought I'm teaching dancelike anybody else is what you
know.
That's how I saw that.
So I thought apparently thatwas not happening.
And and so, five years later,after running my studio and
working with kids of at risk use, special needs students or in
like individuals with withdifferent abilities, and like
people, people that had mentalhealth issues happening who were
(07:49):
coming to my dance and fitnessclasses as an avenue for healing
rather than for skill yes, Ijust didn't know I was doing
that.
So I was like I'm not hittingthe mark until finally I just I
decided you know what, god, this, this is not my calling to own
a dance studio, and I'm going togo back and figure out what my
(08:11):
calling is, because in thatmoment, when I decided to close,
had two locations, I realizedthat there was more to Veronica
than teaching dance for a skillset, and that's when my whole
world changed and I startedgoing into a very different path
and understanding what my giftstruly were.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, that's really fantastic.
It really is.
You know so many people.
First of all, let me just taketwo steps back and say so many
people would not have thecourage to do that in the first
place, to find what theirfulfillment or what their life's
purpose is.
So, you know, congratulationsto you, first of all, for having
(08:53):
the courage to do that.
Number two, finding somethingthat helps so many people.
You know I can't commend thatenough, so so bravo.
So when you, when you, when youmade that move you know what,
what was some of the things thatyou know you really wanted to
focus on, on the people youwanted to help people when they
(09:27):
were coming to my classes orprograms.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
One of the things that would be said regularly was
you just have so much energy.
When I come into the class withyou, I feel like a different
energy just comes into my body,and at first I was like, oh yeah
, you know I would.
I was really young, I wouldthink.
At first it was just after awhile started to click with me
this is not what we're talkingabout.
Also, like it was just after awhile started to click with me
this is not what we're talkingabout.
Also, like it was just thewords that people would say that
(09:50):
started to click to me.
For me, it was at that moment Irealized that I really wanted to
help people from differentwalks of life truly step into
who they are and empower them,and I knew that to do that, I
needed to be able to fullyexplain what I do in my own,
(10:16):
with my own curriculums, with myown type of system.
And it didn't fit the mold of adance class.
It didn't fit the mold of afitness class.
It didn't fit the mold of justenergy work by itself and and
and that's kind of that's whereit started.
I mean, it's definitely been ajourney from there.
At that time, I was actuallypregnant with my son.
(10:39):
It was definitely hard anddifficult to say the least, the
decision I had to make.
I wanted to have a franchise asa dance studio and it was
difficult for me to say, hey,I'm stepping away from these two
locations because I know thatwhat I want to create is
something else.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Right and so when you have started, obviously you've
started it and you're successfulat it.
So when you, when you startedit, what are some of the key
things that you see helps withyou know, with people say, you
know, again, we're going tobring it back to veterans and
their families, but I think mostof it is the human condition,
it's stress, it's overwhelm,it's you know all of these, you
(11:22):
know things that humans dealwith in general.
So what are some of the thingsthat you see or have you know?
People told you hey, man, thishas really helped with you know
this.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Give me, give me some thoughts on you know, so that
so people listening can get moreof an idea, idea of what at all
can help so what, um, whatpeople are saying that is
helping with the way that theyview themselves, the way that
kids uh, I work a lot with kidsso, um, a lot of the kids can
(11:58):
express their emotionsdifferently.
When they showed up, they canlabel how it is that they're
feeling, as opposed to beforethey started working with us.
They could be feeling angry andsay I'm happy or whatnot, and
just being able to label theemotions and parents saying, hey
(12:19):
, you know, I'm not, I'm evenlike because it takes a while
for people to recognize what'sgoing on.
But what I hear from most, mostpeople when they don't
recognize what's going on isyour dance class is very
different than my, than my kidsgo to other classes.
My child leaves very confidenthere and is so happy and just
(12:44):
saying that they want to like athome, want to be dancing like
Miss Veronica, but what I'mseeing them do is like teaching
us or or building or like justlooking really confident, and I
didn't see that before theystarted coming to your class.
Uh, what adults will say is Ifeel so much more confident.
I feel like I understand how mybody and my mind are connecting
(13:09):
, as opposed to I didn'trecognize before, being self
aware of.
A lot of times I'll say like,like.
They'll say like I condition,or I have um, I, I have like
arthritis in my hands and Ididn't really recognize how much
power I actually have to liketo heal um, to heal from, from
(13:35):
the pains that I'm feeling, andhow much they're tied to emotion
.
And those are the feedbacksthat I get, that people
recognize and understand thatmany of their like once working
with me or working with ourprograms, that we have that
their pain in the body, how muchit's connected to the mental
(13:57):
situation that is going on intheir mind, whether it's a
trauma, whether it is a like, afeeling that they've.
Maybe you know some people havedepression for so long they
don't even recognize that thatit's not normal to be depressed.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Yeah, Right yeah, it just becomes.
It becomes part of theiridentity, literally.
Right yeah, absolutely.
So give us, give us some, somethoughts, if you will, on the
difference behind body movementthat connects into the emotional
and the mental mindsets, andhow the hormones well, you'll
(14:34):
discuss it, but I'm just goingto say what I'm going to say.
The hormones are things thatare released when we move our
body and change our physiology.
Tell us some of your thoughtson how that really connects.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
It connects tremendously so just
psychologically, from the waythat we walk or sit, shows so
much to what's happeningenergetically and from a mindset
perspective that I believe mostpeople are not fully aware of
the energy or the, the bodyposture that is causing the way
(15:14):
that they're feeling and whatthey're manifesting out into the
world.
And once people recognize it,then they're like oh, now I'm
aware and it.
But it also takes.
It's not only like okay, I'mdoing and I'm aware, it's like
it's also people wanting to makethat change.
Because one thing is knowing,like that the connection between
(15:35):
my mind and body makes adifference.
The other one is the other partof it is saying hey, I'm going
to do the work every day to beself, to continue to work on
that self-awareness and on thatself-care on on me.
And that's the hardest part.
It's not really knowing thefacts but doing the work into it
(15:59):
.
I do believe we all have traumaor we all have something that
the way that we were born is.
I guess what I'm trying to sayis we all come from different
family backgrounds and eachfamily background carries its
own generational trauma or itsown generational blessings,
(16:21):
right, that's why certain people, certain things are easier than
others.
And with that, when you're ableto recognize, like, what
patterns you've been having inyour mind, in your body, in your
emotions that are creating theoutcomes that you're seeing in
life, then from there you'reable to see, well, what are the
patterns that this person hasthat I?
(16:43):
You know that I want to be like, and how do I now move my body
differently, say different wordsand start to feel differently?
I let's see the way that Iconnect that with people is
what's different about what I dois I won't go into a class and
(17:07):
just start teaching dance orfitness Like I will go into the
class and the first thing that Ido is I give an affirmation to
people.
So if it's kids, I'll dosomething like Hi, everyone Like
I am so excited to be heretoday with you.
Who is excited?
And then you know we go and Igo.
Okay, we're going to start withthe phrase I am fearfully and
(17:29):
wonderfully made, I can dance.
I'm like you're all going tosay it with me.
Are you ready?
Come here, come here.
And then we'll start with thesmall voice I'm like everybody,
I am fearfully and wonderfullymade, I can dance.
Then I go to a medium voice.
And then I go to a really loudvoice because what I'm trying to
do is self-regulate, like getto see who needs self-regulation
(17:50):
, who already has an idea ofself-regulation, and small kids.
And so then I get them allramped up.
And what did I just do?
I just made them say thatthey're fearfully and
wonderfully made and that theycan dance.
So then, without themrecognizing, I'm already had
them from their mouth say thataffirmation before we even start
(18:10):
dancing.
And then when we start moving, Iam having to move between
repetitive patterns.
There's a whole like thing towhat I do If it's adults.
I start off with adults bygiving a phrase to them of
confidence usually gets mostpeople super uncomfortable.
And then I start with patternsof movement that'll throw off
(18:34):
from one style to the other butthat have a mind body connection
to where people say oh, my God,I feel like I had a mental
workout, not a body workout,because we're we're playing
around with patterns, becausewhat I want the body to do is I
want that muscle memory forpeople so that they're not just
(18:54):
following my body because I saidso, but that their body is.
I'm starting to cue themwithout them realizing it, so
that their body's starting to belike curious, of like oh wait,
I don't know how to do that.
Like now they're having tothink, and when someone's having
to think and be challenged,it's going to make them feel
uncomfortable.
It's going to bring out likeit's going to bring out
(19:16):
whatever's in this, whateverdown here, is going to come up
to the surface, and then they'regoing to start to come to a
self-awareness and then fromthere they could be like okay,
what do I want to do with this?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
yeah, I love that.
I love that.
So you know it's.
It's funny that you know.
You know what we think, you knowso we feel as we feel, so we do
and as we do, so we have, andit's literally something that we
learn in neuroencoding and it'sliterally a thought process to
doing you know and how you feel,et cetera.
(19:48):
And it's really cool how you dothis because there's so many
times that you know, when you'rejust sitting still and you're
slumped over and you're in adisabling state where you're
just not moving forward andstuck and again and all those
you know unresourceful patterns,and when you change your body
and your physiology and then youstart moving and you start
(20:11):
thinking about thoseaffirmations or whatever
thoughts that you know.
You are thinking, whether it bein the class or on your own,
and start smiling and dancing,because who doesn't start if
they're not thinking about apattern and dancing?
Right, you're just moving andenjoying it.
You're smiling.
It releases all of theseamazing hormones.
When the 22 muscles in yourface smile, it automatically
(20:32):
releases all of these greathormones that make you feel good
.
And so when you're putting thosethoughts into your own brain in
a class or whatever the casemay be.
It's absolutely magical howenergy and motion emotion, if
you will changes the gamebecause it becomes part of you
(20:53):
and it's so great that you'redoing that.
Can you talk to me a little bitabout maybe somebody specific
that you saw change?
It can be, you know, kid pleasedon't use their name
necessarily on here but a kid oran adult, whatever the case may
be, your husband, you, whateverthe case may be, but of
somebody that you saw, you know,a just a beautiful change in
(21:16):
from being in one of yourclasses or some of the things
you teach.
I'd love to hear that.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yes, and actually I'll put it in the link below Um
, there's, there's a lot, butone uh is actually a testimonial
that I have from one of myprograms moves made for me.
And uh, the parent actually onin the testimony is saying how
I'm making the kids feel inclass, but she says a few things
that um are, are just, are justreally awesome.
(21:44):
She says you know, my daughterhas cerebral palsy and with
cerebral palsy her muscles don'talways like move when they want
to move.
When she wants them to move,there's just like that
disconnection with the brain,right?
She says, and in thetestimonial she talks about how
(22:05):
my daughter's been in a lot ofdifferent classes and she
usually was feeling selfconscious and she wasn't able to
do the exercises.
And Miss Veronica's class I'veseen a tremendous change in her
ability to move because the waythat she's being talked to,
(22:26):
she's being Veronica's talkingto her.
And she says in the testimonynot just my daughter, but all
kids into their abilities, notinto the disabilities, and this
specific class was a class withkids with disabilities, and
she's telling them the potentialof what they can do, not what
they are doing right now, andI've seen my daughter be able to
(22:47):
kick, to start jumping overthings that I didn't even know
she could do.
And after a few months withMiss Veronica, now she's doing
these things.
We've even been able to pullout her braces for a short
amount of time during the class,and these are huge steps for
her is what the mom talks aboutin the testimonial, and that
(23:11):
example is one example that I'veheard so many times with
students with disabilities thatteachers will also mention.
This student wasn't able to dothis three-step follow of a
movement before, and now they'reable to.
Or for me personally, I stoppedfollowing what I was told in
(23:42):
dance classes and that was dueto my.
I had a teacher in college.
She changed the way I saw andviewed dance.
She I remember stepping intothe room and I was so caught up
in like I have to have specificdance steps and I need to look a
(24:05):
certain way and I need toremember the movements, and I
didn't view dance that way.
I I have a hard time countingso I'd be so self-conscious.
And so she did modern dance.
I'm in connection with herstill, but when I learned modern
dance, it opened to switchsomething in me and realizing
(24:29):
like that's what I do when I'mletting this energy flow within
me and then I'm projecting thatonto my students and we are
(25:05):
moving to the flow of thisenergy that is then releasing
the emotions that are trappedinside our bodies.
And when I'm, and so that itmade a change to me of that
realization, and when I'm, andso that it made a change to me
of that realization, and thoseare just a few of them.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Those are fantastic.
Okay, yeah, veronica, those arefantastic.
I mean, can I just stop?
First of all, I just got chills.
We call them God bumps, notgoosebumps.
So when you talk about, when youtalk about you know your, your,
your journey, right, and thecourageousness and braveness of
you saying, ok, I'm going toclose these studios, I'm going
(25:51):
to do this because this is whatI want to do.
And you go back and you look atthis teacher that taught you a
different way, that felt more inintegrity with you, right, and
felt natural for you, becausedance really should be natural,
it should be just a feeling,right, that you know in that
sense.
Of course there's structure andyou know certain aspects when
(26:12):
you're performing I get that.
But when you can release andhave the, there's that emotional
connection with your body andyour, your, your soul, if you
will.
It's such a beautiful thing.
And then here's the craziness Ifshe didn't teach you that,
would you be where you are nowBecause you're open to it?
And that little girl and allthe other kids that you're
(26:33):
changing their lives both nowand they're teaching it to their
parents and they're teaching itto other people how amazing is
the work you're doing.
I mean bravo, it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Absolutely fantastic.
Thank you.
No, I don't think I would if itwere for her.
Actually, she has a retirementcoming up, a retirement party
this Saturday, and I'm going tobe there.
But I don't think I would be ifit weren't for her, because
when she met me at that time I'dbeen dancing already for years
I felt like a complete failure.
(27:07):
I didn't think I was a dancerand um and because of her I've
actually entered theuniversity's dance company and I
was with my studio at the sametime and everything, um, as the
first freshman in the dancecompany, which was unknown,
because she was really able totap into my like, helping me see
(27:29):
the uniqueness of my talent,because I couldn't see it.
All I could see was I'm afailure.
I can't remember dance stepsand I dance all day, three hours
a day, for all theseproductions.
I still can't get it right.
What's wrong with me?
And like?
That's all I could see in myhead, because I wasn't seeing
(27:49):
that I have this gift ofreleasing, of helping people
release energy, and and that theway that I do it is through
movement.
I didn't see that the way thatI do it is through movement.
I didn't see that All I saw wasa failure that couldn't count
to the beat of the music andcouldn't remember what I do for
the sake of it, and I was soself-conscious of it Actually,
though it took me yearsafterwards it's not like it was
(28:12):
an aha moment, right, when itwas like God was working in my
life for years and that healingof me, recognizing it and
healing through my own studentsof being able to stand in front
of people and be okay withmyself, that I don't remember my
own dance steps because yearslater, it came to me that if I'm
(28:34):
doing energy work, the energyis not counts, it's not the same
.
So then I'm moving with the flowof this energy, which is why I
don't remember the dance steps,because I'm dealing with
different energies in the roomand I'm actually very talented
because I can, like, on the spot, choreograph like there's no
(28:55):
tomorrow to different dance andfitness, to different dance and
fitness.
And when I started saying thatto myself and recognizing in my
that in myself, then I wasreally able to step in and be
like hey, I'm proud of who I am,I'm confident in what I do and
this is what I bring to thetable and it's like nothing
you've seen before.
So I am, I'm going to help youand like, and when I'm I wasn't
(29:18):
in that.
Then of course you know it'slike, it's like you're, it's
like if you're giving an appleto someone that wants an orange.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Totally so, hey, so when we're done with this and
we're at the end of the show, itflew by.
But I want to give you sometips for you and your students,
some neuro encoding tips.
So just, we'll talk after theshow.
So so, really quick.
How do people reach out to youif they're interested in
learning more about what you do?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Info at jmmdancecoorg is our email.
Jmm Dance Co is a nonprofit.
They can look up at JMM DanceCo online Also.
Just a quick thing I justrecently authored a journal that
is a mindset journal for kidsand we do have through our
(30:08):
nonprofit initiative of gettingthese books into as many schools
as we can in California.
So we're definitely looking forpeople who may want to donate.
Buy one book and it gives abook free to another kid.
It's a wonderful book thathelps kids understand the
practices of journaling.
And at Veronica Vasquez Garciaon Facebook or on Instagram and
(30:39):
just my site,veronicavasquezgarciacom.
Those are ways to connect withme.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely love it.
So, and if you can, please feelfree to all of our social media
.
Go in there and put all yourinformation in there later on,
you know, when you get a chance,the more we can help your
mission.
We're absolutely.
We're in all on on allcylinders, so please put your
info in there.
And then, if you can, givethree simple tips to get
veterans and their familiesfurther faster.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Three tips that I have is one get a paper and
write down all the qualities ofwho you are, and even as a
family writing down thequalities of as a family, what
are your strengths and then, onthe other side, writing down
(31:31):
what are those things in yourhead that are coming up, that
are like, depending on what youbelieve in the demons and
Christianity or just theblockages or whatnot and write
them on the other side so thatyou're able to see first, like
these are all the qualities oflike who we are as a family, who
we are as, and these are.
(31:53):
These are the things that wemay be struggling with right now
, but then at the end, finding avalue, like I know for me and
my family.
Every year we create our valuesas a family and our values as
individuals, and they changewith the seasons.
Right and when we can have thatin front of us and see who we
are, then, regardless of whatseason we're going through and
(32:15):
like and what trauma we may belike going throughout the moment
, then, when we have it on paper, we're able to see.
So that's number one.
Number two is taking walks,taking walks in the mornings and
(32:36):
just allowing yourself to beable to be fully in the presence
of this moment right now.
And then tip number three is toum, to take time to really
release things that may.
If there's memories, if there'sthings that that that that keep
(32:56):
coming to you, though thatthat's a signal, that that's,
that's something that you that'sa trauma or something you
haven't released.
So, especially if you're goingthrough PS, um, um I have a hard
time with my words sometimes,but P P, s, t, um, um and uh,
and and you're having likememories that come up of, of
trauma, of whatever that waslike being um.
(33:19):
Like I said, being able torecognize like this is not just
one passing thought, but this issomething that I need to work
on, to release it, because it'snot who I am.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
That's fantastic.
And you know, with PTSD I thinkyou're trying to say PTSD,
right- yes that's it.
Well, I knew so a lot of times.
You know, with that trauma, thetrauma generally happens once
and we relive it because it getsstuck, because we haven't
processed it and released itwith a different definition.
Ptsd can be helped removed,released, if you will, when you
(33:57):
find a new definition of what itmeant to you, and then your
brain can actually release it.
And so that's an absolutelygreat tip.
Lean into that and do some workon it, because it keeps coming
up.
Absolutely.
Love it, veronica, you'reabsolutely fantastic.
Thank you for being on the show, as always.
I always tell people that timeis the most precious resource we
(34:20):
have as human beings.
We do not get it back.
So thank you for spending someof your time with us and some of
your minutes of your life withus.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Thank you, thank you Michael, thank you everyone.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Absolutely, and everybody we're out of here.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you for joining us on another insightful
journey of your Thoughts yourReality podcast with your host,
michael Cole.
We hope the conversationsparked some thoughts that
resonate with you.
To dive deeper into empoweringyour thoughts and enhancing your
reality, visitempowerperformancestrategiescom.
Remember your thoughts shapeyour reality, so make them count
(34:58):
.
Until next time, stay inspiredand keep creating the reality
you desire.
Catch you on the next episode.
Welcome to your Thoughts, your Reality with
Michael Cole, the podcast thatshines a compassionate light on
the journey of veterans battlingthrough life's challenges.
Michael is a dual elitecertified neuro encoding
specialist in coaching andkeynote training presentations
dedicated to guiding militaryveterans as they navigate the
intricate pathways ofpost-deployment life.
(00:23):
Join him as we delve into theprofound realm of neuroencoding
science, empowering these braveindividuals to conquer universal
battles procrastination,self-doubt, fear and more.
Together, let's uncover thestrength within you to re-engage
with families and society,forging a new path forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hello, hello, hello everybody.
Hey, so we had some tech issues.
We're here and life is good.
So for some reason my emaildidn't want to work and blah,
blah, blah.
So today I'm super excited wehave Veronica Vasquez.
Veronica is an expert inintegrating social-emotional
learning, fitness, dance andenergy work to combat stress and
(01:11):
burnout.
She has a personal connectionto the military community
through her veteran uncle andcousin.
She specializes in holistichealing by combining mental and
physical wellness strategies.
And Veronica is passionateabout helping individuals build
resilience and manage emotionsthrough movement and mindfulness
.
So super excited to have you on, veronica.
(01:33):
So tell us a little bit moreabout yourself, if you will,
please.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Awesome.
Hi, michael.
Well, thank you so much forhaving me.
I'm super excited to be here.
Yay, you so much for having me.
I'm super excited to be here,yay.
So I am a person who is superpassionate about helping people
find their unique thing thatmakes them light up.
So since I was a little girl, Iremember that the one thing I
(02:02):
always wanted to do in the worldwas unite people from different
paths to just understand eachother and see how valuable they
are.
As a person, that was alwaysand has always been.
I don't think I've changedwhat's been the most important
thing to me and all of theventures that I do.
I started at a really young agedancing.
(02:23):
I love dancing and that hastaken me down a path of teaching
, entrepreneurship, traininginstructors to fitness and just
exploring different ways ofsupporting people through
fitness and and and and gettingdifferent, all these
certifications and things tovalue, to bring value to my work
(02:46):
.
But essentially, as a kid, whereit started was I love to dance,
I had health issues and I had adad who was a mental health
therapist and for me,understanding psychology was
just like, it was just normal tome and that's, I think, my
(03:08):
first in like my firstunderstanding of like being so
intuitive with people's feelingsand, of course, I believe I do
have a gift in that area.
But that's kind of where itstarted and where I am now is.
I'm the founder of JMM Dance Co.
A nonprofit that helps peoplethrough bringing mental health
awareness through socialemotional learning with dance,
(03:30):
and I'm also the founder ofElizaron, which is a company
that combines everything that Ido from selling curriculums to
teaching, training people in thedance and fitness world.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Fantastic.
I love that.
You know and here's the thing,right is, I don't really dance,
unless I have a little tequila,you know.
Then I think I can dance right.
But all jokes aside, it is sofreeing when you just move your
body and it's so good for ourmindset and our emotion, etc.
(04:04):
So it's super cool that we haveyou on here.
So thank you for being on.
Before we really get started, Iwant to remind people there I
pointed the wrong way.
On the right top right-handcorner of your screen is a blue
QR code that takes you toempowerperformancestrategiescom
Again for people listening onthe podcast forums later and
power performance strategiescom.
(04:26):
There are free eBooks that I'vewritten.
There are Facebook groups forboth veterans and their families
.
It'll be part of our, our ourmission be part of our community
.
So check that out.
There's all kinds of resourcesthere.
So, with that said, veronica,you ready to get started.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yes, I'm super stoked .
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Fantastic.
So I know you kind of touchedbase a little bit on it.
But what kind of really madeyou move into that journey into
social, emotional learning,fitness, dance and energy, work
and being begin, and whatinspired you to combine these
practices, what really put itall together for you to really
(05:05):
get started doing it?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I think the day that I realized was the day I decided
to close my dance studio.
Doesn't sound very good.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It's funny, veronica.
When things like that happenand for whatever reason, we're
like, oh man, my life just gotturned upside down.
It's kind of crazy what opensup and where we move into the
next realm of our lives to findfulfillment and things Right.
So I'm assuming that kind ofworked for you as well.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
It did so as a kid.
I was a special individual andI just saw the world differently
and um, whether that was, Imean I had.
I had what they call attentiondeficit disorder.
I don't like to call that, butI just I see the world
(05:59):
differently and um, and withthat being said, I also had
health problems.
So for me, dancing andexercising wasn't something that
was not just for my healthproblems, but just the culture
that I grew up in.
It wasn't something that wasaccepted, nor was it, I guess,
good for my health.
I'd end up using my inhaler andnebulizer after so those type
(06:23):
of things.
So it made me just want to doit more.
But then also I for me it was anatural connection of
connecting my body with my, withmy emotions, because I had a
hard time speaking up, sometimesnot because I didn't want to
speak, but because I feltmisunderstood.
I would notice and understandthings differently Most of the
(06:44):
time people would be like Idon't know what you're saying
and I'd be so mad.
It's like how do you not knowwhat I'm saying?
But I was just seeing whatpeople were not seeing.
And when I started teaching Iwas 16 years old.
I had already been dancing, fordefinitely my gift is dance.
Had been dancing all my lifeJazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical.
(07:06):
I've been in competition teams.
I had been in doing nineseasons of mega performances for
like a mega church of 1000s ofpeople twice a year.
It was like huge performancesthat I would be in.
So when I started teaching dance, I thought I'm teaching dance
like anybody else is what youknow dance?
(07:26):
I thought I'm teaching dancelike anybody else is what you
know.
That's how I saw that.
So I thought apparently thatwas not happening.
And and so, five years later,after running my studio and
working with kids of at risk use, special needs students or in
like individuals with withdifferent abilities, and like
people, people that had mentalhealth issues happening who were
(07:49):
coming to my dance and fitnessclasses as an avenue for healing
rather than for skill yes, Ijust didn't know I was doing
that.
So I was like I'm not hittingthe mark until finally I just I
decided you know what, god, this, this is not my calling to own
a dance studio, and I'm going togo back and figure out what my
(08:11):
calling is, because in thatmoment, when I decided to close,
had two locations, I realizedthat there was more to Veronica
than teaching dance for a skillset, and that's when my whole
world changed and I startedgoing into a very different path
and understanding what my giftstruly were.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, that's really fantastic.
It really is.
You know so many people.
First of all, let me just taketwo steps back and say so many
people would not have thecourage to do that in the first
place, to find what theirfulfillment or what their life's
purpose is.
So, you know, congratulationsto you, first of all, for having
(08:53):
the courage to do that.
Number two, finding somethingthat helps so many people.
You know I can't commend thatenough, so so bravo.
So when you, when you, when youmade that move you know what,
what was some of the things thatyou know you really wanted to
focus on, on the people youwanted to help people when they
(09:27):
were coming to my classes orprograms.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
One of the things that would be said regularly was
you just have so much energy.
When I come into the class withyou, I feel like a different
energy just comes into my body,and at first I was like, oh yeah
, you know I would.
I was really young, I wouldthink.
At first it was just after awhile started to click with me
this is not what we're talkingabout.
Also, like it was just after awhile started to click with me
this is not what we're talkingabout.
Also, like it was just thewords that people would say that
(09:50):
started to click to me.
For me, it was at that moment Irealized that I really wanted to
help people from differentwalks of life truly step into
who they are and empower them,and I knew that to do that, I
needed to be able to fullyexplain what I do in my own,
(10:16):
with my own curriculums, with myown type of system.
And it didn't fit the mold of adance class.
It didn't fit the mold of afitness class.
It didn't fit the mold of justenergy work by itself and and
and that's kind of that's whereit started.
I mean, it's definitely been ajourney from there.
At that time, I was actuallypregnant with my son.
(10:39):
It was definitely hard anddifficult to say the least, the
decision I had to make.
I wanted to have a franchise asa dance studio and it was
difficult for me to say, hey,I'm stepping away from these two
locations because I know thatwhat I want to create is
something else.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Right and so when you have started, obviously you've
started it and you're successfulat it.
So when you, when you startedit, what are some of the key
things that you see helps withyou know, with people say, you
know, again, we're going tobring it back to veterans and
their families, but I think mostof it is the human condition,
it's stress, it's overwhelm,it's you know all of these, you
(11:22):
know things that humans dealwith in general.
So what are some of the thingsthat you see or have you know?
People told you hey, man, thishas really helped with you know
this.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Give me, give me some thoughts on you know, so that
so people listening can get moreof an idea, idea of what at all
can help so what, um, whatpeople are saying that is
helping with the way that theyview themselves, the way that
kids uh, I work a lot with kidsso, um, a lot of the kids can
(11:58):
express their emotionsdifferently.
When they showed up, they canlabel how it is that they're
feeling, as opposed to beforethey started working with us.
They could be feeling angry andsay I'm happy or whatnot, and
just being able to label theemotions and parents saying, hey
(12:19):
, you know, I'm not, I'm evenlike because it takes a while
for people to recognize what'sgoing on.
But what I hear from most, mostpeople when they don't
recognize what's going on isyour dance class is very
different than my, than my kidsgo to other classes.
My child leaves very confidenthere and is so happy and just
(12:44):
saying that they want to like athome, want to be dancing like
Miss Veronica, but what I'mseeing them do is like teaching
us or or building or like justlooking really confident, and I
didn't see that before theystarted coming to your class.
Uh, what adults will say is Ifeel so much more confident.
I feel like I understand how mybody and my mind are connecting
(13:09):
, as opposed to I didn'trecognize before, being self
aware of.
A lot of times I'll say like,like.
They'll say like I condition,or I have um, I, I have like
arthritis in my hands and Ididn't really recognize how much
power I actually have to liketo heal um, to heal from, from
(13:35):
the pains that I'm feeling, andhow much they're tied to emotion
.
And those are the feedbacksthat I get, that people
recognize and understand thatmany of their like once working
with me or working with ourprograms, that we have that
their pain in the body, how muchit's connected to the mental
(13:57):
situation that is going on intheir mind, whether it's a
trauma, whether it is a like, afeeling that they've.
Maybe you know some people havedepression for so long they
don't even recognize that thatit's not normal to be depressed.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Yeah, Right yeah, it just becomes.
It becomes part of theiridentity, literally.
Right yeah, absolutely.
So give us, give us some, somethoughts, if you will, on the
difference behind body movementthat connects into the emotional
and the mental mindsets, andhow the hormones well, you'll
(14:34):
discuss it, but I'm just goingto say what I'm going to say.
The hormones are things thatare released when we move our
body and change our physiology.
Tell us some of your thoughtson how that really connects.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
It connects tremendously so just
psychologically, from the waythat we walk or sit, shows so
much to what's happeningenergetically and from a mindset
perspective that I believe mostpeople are not fully aware of
the energy or the, the bodyposture that is causing the way
(15:14):
that they're feeling and whatthey're manifesting out into the
world.
And once people recognize it,then they're like oh, now I'm
aware and it.
But it also takes.
It's not only like okay, I'mdoing and I'm aware, it's like
it's also people wanting to makethat change.
Because one thing is knowing,like that the connection between
(15:35):
my mind and body makes adifference.
The other one is the other partof it is saying hey, I'm going
to do the work every day to beself, to continue to work on
that self-awareness and on thatself-care on on me.
And that's the hardest part.
It's not really knowing thefacts but doing the work into it
(15:59):
.
I do believe we all have traumaor we all have something that
the way that we were born is.
I guess what I'm trying to sayis we all come from different
family backgrounds and eachfamily background carries its
own generational trauma or itsown generational blessings,
(16:21):
right, that's why certain people, certain things are easier than
others.
And with that, when you're ableto recognize, like, what
patterns you've been having inyour mind, in your body, in your
emotions that are creating theoutcomes that you're seeing in
life, then from there you'reable to see, well, what are the
patterns that this person hasthat I?
(16:43):
You know that I want to be like, and how do I now move my body
differently, say different wordsand start to feel differently?
I let's see the way that Iconnect that with people is
what's different about what I dois I won't go into a class and
(17:07):
just start teaching dance orfitness Like I will go into the
class and the first thing that Ido is I give an affirmation to
people.
So if it's kids, I'll dosomething like Hi, everyone Like
I am so excited to be heretoday with you.
Who is excited?
And then you know we go and Igo.
Okay, we're going to start withthe phrase I am fearfully and
(17:29):
wonderfully made, I can dance.
I'm like you're all going tosay it with me.
Are you ready?
Come here, come here.
And then we'll start with thesmall voice I'm like everybody,
I am fearfully and wonderfullymade, I can dance.
Then I go to a medium voice.
And then I go to a really loudvoice because what I'm trying to
do is self-regulate, like getto see who needs self-regulation
(17:50):
, who already has an idea ofself-regulation, and small kids.
And so then I get them allramped up.
And what did I just do?
I just made them say thatthey're fearfully and
wonderfully made and that theycan dance.
So then, without themrecognizing, I'm already had
them from their mouth say thataffirmation before we even start
(18:10):
dancing.
And then when we start moving, Iam having to move between
repetitive patterns.
There's a whole like thing towhat I do If it's adults.
I start off with adults bygiving a phrase to them of
confidence usually gets mostpeople super uncomfortable.
And then I start with patternsof movement that'll throw off
(18:34):
from one style to the other butthat have a mind body connection
to where people say oh, my God,I feel like I had a mental
workout, not a body workout,because we're we're playing
around with patterns, becausewhat I want the body to do is I
want that muscle memory forpeople so that they're not just
(18:54):
following my body because I saidso, but that their body is.
I'm starting to cue themwithout them realizing it, so
that their body's starting to belike curious, of like oh wait,
I don't know how to do that.
Like now they're having tothink, and when someone's having
to think and be challenged,it's going to make them feel
uncomfortable.
It's going to bring out likeit's going to bring out
(19:16):
whatever's in this, whateverdown here, is going to come up
to the surface, and then they'regoing to start to come to a
self-awareness and then fromthere they could be like okay,
what do I want to do with this?
Speaker 2 (19:27):
yeah, I love that.
I love that.
So you know it's.
It's funny that you know.
You know what we think, you knowso we feel as we feel, so we do
and as we do, so we have, andit's literally something that we
learn in neuroencoding and it'sliterally a thought process to
doing you know and how you feel,et cetera.
(19:48):
And it's really cool how you dothis because there's so many
times that you know, when you'rejust sitting still and you're
slumped over and you're in adisabling state where you're
just not moving forward andstuck and again and all those
you know unresourceful patterns,and when you change your body
and your physiology and then youstart moving and you start
(20:11):
thinking about thoseaffirmations or whatever
thoughts that you know.
You are thinking, whether it bein the class or on your own,
and start smiling and dancing,because who doesn't start if
they're not thinking about apattern and dancing?
Right, you're just moving andenjoying it.
You're smiling.
It releases all of theseamazing hormones.
When the 22 muscles in yourface smile, it automatically
(20:32):
releases all of these greathormones that make you feel good
.
And so when you're putting thosethoughts into your own brain in
a class or whatever the casemay be.
It's absolutely magical howenergy and motion emotion, if
you will changes the gamebecause it becomes part of you
(20:53):
and it's so great that you'redoing that.
Can you talk to me a little bitabout maybe somebody specific
that you saw change?
It can be, you know, kid pleasedon't use their name
necessarily on here but a kid oran adult, whatever the case may
be, your husband, you, whateverthe case may be, but of
somebody that you saw, you know,a just a beautiful change in
(21:16):
from being in one of yourclasses or some of the things
you teach.
I'd love to hear that.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Yes, and actually I'll put it in the link below Um
, there's, there's a lot, butone uh is actually a testimonial
that I have from one of myprograms moves made for me.
And uh, the parent actually onin the testimony is saying how
I'm making the kids feel inclass, but she says a few things
that um are, are just, are justreally awesome.
(21:44):
She says you know, my daughterhas cerebral palsy and with
cerebral palsy her muscles don'talways like move when they want
to move.
When she wants them to move,there's just like that
disconnection with the brain,right?
She says, and in thetestimonial she talks about how
(22:05):
my daughter's been in a lot ofdifferent classes and she
usually was feeling selfconscious and she wasn't able to
do the exercises.
And Miss Veronica's class I'veseen a tremendous change in her
ability to move because the waythat she's being talked to,
(22:26):
she's being Veronica's talkingto her.
And she says in the testimonynot just my daughter, but all
kids into their abilities, notinto the disabilities, and this
specific class was a class withkids with disabilities, and
she's telling them the potentialof what they can do, not what
they are doing right now, andI've seen my daughter be able to
(22:47):
kick, to start jumping overthings that I didn't even know
she could do.
And after a few months withMiss Veronica, now she's doing
these things.
We've even been able to pullout her braces for a short
amount of time during the class,and these are huge steps for
her is what the mom talks aboutin the testimonial, and that
(23:11):
example is one example that I'veheard so many times with
students with disabilities thatteachers will also mention.
This student wasn't able to dothis three-step follow of a
movement before, and now they'reable to.
Or for me personally, I stoppedfollowing what I was told in
(23:42):
dance classes and that was dueto my.
I had a teacher in college.
She changed the way I saw andviewed dance.
She I remember stepping intothe room and I was so caught up
in like I have to have specificdance steps and I need to look a
(24:05):
certain way and I need toremember the movements, and I
didn't view dance that way.
I I have a hard time countingso I'd be so self-conscious.
And so she did modern dance.
I'm in connection with herstill, but when I learned modern
dance, it opened to switchsomething in me and realizing
(24:29):
like that's what I do when I'mletting this energy flow within
me and then I'm projecting thatonto my students and we are
(25:05):
moving to the flow of thisenergy that is then releasing
the emotions that are trappedinside our bodies.
And when I'm, and so that itmade a change to me of that
realization, and when I'm, andso that it made a change to me
of that realization, and thoseare just a few of them.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Those are fantastic.
Okay, yeah, veronica, those arefantastic.
I mean, can I just stop?
First of all, I just got chills.
We call them God bumps, notgoosebumps.
So when you talk about, when youtalk about you know your, your,
your journey, right, and thecourageousness and braveness of
you saying, ok, I'm going toclose these studios, I'm going
(25:51):
to do this because this is whatI want to do.
And you go back and you look atthis teacher that taught you a
different way, that felt more inintegrity with you, right, and
felt natural for you, becausedance really should be natural,
it should be just a feeling,right, that you know in that
sense.
Of course there's structure andyou know certain aspects when
(26:12):
you're performing I get that.
But when you can release andhave the, there's that emotional
connection with your body andyour, your, your soul, if you
will.
It's such a beautiful thing.
And then here's the craziness Ifshe didn't teach you that,
would you be where you are nowBecause you're open to it?
And that little girl and allthe other kids that you're
(26:33):
changing their lives both nowand they're teaching it to their
parents and they're teaching itto other people how amazing is
the work you're doing.
I mean bravo, it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Absolutely fantastic.
Thank you.
No, I don't think I would if itwere for her.
Actually, she has a retirementcoming up, a retirement party
this Saturday, and I'm going tobe there.
But I don't think I would be ifit weren't for her, because
when she met me at that time I'dbeen dancing already for years
I felt like a complete failure.
(27:07):
I didn't think I was a dancerand um and because of her I've
actually entered theuniversity's dance company and I
was with my studio at the sametime and everything, um, as the
first freshman in the dancecompany, which was unknown,
because she was really able totap into my like, helping me see
(27:29):
the uniqueness of my talent,because I couldn't see it.
All I could see was I'm afailure.
I can't remember dance stepsand I dance all day, three hours
a day, for all theseproductions.
I still can't get it right.
What's wrong with me?
And like?
That's all I could see in myhead, because I wasn't seeing
(27:49):
that I have this gift ofreleasing, of helping people
release energy, and and that theway that I do it is through
movement.
I didn't see that the way thatI do it is through movement.
I didn't see that All I saw wasa failure that couldn't count
to the beat of the music andcouldn't remember what I do for
the sake of it, and I was soself-conscious of it Actually,
though it took me yearsafterwards it's not like it was
(28:12):
an aha moment, right, when itwas like God was working in my
life for years and that healingof me, recognizing it and
healing through my own studentsof being able to stand in front
of people and be okay withmyself, that I don't remember my
own dance steps because yearslater, it came to me that if I'm
(28:34):
doing energy work, the energyis not counts, it's not the same
.
So then I'm moving with the flowof this energy, which is why I
don't remember the dance steps,because I'm dealing with
different energies in the roomand I'm actually very talented
because I can, like, on the spot, choreograph like there's no
(28:55):
tomorrow to different dance andfitness, to different dance and
fitness.
And when I started saying thatto myself and recognizing in my
that in myself, then I wasreally able to step in and be
like hey, I'm proud of who I am,I'm confident in what I do and
this is what I bring to thetable and it's like nothing
you've seen before.
So I am, I'm going to help youand like, and when I'm I wasn't
(29:18):
in that.
Then of course you know it'slike, it's like you're, it's
like if you're giving an appleto someone that wants an orange.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Totally so, hey, so when we're done with this and
we're at the end of the show, itflew by.
But I want to give you sometips for you and your students,
some neuro encoding tips.
So just, we'll talk after theshow.
So so, really quick.
How do people reach out to youif they're interested in
learning more about what you do?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Info at jmmdancecoorg is our email.
Jmm Dance Co is a nonprofit.
They can look up at JMM DanceCo online Also.
Just a quick thing I justrecently authored a journal that
is a mindset journal for kidsand we do have through our
(30:08):
nonprofit initiative of gettingthese books into as many schools
as we can in California.
So we're definitely looking forpeople who may want to donate.
Buy one book and it gives abook free to another kid.
It's a wonderful book thathelps kids understand the
practices of journaling.
And at Veronica Vasquez Garciaon Facebook or on Instagram and
(30:39):
just my site,veronicavasquezgarciacom.
Those are ways to connect withme.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely love it.
So, and if you can, please feelfree to all of our social media
.
Go in there and put all yourinformation in there later on,
you know, when you get a chance,the more we can help your
mission.
We're absolutely.
We're in all on on allcylinders, so please put your
info in there.
And then, if you can, givethree simple tips to get
veterans and their familiesfurther faster.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Three tips that I have is one get a paper and
write down all the qualities ofwho you are, and even as a
family writing down thequalities of as a family, what
are your strengths and then, onthe other side, writing down
(31:31):
what are those things in yourhead that are coming up, that
are like, depending on what youbelieve in the demons and
Christianity or just theblockages or whatnot and write
them on the other side so thatyou're able to see first, like
these are all the qualities oflike who we are as a family, who
we are as, and these are.
(31:53):
These are the things that wemay be struggling with right now
, but then at the end, finding avalue, like I know for me and
my family.
Every year we create our valuesas a family and our values as
individuals, and they changewith the seasons.
Right and when we can have thatin front of us and see who we
are, then, regardless of whatseason we're going through and
(32:15):
like and what trauma we may belike going throughout the moment
, then, when we have it on paper, we're able to see.
So that's number one.
Number two is taking walks,taking walks in the mornings and
(32:36):
just allowing yourself to beable to be fully in the presence
of this moment right now.
And then tip number three is toum, to take time to really
release things that may.
If there's memories, if there'sthings that that that that keep
(32:56):
coming to you, though thatthat's a signal, that that's,
that's something that you that'sa trauma or something you
haven't released.
So, especially if you're goingthrough PS, um, um I have a hard
time with my words sometimes,but P P, s, t, um, um and uh,
and and you're having likememories that come up of, of
trauma, of whatever that waslike being um.
(33:19):
Like I said, being able torecognize like this is not just
one passing thought, but this issomething that I need to work
on, to release it, because it'snot who I am.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
That's fantastic.
And you know, with PTSD I thinkyou're trying to say PTSD,
right- yes that's it.
Well, I knew so a lot of times.
You know, with that trauma, thetrauma generally happens once
and we relive it because it getsstuck, because we haven't
processed it and released itwith a different definition.
Ptsd can be helped removed,released, if you will, when you
(33:57):
find a new definition of what itmeant to you, and then your
brain can actually release it.
And so that's an absolutelygreat tip.
Lean into that and do some workon it, because it keeps coming
up.
Absolutely.
Love it, veronica, you'reabsolutely fantastic.
Thank you for being on the show, as always.
I always tell people that timeis the most precious resource we
(34:20):
have as human beings.
We do not get it back.
So thank you for spending someof your time with us and some of
your minutes of your life withus.
Really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Thank you, thank you Michael, thank you everyone.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Absolutely, and everybody we're out of here.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Thank you for joining us on another insightful
journey of your Thoughts yourReality podcast with your host,
michael Cole.
We hope the conversationsparked some thoughts that
resonate with you.
To dive deeper into empoweringyour thoughts and enhancing your
reality, visitempowerperformancestrategiescom.
Remember your thoughts shapeyour reality, so make them count
(34:58):
.
Until next time, stay inspiredand keep creating the reality
you desire.
Catch you on the next episode.
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