Best Lessons of the Year: Episode 2

Best Lessons of the Year: Episode 2

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[00:00:08] hello. Hello, this is Danielle Ireland. You’re catching an episode of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs. The best Lessons of the Year. All December long that I’m gonna be revisiting conversations and moments that really cracked something open or cracked me up, made me look at something differently, or I had the thought that that is the thing I needed to hear again.

[00:00:27] Because the truth is so often is the case. The best lessons bear repeating. And this week’s episode is gonna be a mashup of two really powerful threads, what it really looks like to learn in real time. And the courage it takes to say a brave and wholehearted no, when something isn’t working anymore.

[00:00:45] We’re bringing highlights from my conversation with city mom’s founder Janine Bob Meyer, a woman whose story holds a perfect blend of humor, grit, and honesty and self-trust. And a solo cast moment on what the learning process actually looks like when you are in the middle of a huge mess.

[00:01:03] This episode is warm, it’s real, and it’s an invitation to trust yourself more deeply, especially during a season that’s filled with a lot of noise expectation and emotional overload. Let’s jump in.

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[00:02:27] First we’re gonna kick off with some clips from the solo cast, what it feels like to be learning in real time, and the theme is. The middle is messy because it is messy and it does not mean if you are in your mess, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means, oh, this is where I am. I’m in the middle of the shit storm.

[00:02:44] To kick us off, I wanna revisit some true from the solo cast, and in this episode, I am talking specifically through my experience with Tech Sweat, as I so lovingly call it when I approach new technology, self-doubt, spirals of frustration, and ultimately learning how to see growth as a process and not a pass fail moment.

[00:03:02] Here’s the clip.

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[00:14:15] Learning is rarely graceful. And it doesn’t always look packaged nice or clean, which is often why I can find myself feeling frustrated looking at before and after photos because, well, yeah, I don’t want the before anymore. And yeah, the after sounds great, but every single step in between didn’t look like the after.

[00:14:35] And so how do you keep going and what does that process look like? That was what I was hoping to capture in this episode. What you heard wasn’t just about technology, but it was also about identity. And it’s also about letting go of old stories, about being willing to see ourselves differently and about allowing the process to be slower and softer and maybe even more human than we expected.

[00:14:55] Now we’re moving into one of the most moving moments from this conversation with city mom’s founder Janine Bobmeyer, her story about burnout, motherhood, and redefining success, the kind of truth telling that stays with you long after you heard it. Now let’s listen together.

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[00:36:46] Janine’s story is such a powerful reminder that no is spoken from truth is actually a yes to something else, and it’s often yourself. Listening to your needs is not selfish, it’s wisdom. And lastly, sometimes the moment that breaks you open is also the moment that sets you free, and that may sound easy in this moment.

[00:37:07] For me to say, it’s very different when you’re the one experiencing it, but that is what makes a lived experience of being in that tender place. So powerful. Those types of stories are lifelines to me when I’m navigating my own challenges, not because it necessarily makes my present moment different, but what it does is the perspective I have in my capacity to get through the moment to the next moment, and then ultimately, before I know it, I am in a new place.

[00:37:35] As we wrap up on week two. I wanna leave you with some of the key takeaways that I got from these episodes.

[00:37:41] Not only do the best lessons bear repeating, but we often find ourselves needing those lessons to be repeated just to make sure we really got it. And that is okay. You’re not alone in that process. Courage does not always feel powerful the way that it looks when we see someone perform a courageous act and the way that it feels and it’s experienced in our bodies, it often includes a lot more shaking and sweaty palms and heart racing and pounding in your chest.

[00:38:07] But when you choose to listen to yourself, something in your life, realigns, learning to trust yourself, listening to your needs, and being willing to say, this isn’t working for me, can allow you to build something new instead. That’s the heart of this week’s episode. Thank you for being here. I am so glad you’re joining me in this December series.

[00:38:26] It’s such a joy to revisit these conversations. They were incredible to make the first time and even more fun for me to go back and revisit the second time. ’cause in the process of trying to find. What’s really gonna be valuable for this mini series? I listened in a new way and I got something new, even though I was the one in the conversation originally, If today starts something up in you, a little spark, a little clarity or a little whisper that’s like, Ooh, that’s for me. Hold onto it, write it down. Say it to a friend, speak it into a voice memo. This month is full of noise, but your inner voice, that is where the good stuff lives for you. If you’ve loved this episode, please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast.

[00:39:05] It makes such a difference. It helps the podcast find a new audience, and It helps people find this content that need it Most everything we mentioned today, ways to Stay Connected, ways to connect with city moms, ways to send your questions and for future Solo Cast are all linked for you in the show notes.

[00:39:21] Thank you for listening. I am truly grateful for you, and as always, I hope that you continue to have an incredible day.

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