Relaunch Introductions – A slight course correction

Feb 26, 2022

I’ve been absent from this podcast for a few years now. In that time, as with most of the world, a lot has happened. In that time, I realized that while I very much wanted to continue the podcast I couldn’t do it in the same way. The concept of stepping up to the potential that I, you, we all have is something that I absolutely believe in. But why am I working to step up? That’s where I realized I have to be completely honest here.

Let’s consider this a re-introduction, a re-launch of Stepping Up to Your Potential podcast. The original series of episodes recorded in 2018 and 2019 approached this topic from a modified self-help model because I thought it might be more … palatable. But that’s not really what I wanted to do. You see, for me, this journey of self-discovery and learning ways to express and work with my own potential … this IS my spiritual practice. It is 100% a spiritual journey which starts from the perspective that I and you are absolutely enough as we are right now; that we don’t NEED to Step Up – but I want to. I see patterns that I’d like to break. I see potentials that I’d like to manifest. I recognize things I’d like to integate and use. But because it’s my spiritual practice, there’s a lot tools and ideas which are not pure psychology, nor I learned, did I particularly desire to strip out the spirituality. That contradiction had me faltering, and then 2020 came along.

Story Time

I tend to see things symbolically, most often in ways others do not – and this is one of those instances. Covid, for all the pain it’s caused, also brought the entire world to a complete halt. Stillness. I always found it super meaningful that it happened in 2020. We have a saying that Hindsight is 2020. And what did Covid do for the collective us? It forced us to stop. Sitting in our homes, people rediscovered things they had forgotten, or never knew about themselves in the first place. It was, essentially, a massive spiritual awakening on a global level. And let me tell you, spiritual awakenings can suck. They can be uncomfortable in the extreme and they definitely cause everything to shift. You’ll never be the same again, and you have to figure how to work with the new you. What you see, you can never unsee. Covid happened in 2020 because that is exactly what the world itself was telling us: reflect on things. Look back. Take stock. Reassess. See the world, our relationships, our priorities, our history, with a new vision and to make sure that happens, the entire world will pause. Hindsight is 2020.

It was after this pause, in 2021, that I noticed a big shift in the global consciousness – enough to be palpable. Is it because I’m existing in this digital bubble that is being fed specific things because of algorithms – or is it real? With this in mind, I started listening to other spiritual teachers and practitioners and they all noticed the same change. I’ve even spoken with a few who confirmed the audience capacity to hear the messages had dramatically altered. Other teachers were reporting that their audiences shifting demographics almost overnight, starting in 2021, from post-middle age to college age. The really exciting thing? The level of questions being asked has also changed dramatically. So not only are we hearing things differently, we’re engaging with them differently. It’s marvelous to see! I’m so excited and so full of hope that I thought… “Maybe I can continue the podcast but actually be 100% authentic. For those who have ears, they will hear and understand.”

The Point

So Stepping Up to Your Potential is a spiritual journey of self-discovery. I know that the richest, best and most meaningful explorations of my life were done with friends. I miss that. I shall imagine that you are taking this journey with me, that we are working together on this project. I am not pretending to be a master, or have this completely down, or advising you to do what I do. I’m just a woman on a soul journey, and it would be super awesome if others wanted to join me as or when you feel called to. I’d like to imagine that you are using this opportunity to learn about yourself through a different lens and let that divine spark within you shine forth as it’s meant to. We’ve lived too long with our flames under a bushel for fear that it would get stamped out, and the world has been the darker for it. Let’s lighten things up, not only by learning to shine brighter as we Step Up but also with a bit of humor. Serious does not mean somber!

It’s taken some time to build up the courage to start again, but here we go. There’s a huge backlog of topics already! Just what kinds of things will Stepping Up to Your Potential include now? There will still be psychology and emotional intelligence of course, but now I’m going to bring in other things as well. Such as: past lives, energy work, religion, astrological symbolism, symbolism in general, quantum physics, straight up science, history, maybe some alternative history, dream work, sacred sites, channeled works, and much more. Understand, I’ve been an avid spiritual practitioner for most of my life. My first dream journal was started at the age 13, and the study of astrology started at 15. My college degree is in History with a focus on how ideas move and flow through time. My graduation thesis was on Atlantis – much to the dismay of my history professors. My professional life currently is as an information security specialist, but I’ve also been a web designer, a graphic designer, a software quality assurance analyst, a lidar technician, a project manager, and a goat herder … to name a few. Yes, I said goat herder. Some of my hobbies include writing, sewing, horseback riding, quilting, archery, crochet, fish keeping, and photography – every image that you can see on the podcast or on my website are images that I’ve taken. I think the best description for me is probably “Eclectic.” But then I think a lot of ‘old souls’ are. You tend to pick up a few things over time. haha!

So that is me. This is a passion project, not something I’m looking to profit from. That means it isn’t something I’m paid to do and so I will produce and post as I am inspired to. If you subscribe in whatever forum you prefer – from iTunes to YouTube – you’ll get the latest when it comes out. As with all things, find the teacher (or in this case fellow traveler) that inspires you. There are as many teachers as there are students! And there are as many paths as there are journeys to be taken. The is no One Way. If Stepping Up to Your Potential as a spiritual journey of Self is something you are interested in, then subscribe. I hope you’ll join me, but if this sort of thing is not your cup of tea, I wish you all the best on your journey. Until the next installment, keep shining!

TL:DR

Stepping Up to Your Potential is undergoing a slight course correction – taking the perspective that this is as much a spiritual journey as it is a personal development and self-discovery one. It will still focus on the tools and teachers which I’ve found useful, and still takes the approach that I’m learning along with you – I just decided I didn’t want to couch my journey in purely secular terms anymore. It’s not about becoming a better person – you’re already perfect! It’s about having the courage to shine brightly! Step up with me.

About the Featured Image

These are birch trees from a trip to Vermont I took back in 2018. I love how birch bark peels like that, revealing new layers underneath. I thought that was an appropriate concept for this post.