C.K. Collins and Beth Binger (Bing) shared their experiences and insights on various topics, including life transitions, self-care, passion-driven transformations, social media promotion, solo travel, and emotional abuse. They emphasized the importance of embracing authenticity, taking risks, and slowing down to appreciate the beauty around them. Both speakers expressed gratitude for being alone and free from emotional hardships, and offered practical tips for achieving a growth mindset in travel and life.

Solo travel and midlife renewal with two women.

• Collins and Bing connect over shared midlife renewal and solo travel experiences.
• Bing shares their solo road trip story, from feeling lost to writing a book.
• Bing took a bare-bones road trip to financially recover and find purpose.

Solo road trips, self-discovery, and finding wonder through travel.

• Bing reflects on regaining confidence and creativity through solo road trips, inspired by curiosity and slowing down.
• Going solo allows for personal growth, self-discovery, and re-identification with oneself.
• Bing creates a "treasure map" to help women find their passion and confidence through self-discovery.
• Bing encourages listeners to create a "treasure map" of places that evoke feelings of wonder.

There’s Wonder Around the Bend: An Inspiring Guide to Solo Road Tripping

Preorders available from until May 20 for paperback and ebook.

Special gift for those who pre-order! You can register for a live Webinar with Beth on Monday, May 20 @7:00 p.m.

• Use this link to register: https://www.wonderbingtravel.com/meetBing
• You must have your Amazon order number as proof of pre-order.

Website: https://www.wonderbingtravel.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WonderBingTravel
Instagram:

C.K. Collins and Relationship Coach, Jeanell Green, discussed the challenges of navigating life's changes and how empowerment practices can help. They emphasized the importance of prioritizing self-care, body, mind, soul, spirit, and relationships for personal growth and well-being.

Jeanell added their perspective on the interconnectedness of these aspects, while C.K. Collins shared her experience of writing a book on the subject and interviewing women from around the world for their advice.

They also discussed their personal experiences with divorce, infidelity, and trauma, offering practical advice and empowerment strategies for healing and moving forward.

C.K. Collins and Jeanell discussed the importance of self-care for women over 40, and the prevalence of shame and guilt when focusing on the desire for personal growth, particularly among women. They offered practical strategies for healing and improving relationships, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing underlying issues to avoid blaming oneself or others.

Jeanell is a Life and Relationship coach who's on a mission to save marriages and heal families from generational trauma caused in childhood. She is well known for helping couples return from the brink of separation and ultimately divorce in less than 30 days. Jeanell loves talking about her own marriage of 17 years and how they keep the fire hot!

You can visit her website at: www.saveourmarriage.ca

Kelly's Self Care Scorecard: How is Your Self Care Game?

C.K. Collins and John Lawyer of Kishar Spiritual Community discussed the challenges of balancing spirituality with modern life, emphasizing the importance of self-care and discovering one's higher purpose in midlife transitions. John Lawyer shared his personal experiences with trauma and self-care, and highlighting the significance of prioritizing mental wellness. The speakers emphasized the need for authentic connections in the digital age and offered practical strategies for fostering these connections through online platforms and one-on-one coaching.

In deserts of the Middle East and South Asia, John faced moments that would define his life. He encountered not just the external battles but the internal ones within. His walk through the desert and later a swamp of sadness wasn't just a passage through tough terrain, but a profound experience of self-discovery.

Similarly, John's wife Stacie and their close friend Duska, who both spent years in Southern Afghanistan, faced their own battles, navigating through the complexities of war and their steps beyond. Each took their own path, and each found moments of clarity amidst the struggle.

These journeys, filled with trials, tribulations and understanding, led to the birth of Kishar. A collective vision brought to life by three kindred spirits.

At the heart of Kishar lies the Journey. We believe every step, every challenge, and every moment of realization is a crucial part of one's spiritual path. The trek through the desert, the struggle through a swamp of sadness - it's all integral to our evolution and understanding.

Learn more about Kishar.org

Try Kelly's Self Care Scorecard: How is Your Self Care Game?

CK Collins and Bethany Dotson discussed the importance of intuition, community, and forgiveness in navigating inner growth and healing. They emphasized the need to shift focus from superficial appearances to the inner self and to have a supportive community for personal growth.

They also discussed the reasons why people tend to repeat patterns in intimate relationships, including early life experiences, subconscious beliefs, and familiarity. Additionally, they highlighted the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma on adult relationships and the importance of healing relational trauma before pursuing healthy dating.

CK Collins and Bethany Dotson also emphasized the importance of self-love and mindfulness in healing trauma, including the benefits of somatic therapy such as yoga therapy, breathwork, meditation, and trauma-sensitive yoga.

Bethany Dotson is trauma-informed yoga therapist and relationship coach with over a decade of experience helping professional, high-achieving women heal anxiety, C/PTSD, codependency, find their power and skyrocket their confidence after divorce or toxic relationships, communicate better, navigate conflict and most importantly, co-create healthy relationships.

She is a domestic violence and childhood trauma survivor who helps women triumph over trauma, break their cycle of emotionally unavailable men and attract the love they deeply desire.

Bethany's website: https://bethanydotson.com/

Bethany's Masterclass:

(Without spending years in therapy or dredging up the past)

​It's day 5 of the Self Care Challenge and I want to talk to you about something that can really change your life for the better. Today’s habit is the act of forgiveness and how it can free you to move on from past hurts and pain.

The challenge in forgiveness is that it isn't cut and dry and that it isn't something that you can do one time and it is over. Frequently the act of forgiveness is more like a daily routine such as taking a shower.

When there has been a betrayal, a loss of friendship, or the end of a relationship, many people, including me, get stuck in a place of pain.

Even when you work through the pain and you begin to feel happy, you can be haunted by the circumstance or by the person who caused you the pain.

Pain has this boomerang effect that only you can halt. Until you can fully forgive who or what has hurt you, including yourself, the pain will be your unwanted constant companion.

Forgiveness is not about letting someone off the hook for their actions. Instead, it's about freeing yourself from the negative emotions and energy that are holding you back.

It's not easy to let go of the hurt and pain caused by someone's actions, especially if it was intentional or repeated. But holding onto anger and resentment can be toxic to our emotional and mental health in the long term.

When someone hurts you, a common and understandable reaction is anger. It’s actually part of the grieving process. Anger in and of itself is not a problem – it is what you do with anger that can help or hurt.

Anger can be the catalyst for great change if you express your emotions and assert your needs.

According to University of California, Berkeley research, “anger helps you cope with the stress by first discharging the tension in your body, and by doing so it calms your “nerves.” That's why you may have an angry reaction and then feel calm afterward.”

But chronic anger does begin to negatively affect your daily life.

John Hopkins Medicine study showed that People who hang on to grudges are more likely to experience severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other health conditions.

They suggest that the act of forgiveness counteracts these negative physical conditions. It is the antidote to the pain that accompanies anger.

Dr. Karen Swartz of Johns Hopkins Hospital says, “Forgiveness is not just about saying the words. It is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not,” Swartz says.

In the today's episode, I’ll share with you the 3-step process I learned that has really been helping my clients. And I'll share a daily mantra or prayer that brought me peace in a time of struggle.

Remember that forgiveness is a process, and it may take time to fully forgive someone. But by taking these steps, you can start to let go of the past and move towards a brighter future.

So, I encourage you to take these steps towards forgiveness, and free yourself from the negative emotions and energy that are holding you back.

Trust me, you'll feel so much lighter and happier when you do.

Thank you for your time today. Watch in the Facebook Group for a link to a masterclass I’ll be doing next Wednesday night.

Please book a call if you need to discuss what’s going on in your life. Let’s chat and I’ll share strategies on how you can go forward with more love and joy in your life..

Go to website and look for the Book A Call button. CKCollins.co

Welcome back to Day 4 of the Self Care Challenge. Today we’re going to talk about a habit that is so powerful and yet sometimes it feels like it is the world’s best kept secret. This habit when practiced daily brings so much energy into your life that it feels like magic!

This habit it called gratitude, and it's one of the most powerful emotions we can cultivate.

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

“No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.” St. Ambrose

Do you ever feel stuck? Like you can't seem to move forward in life?

It's a common feeling that many of us experience at one point or another when we are not practicing good self care. But what if I told you that this simple ingredient can help you get unstuck?

When we practice gratitude, we focus on what we have, rather than what we lack.

This can help us feel more content and satisfied with our lives.

Practicing gratitude can also help us feel more connected to the people around us. By expressing our gratitude to others, we can strengthen our relationships and feel more supported.

When we feel appreciated, we feel loved. It’s so simple and yet so important.

And when we practice mindfulness, we can appreciate the small things in life and feel more grateful for them.

By focusing on the present moment, we can find joy in the simple things, like the taste of our food or the warmth of the sun on our face or how the grocery clerk gave us a sweet smile.

Another powerful way to cultivate gratitude is by helping others.

When we see the impact we're making in someone else's life, it can help us feel more grateful for the blessings in our own lives.

And at the end of the day, taking a few minutes to reflect on what went well and what we're grateful for can help us end our day on a positive note.

When we're stuck, it's easy to feel like our lives lack purpose or direction.

But by practicing gratitude, we can focus on the things that give our lives meaning, like our relationships, our passions, and our accomplishments.

In this podcast, I share with you three easily implemented daily gratitude practices. You won't want to miss the energy this will bring to your life.

The podcast episode begins with Kelly warmly welcoming listeners to the third day of a transformative self-care challenge, setting the tone for an insightful discussion ahead. Kelly emphasizes the profound uniqueness of each individual's journey, underscoring the personal nature of healing after significant life events. This sentiment lays the foundation for the episode's focus on a powerful habit that can aid in overcoming adversity.

Transitioning into a personal anecdote, Kelly shares a poignant story about meeting a fellow traveler named Alison during a pilgrimage hike in Spain. Alison's wisdom, gleaned from her own life experiences, resonates deeply with Kelly and serves as a catalyst for the episode's central theme. Alison's advice, "This will look different in a year," strikes a chord with Kelly, illustrating the transformative potential of time and perspective in navigating life's challenges.

Reflecting on their own journey through divorce, Kelly candidly expresses the feelings of being trapped in a seemingly unending cycle of despair. However, through introspection and the wisdom gained from Alison's words, Kelly experienced a profound shift in perspective, realizing that life's tribulations are not permanent fixtures but rather fluid and transient phases.

Kelly delves into the importance of reframing, a powerful cognitive tool that can help individuals navigate through difficult circumstances with resilience and grace. By asking the simple yet profound question, "Have you considered the possibility that...," Kelly highlights the transformative potential of shifting one's perspective, opening up new avenues for understanding and resolution.

The concept of realizing that life is happening for you, not to you, emerges as a central theme, empowering individuals to reclaim agency over their narratives and embrace the inherent freedom of choice in shaping their responses to adversity.

Introducing the habit of reframing, Kelly offers three actionable techniques for listeners to incorporate into their daily lives. First, acknowledging the impermanence of situations by affirming that "This will look different tomorrow" serves as a powerful reminder of the fluidity of life's circumstances. Second, encouraging individuals to consider alternative perspectives through the lens of "Have you considered the possibility that..." fosters empathy and understanding in conflict resolution.

Finally, Kelly underscores the importance of prioritizing relationships over the need to be right, advocating for the use of the phrase "you could be right" as a means of peacefully resolving conflicts. This approach not only diffuses tension but also fosters mutual respect and understanding, laying the groundwork for deeper and more meaningful connections.

In conclusion, Kelly invites listeners to embrace the practice of reframing as a transformative tool for personal growth and healing. By reframing their perspectives and embracing the fluidity of life's challenges, individuals can cultivate resilience, empathy, and inner peace. Kelly extends an invitation for further discussion and support, underscoring their commitment to guiding listeners on their journey towards self-discovery and empowerment.

Outline

Self-love and self-care habits.

• Kelly, CK Collins, encourages self-love and self-care through mantras and physical surroundings.

Creating a personal workspace for focus and productivity.

• Kelly’s friend, Caren, has a special workshop/nest in her bedroom for reading, praying, and meditating.
• Developing a "workshop" or "nest" for focused work can help individuals establish a safety zone and signal to others when they are in work mode.
• Working from home can be tough so Kelly shared a story of one person who uses a signature baseball cap to signal to his family that he is working. When the cap comes off, he's ready to become dad and husband.

Creating a safe space for personal growth.

• Kelly suggests that you create a safe space in your home by setting up a candle, special water bottle, journal, pen, blanket, and talisman (heart-shaped rocks or seaglass) to signal to your mind, soul, and body that you are there to work and invest in yourself.
• Kelly believes that all of us need a safe space like this to grow and become better versions of ourselves.
• Kelly shares her nest is a big comfy white chair where she has an afghan or prayer shawl her mother gave her. She keeps her books there, a blanket and an extra pair of glasses.

Creating a safe space for self-reflection and personal growth.

• If you cannot find a safe space for self-reflection and stillness in your home, consider trying to rent a room in a library or ask your pastor for a safe space at your church.
• Make it a habit to use this place for these times of reflection and stillness.

Self-care, personal growth, and aging.

• Kelly reflects on her life, highlighting self-care, personal growth, relationships, and finding purpose.
• C.K. Collins encourages once you are in your safe space to take time to write a letter from 90-year-old self to present day self for self-care and reflection.