Ep #117: (Part 2) Becoming Who You’re Meant to Be with Erica Roesch

Erica: That was a conversation you and I had in Miraval. And I’ll never forget, you looked at me like, “So, what if I told you that you could only work from 10:30 to 4:30 for the next 12 months?” And I literally was nauseous.

Leah: The look on your face was terror and then followed by you looked like you might vomit.

Erica: Because, for me, that was like, “I’ll never get there. That’s not…” but I knew, like again, that bigger, deeper part of me was like, “Trust her. Trust her. You will figure this out.” And so, my last year was spent doing that. And going forward, my plan is to really lean into living.

My word for 2021 is adventure. What is going to be one hell of a ride? Who knows where you’re going to end up? But it’s going to be one hell of a ride. And that energy, for me, is like fire. That is a place where anything is possible. And I can handle anything.

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That was a clip from my recent conversation with Erica Roesch. Now, today’s episode is the second part of a conversation we recorded in early January 2021. So, if you haven’t heard that first part of the conversation, just rewind to the episode immediately prior to this one and start there.

And if you’re all caught up and ready for today’s episode, how is this for a kickoff? “Anything is possible and I can handle anything.” Now, if that’s the kind of energy that you want more of, that you want to align with and dial up for 2021, listen in. You’ll love the second part of my conversation with Erica Roesch.

You are listening to The Art School Podcast; a show for artists and creatives who want to become the next greatest version of themselves. Learn how to cultivate an extraordinary way of being and take the mystery out of making money, and the struggle out of making art. Here is your host, master certified life coach, artist, and former lawyer, Leah Badertscher.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Art School Podcast. I hope this finds you doing exceptionally well, taking really good care of yourself and of one another. I know this continues, has continued in my world, and with so many people in my sphere, personal life and professional.

It’s been a month of more big energy. And that can be beautiful, exciting, uplifting energy. And that can be the aspect of life that’s difficult, that involves loss, that involves heartbreak and hardship. And so, no matter where you find yourself on that spectrum, I wanted to offer something that has come up in a number of conversations this week with clients and with friends and something that I’ve turned to again myself that is so simple and yet readily available and profound.

And that is to give yourself time in stillness, to move outside of the noise, not only of the outside world, but also just to sit with yourself and notice the noise that our own minds can generate, emotions going up and down, and give yourself some time to sit in stillness.

And notice if there might be a small voice that speaks to you there, that holds you, tat nourishes you, that reassures you. I know that you will find that source there within you and return as many times as you need. Return and be restored and renewed. And also, in keeping with last week’s episode, take Erica’s advice in mind too.

If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out. Sometimes, just speaking through your story and having another hold that space for you is absolutely what you need. Don’t think you have to do it all on your own. Make sure to reach out and give yourself the support and the connection that you need.

So, on that note, it’s a beautiful day here in Michigan. It continues to be winter. Not surprising. And there was snowfall this morning that was an exceptionally slow, meditative snowfall. So beautiful.

My children are back at school. The boiler is fixed there. So, this is kind of a precious phenomenon to have entire workdays to work, to not homeschool. So, I appreciated Erica’s sentiment that I restated at the intro about anything is possible and I can handle anything.

Because what I know is that that affirmation, “I can handle anything,” really is what soothes me at a deep level to open me up to, “Anything is possible.” Because I think there are ways – we can’t even anticipate how we eclipse our own possibilities because we’re somehow fearing we can’t handle it. So, that is one of my go-to mantras and affirmations. And I was just reminded of it from the outside in, a mentor teacher shared with me that that’s one of her go-to affirmations too.

And I was like, “Oh, thank god. How reassuring.” I think there would have been a time in my life where I would have been maybe depressed or discouraged that someone where she is still needs an affirmation like that. But now, I just see it as wise and as a very powerful, loving way of living, a very authentic and capital C Creative way of being, “I can handle anything, and anything is possible.”

And if you have been tuning into recent episodes, you know that possibility has been a theme that we are loving on around here in Art School land, including with the Possibility Immersion that we had a few weeks ago.

And so, after that immersion, my team and I sent out a questionnaire, just to see what people’s experience was, and also ask if they’d be willing for us to share what some of the feedback they had was. So, I wanted to share this that we received from Laura.

She wrote, “How I’d rate the Possibility Immersion…” because one of the questions we did ask was on the scale of one to 10, how would you rate that? And if there’s anything we could do to make the experience better or make it a 10, what would that be?

So, Laura wrote, “How I’d rate the Possibility Immersion: I’d say it’s a big fat 10…” with an exclamation mark and then a dancing person emoji,” What attracted me to Immersion was a previous podcast by Leah where she talked about impotent goals. And since the topic of potentiality is dear to me, and I resonated very much with Leah’s talk, the immersion was a next logical step. It was truly a marvelous experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. The challenge brought me lots of inspiration, new perspectives, and a-has; a-has that I’m busy applying now. I love art, innovative thinking, and experimenting. And Leah’s approach feels very much like coming home. So, when she announced the Art School, it was evident to me that it was another logical step to take.

“What I especially appreciate in Leah’s approach is her professionalism, efficiency in technical stuff, providing the links each day, answering the emails, and that kind of thing…” so, right here, this is Leah giving a shoutout to the extraordinary Nikki Berkel for supporting me in providing that support.

And then, back to Laura writing, “I especially appreciate that the group wasn’t just a Facebook happening, but on Zoom, which I experienced as being very serene, to the point, not wasting any minute on blah-bah things, really holding space to be fully present. So, the Immersion was worth every second of my time and I’m so happy to be participating in the Art School now. Much love, Laura.”

Laura, thank you so much for those words and for your presence and what you contributed to making that a really off-the-charts week. I’m so looking forward to having you in the full Art School.

If anyone listening would love to learn more about the Art School, we do have the opportunity to book an exploratory call with my team. The best way to do that is to email support@leahcb.com and we can answer any questions you have.

This is not a pressure sales situation. It’s really important to me, and to the entire Art School community that the people that come are ready. And not only ready, but they are in love with being there. They can’t wait, ready to go, raring to go with so much enthusiasm. Because I know what I’m going to bring. I am going to pour my whole heart and soul and everything I’ve got into this experience to make it one of the most transformational, powerful, profound experiences of your life. And that is a nonnegotiable for me.

That’s what I bring, and so absolutely this exploratory call is not to convince you of anything. If you’re on the fence, that decision to move to one side or the other, that’s where the coaching begins. That has to be an internal process. We are not about pulling people one way or pushing them another.

So, if you would like though to connect with a member of the team and get a feel for some questions or details or nuances that can be better facilitated by a conversation with a real person then we are more than happy to provide that service. And again, you can set up that completely complementary no-pressure exploratory call by emailing support@leahcb.com.

And so, now, for all of you who are just so ready to peel back the layers that might be keeping you from what’s possible and who are ready to step into that power of knowing you can handle anything, here is the second part of my conversation with creative powerhouse, visionary coach and healer, and also Art School alumna and mastermind Rockstar Erica Roesch.

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Erica: The perfectionism piece, when you are really wired to get to that finish line, you know how to get to that finish line. You know what to say. You know how to act. You know what to do to not let anybody see what’s going on, on the inside, and all they see is that you crossed the line. And that served me well for a really long time. But I had to make peace and grieve over that and let it go. It still is there. I’m still working on that. I think I will – there’s a piece of it that I think fuels me at times. I think you find this balance of those pieces of what you’ve picked up along the way and how to use them and to not just relinquish them, so to speak, but to start to use it to your advantage and to fuel you.

And it’s starting to become a lot easier to do that. But I also believe that it is a very divinely guided process. And you think that you’ve got to work harder to get out of it. Like, I’m wired to work harder to get out of it and to push it and to move it and to make it happen. And that is the old identity, self-defeating kind of concept.

And if you just really step back and enjoy the ride and love the process, it will guide you to everything – like, “Okay, it’s time to grieve now. It’s grieve now. Let’s grieve for a little bit. Okay, it’s time to build now. Let’s build.” It’s so divinely guided when you look back on it.

Of course, in the time, you don’t see it that way at first. But when you look back on it, you’re like, “Oh, that’s exactly what needed to happen, and the exact timing that it needed to happen, and the way it was supposed to happen. I see it now.” And you start to trust that a little bit more and it makes the process now become a lot more fun because you’re not judging it. You’re not running from it. You’re not resisting it. you’re like, “Well, I guess I’m supposed to sit here and grieve for a little bit. Okay, not a problem. I can do that.” Because I know the next step will be there.

Leah: You know, one of the best – that’s too small of a word. Most fulfilling, gratifying… also too small – parts of my doing what I get to do – job, also too smaller word, work – is being able to watch… Like, something in you was so intent that even though you described and articulated so well, the identity wants to reinforce itself, so therefore it is very resistant to asking for help. Because it knows, “Should I ask for help and ask others in? They might hold up a mirror that allows me to see what a farce this identity is. I might have to make conscious the holes that I deeply suspect and intuit are actually there.”

So, the identity doesn’t want outside help. And it would prefer to be like, “I know it all. And I probably know better than these people, so I’m not going to reach out for help. I’m highly educated. I should be able to figure this out for myself.” And the intellect can do that.

And yet, what amazes me and has been such an honor to witness and see your work and then to see the force at work I you, that led you to ask anyway, whatever was in you that reached out outside of the identity that was like, on that first call, it was for the Art School and you’re like, “I’m not an artist. I’m a doctor. However…” And I’m like, “This is no accident. I know why she’s here.”

To me, it also legitimizes, and to see it over and over again and in so man clients, like, a force within them acting on their behalf, leading them to where they need to go, sometimes even in spite of very dominant, strong identities that are really reluctant and hanging on for dear life. The identities are like a death grip on them almost. But something in them is still like, “No, I’m really going to try moving forward in this lifetime. I’m really going to try to move you forward.”

And that to me, it just is like a witness of something invisible and powerful at work. And it also reaffirms my belief that we can relax into it. It’s so wise and had, like, an intelligence beyond what we can try to – I mean, we’ll still do our strategizing, our planning, our analyzing, but to know that within us there is something really powerful at work and aligning – I think that power can sometimes scare us and make us want to retreat back into the identities where we have a false sense of control. But I think too, you had experiences in your life too where you cannot be with people at the end of their life as they pass and really hold onto the belief that we’re in control of all things.

Erica: I think that is, for me personally, one of the most humbling things about medicine. You can follow guidelines. You can do every process. And there is always a bigger force. And that sometimes proves to lead to what somebody might call a negative outcome, but also the opposite. Like, that’s the part that fuel me, this piece of if you lean into that and you believe what positive flip and gain can come in your health and in your life from that perspective is monumental to me.

But it’s also a piece that I’ve really been reflecting on my journey for, you know, and looking back. I think for those of us who believe in that concept, it’s been there all along. It’s been there all along.

I remember that force being there at midnight when I’m talking to the bar with my bookbag from the library and my friends have been there for like five hours and I’m coming for an hour to say hi and have a drink and go back home after I’ve been studying until midnight when the library closed, you know what I mean?

And it’s like those solemn times, or in the ICU and you’re like, “Give me the strength to do the next thing. Help me.” And it comes. And I just think that one of the biggest skillsets is to learning that you can just ask and it will happen and it will come. Like you said, you can ease in. You can relax. You don’t have to spin and push.

And we never have had to. We kind of trick ourselves. I think that we need to do that because we see others around us doing it. So, therefore that must be what we need to do. Or that’s our perception. We don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s our perception.

And it is the ultimate question. Can it really be that good? Can it really feel that deep sense of ease and yield such a massive result? Is that really possible? You ask yourself that. And it’s pretty profound how it happens.

Leah: When you said, when you look back, it’s been there all along too, I think with you, I was reading your bio and about wanting to be a doctor since you were a little girl. And I think as well, of course, because having known you and also having been able to be in your physical presence, because you were at our Mastering Magical Miraval retreat last year, which I cannot believe it was last year. I’m so glad we did that right now. I’m like, “Oh my god, thank you, thank you, thank you.” I’m still living off that and just milking that.

But having been in your presence and seeing your presence in the group, in Art Schools, in the mastermind, you are innately a healer. And so, it’s again that soul drive and that force, whereas when you’re a little girl you sensed it, so then your brain’s trying to organize that, “I feel this. What makes sense? What’s available to me in this world? Doctor.” Right?

But it’s like, “You’re a healer, you’re a healer, you’re a healer.” And that is so much – not to diminish at all doctors, but it’s greater than an identity. And it’s greater than a white coat. And there are various ways that you do that just because it’s who you are.

Erica: When you talk about self-organizing intelligence, my life has to be the example of that because when you say you’re going to be a doctor at nine or 10 and you just somehow, despite everyone telling you, guidance counsellors saying you shouldn’t do this, college advisors saying you’ll never make it, if you’re destined for it, it’s going to happen.

I know that sounds very – I don’t know what the right word to use is. But it is working for you on your behalf and guiding you and pulling you through and helping you do things that need to get done for you to get to where you want to go, even when you don’t think it’s happening, even when you think the bottom is falling out and that you’ll never make it. Then you do.

That piece of that puzzle is something that I’ve relied on a lot. You know, I still have the notes from the college advisors saying, “I think you should reconsider applying to med school.” And not like now, like, “I’m going to make it.” At the time, it was totally, “Watch this, I’m going to do this.” But now, it’s like, “Oh, it was always there. It was always there.” And if I lean on that and I know it’s always there, what’s possible now? That is the cool question to ask.

Leah: So, tell me, what is possible now? Because I feel like that is a question that Creatives with a capital C love, like when you’re really stepping into that, like, “Oh, I’m Creative with a capital C,” you know. And the root of the word creative – I think power in creativity, power not in the dominant sense, but power in, like, to be able; to be able to create, to be able to take this energy that’s within you that wants to do what it’s built to do in the world, and then to be able to do that thing. That to me is why it’s so clear in retrospect.

I knew when we met, I knew you were in the right place. And then, we will just live into seeing why. So, how would you describe – what is your perspective now on creativity, power?

Erica: It has totally shifted, for sure. I realize, I love putting myself in places where I’m not the norm. And I know everybody disagrees with this, but somewhat being in the Art School, to some degree, is a little bit of not the norm. Like, my norm was being surrounded in the conference settings and things like that, that I was in all the time.

And so, I craved something where anything was possible. Like, that was truly what I craved. And so, when I look forward to the future, the way that I see it now that it’s shifted is, I don’t need to know the destination. I don’t need to know the result. And I’m totally excited about that.

But what I do know is how that journey is going to be. And that is worth more than the result. And if I do that, the result will blow my mind. And that piece of living into what that will be is like – when you talk about energy you can’t put verbalization to, I don’t even know how to describe that. It’s like pure freedom.

And it’s like the best of both worlds. You get to enjoy the journey. You get to enjoy the ride. You get to be surrounded by people you really love being with and fueling you, and you get to create this cool thing out there, and who knows what it is? It’s going to be awesome. What could be better than that? I don’t know.

Leah: I love that in so many ways, including, like, this experience of talking with someone, and what you just said, I realized that’s totally where I was hoping you were going to go, but I couldn’t have said it without you going there. And then it brings me back to make another connection to something else we’ve talked about.

So, as a young girl, when you felt this, like, presence of something and your mind was like, “Oh, channel that into being a doctor.” And now, things we’ve talked about, something that can be challenging now because you are also now an entrepreneur. You’re, quote unquote a coach.

And we’ve talked though too about those times when, like the label serves you. And obviously, we all have to do the pragmatic things of marketing, branding, people asking what you do. There’s a certain amount of cocktail conversation that happens in the world. Whatever it is, you do need to send out some – we still use language among other humans. And so, it can though be this exciting place where you don’t feel oppressed by the need to, like, “Yes, I’m going to market. Yes, I’m going to call myself a coach. Or not. An artist, or not. A visionary, or not. But I know those words will never contain what my life is. But I’ll do the work of doing it and I’ll write it up and do the marketing and all that.” But meanwhile knowing that what’s going on, behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, all over is, like, your soul flowing out every direction it could into the world.

Because you’ve got to live into whatever – I mean, you are an extraordinary, exemplary, powerful coach. And like I’ve seen you step into the entrepreneurial realm like a badass. And they don’t give doctors, as of yet, business training. That could be a whole different episode, just the entrepreneurial business side that you’ve stepped into.

So, you are those things. And yet too, I feel like you’re going to be living into something, a quote unquote label or definition that we just don’t yet have because there’s not a track out there, like MD, that just neatly you can channel yourself into. You’re blazing that trail as you go.

So, two questions. I’d love to hear, in this past year, what’s some of the, quote unquote work, or living maybe is a better word, that you’ve done that you’re most contented with, proud of? And then part two is like, going forward, what’s lighting you up? What’s on the horizon for you?

Erica: So, one of the things that I would hear in my mind when I was practicing medicine for me – because I’m functional medicine trained and I did that for my own health first. And then I was so changed by it that I studied it more to help other people. You’re not walking your walk. And that, not being in integrity to the true vision of health and alignment and wholeness was something that I made a commitment that I would find and I would create.

And I think when we find that for ourselves, you realize there is no path out there for you, because it’s yours. And for me, the past year was really committing that my path is likely – not likely – will not look like my peers. It will not look like what I thought it was going to look like. It will not look like what everybody expects entrepreneurial year-two of whatever to look like or whatever.

It is going to be fueled by my values and me walking my walk. And I think that’s when I would raise my hand and say I’m hiding. Like, I knew, I’m not walking my walk. And I committed that that’s not okay. Like, that’s why I’m here. I’m here to train, to learn how to be on my game, that I’m walking my walk.

I mean, we’re all human and we all wonder a little bit. But my essential focus is walking my walk. And so, that’s what I committed to for the last year. And for me – for some people, this might not. But for me personally it was not working. And literally not working, not spinning, not doing. Like we talked about at the beginning, sitting…

Leah: So, for people who their heads might be blowing up, I’m just going to, like pause. So, Erica’s work, her work in the world was learning how to work by not working, and to live and just to not work.

Erica: It was literally to live. I guess that’s such a good way to put it, now that I’m connecting to that. It literally was to live, meaning my life, my wellbeing, my family, my children, my marriage were worth it, more than work, quote unquote work.

And I will be very frank with you. There was a long period of my life where that was not the case. So, it was like learning how to live. And it was uncomfortable. And I’m still working on that. I’m not going to say that that is – I think it will be an always evolving journey for me. And so, I know that that – because that was a conversation you and I had in Miraval. And I’ll never forget, you looked at me like, “So, what if I told you that you could only work from 10:30 to 4:30 for the next 12 months?” And I literally was nauseous.

Leah: The look on your face was terror and then followed by you looked like you might vomit.

Erica: Because, for me, that was like, “I’ll never get there. That’s not…” but I knew, like again, that bigger, deeper part of me was like, “Trust her. Trust her. You will figure this out.” And so, my last year was spent doing that. And going forward, my plan is to really lean into living.

My word for 2021 is adventure. What is going to be one hell of a ride? Who knows where you’re going to end up? But it’s going to be one hell of a ride. And that energy, for me, is like fire. That is a place where anything is possible. And I can handle anything. It’s a very grounded, very calm, very steady, stable, endurance type of energy for me. It’ very fueling. Which I never thought existed as of three years ago, where people were like, “You could have this overflowing energy that just sustains you.” And you’re like, “What are you talking about? That does not exist.”

And now, it does. Now, I’ve created that way of living. And there are days where it’s not, you know. But for the most part, it’s getting stronger and stronger.

Leah: Created that while also you have children, young children. You have a husband who also has a full life and career. And you’re also not, like, “Bye-bye…” you didn’t take 10:30 to 4:30 and be like, “3:30 to 3:15…” right, in reverse.

Yeah, so can you tell me some of what your vision is of maybe they day in and day out of adventure. Or do you have certain experiences planned? What does it look like workwise? What does it look like during a pandemic lifestyle-wise? What does I look like for you and your family? What does it look like spiritually, physically?

Erica: We are outside people, my kids and my husband and I. We like to hike. We like to do things such as – I have two boys and a girl and they all love survivor-based shows and surviving. And I really enjoy that myself.

So, for me, it’s about experience. And my next year, my plans are to really start building the team that I know is being called to work with me and to push the boundaries. That’s my version of living; big energy, big visions, holding big space for people.

I’m very blessed to work with some extremely powerful women who have big callings, in my opinion, of what they will do to change the world. And part of being able to handle that is to create this space where anything is possible. And in fact, we crave it. We yearn for it. And we train for it. We train for that. And when you say you create the way of being that makes extraordinary results possible, like, that to me is that way of being.

On a day-to-day basis, I’m just now starting to really wake up in the morning, after two years, and be like, “I don’t have to go to work today.” I’m being very honest. It takes a while to let your mind flip from these identities and these schedules and things like that. And so, for me, on a day-to-day basis, it’s really starting to look for how I can create adventure and also how I can train myself, meaning before it was like work. I’ve got to do thought work. I’ve got to do, you know, the self-coaching work.

Now it’s kind of like, what can I train to do? How can I push my mind? What can I create? And so, that is very intriguing for me. It sounds subtle, but it’s a very different energy shift in the approach that the actual appearance externally might look very similar, but the approach is very different. And to me, that’s all it takes is that shift in the approach.

Life doesn’t have to be turned upside down to find adventure or to connect to that piece of you. It just is the way you approach it. For all intents and purposes, besides me not going and clocking in and clocking out of a hospital, my life looks very similar. But it is completely different in so many ways.

So, it’s about those step-by-step small moments that you get to choose. Do I choose to do the dishes with adventure? Or do I choose to do the dishes because I’ve got to? I know that sounds very – but that to me is the training. That is like the way of life training, the devotion to your craft, to your art, to your calling, whatever word it is for you, that is the devotion, the infiltration of that into your being and who you are and how you interact with your children and how you approach – if it’s coming from a benevolent place, if it’s coming from a divinely inspired place, in my opinion, then it’s for the highest good. And it’s the filter to help you yield the highest good in all of your life.

Leah: I think that there’s something even that we can pull out as a tool is that word filter, right? Like, if I’m filtering this next year through adventure, how does someone who’s an adventurer do the dishes? How does someone who’s an adventurer make this next business decision? How does someone who’s an adventurer have this particular session with this particular client? And it informs how you think of it afterwards too. It is really part of that conditioning, that cultivating that way of being is like you’re awake. And I don’t use the word vigilant because that kind of puts your central nervous system into this heightened state. But you’re awake and you’re asking yourself, like, something you said earlier, like, “Am I walking my walk? Is this me walking into my, embodying, adventure?

So, what are some of the ways, like, will you be offering workshops this year? So, tell me about the ways people can connect with you and work with you? People who are craving the living, living and not living to work, and not even working to live, but living and then also living this full life that’s highly functioning and healthy and always financially, relationships, emotionally, spiritually.

Because I know the vision you have, the beautiful vision you have. And I have had a firsthand seat to seeing your effect on other people as a coach and just by a matter of being who you are. But I would love for listeners to know about what you are offering this coming year and ways to connect with you and your work.

Erica: So, this coming year, starting in March, I’m going to be offering a 12-month program that is incorporating the training that I have done over the past two years and that way of becoming the person that, like you say, lives to work and works to live, to really living life from a place of, like, “Bring I on.” As you say, “I’m built for this and this is going to be one hell of a ride.”

And to me, that means you can’t do that one part of you. You can’t do mindset only, in my opinion. You can’t just do the physical piece of you or the nutritional piece. It’s a whole body, a whole spirit, a whole combination way of living. And that’s what this program is going to entail. And working with some of the people that I think are some of the best coaches in their arenas that have trained me, so to speak, and that I lean on, and bringing them onboard to really increase that deep, deep connection to the whole person.

And in my mind, in 12 months, reconnect to your health, your family, your oneness, your spiritual side of you, awaken, I think the gifts. Most people that work with me have some very deep spiritual healing gift that’s been dormant and it comes alive. It comes out.

And also, to really bring to life that thing, that calling, that yearning, that, “That’s going to be amazing,” kind of idea. Because that to me is like, there’s nothing better than when you meet somebody who’s like, “I got this idea,” and you just feel that energy of, “Whoa, how grateful and blessed am I that I actually stood in the presence of this person who has this idea?” And to nurture that and to utilize my journey and my training and be able to help them do all the work to make that possible, to be like that team that supports them. There’s nothing better.

So, there will be that, starting in March. And I work with people one on one. So, I tend to go deep. Potent was the word that was used recently. And I love it. I crave it. And to me, it’s so fulfilling.

Leah: Well, I am so grateful that that which in you, which caused you to reach out, and then keeps you raising your hand because I know too then that has opened this door for so many people to find you who are like, you’re the person that they need. I think people have – again, I’m not disparaging marketing efforts or saying don’t do that. I do all of those things. And then too, I also really – I just know, people find you who are meant to find you.

Erica: Oh, I believe that wholeheartedly.

Leah: And I think you start loving on them sometimes before they even show up. And then, one of the ways you do that is like what you’ve said, like you’re like, “I better start walking my walk because these people who are coming…” And you’ve just gone further and from an organic place. This is earned, hard-earned wisdom. You can then help shepherd them and help hold a space for their dream while they’re getting their legs underneath them. And that’s something you can read about but you can’t – it’s something else to have done that, have that organic wisdom of having walked the walk. And you are a powerful testament to doing that and continuing to embody that badass visionary energy that I saw in you from our very first call two years ago.

This has been such an amazing full-circle moment, Erica. And I want to keep you on for like three more hours just so we can chat. But I should probably let you go. I do get to talk to you later today. But thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Erica: Thank you for everything and for believing in me. It means more than you know.

Leah: It has been truly my honor.

Erica: Thanks.

—

So, this brings me to the part of the podcast where I want you to do more than just listen. I want you to lean in and really work with me, coach with me. So, you heard Erica and I talk about how her word for the year, her guiding energy principal idea is adventure. And you’ve heard us talk about the approach of using adventure as a filter.

So, I want to ask you, what might be the filter that you choose in order to create the life that you want this year. I was recently reading something where the author wrote, “Our goal ought not to be to work towards retirement, but towards creating an ideal lifestyle,” And really, that this can be done in matter of a few years rather than decades. I absolutely believe that. And that is something that we talk about directly and it’s in the air of the Art School, creating your ideal lifestyle.

And this approach of choosing a word and thinking of it as a filter for how you experience everything that comes to you, and also everything that you create and how you move and walk in the world is so powerful because it is making one decision, it is making a master key decision that then affects so many smaller decisions down the road so you don’t have to, every time, pause to make up your mind, “Do I do it this way or that way?”

If you are practicing first the filter of – to use Erica’s example – an adventurer, then that assumes that many decisions are going to be made a certain way, including decisions about how to respond in thought, in feeling, and in action to circumstances around you.

So, I want to ask you, what might be a guiding principle, thought, or energy for you this year that you can apply as a filter. And also, feel free to cast a wide net to begin with. Try on many different ones to see what might fit and resonate with you. What makes you feel alive? What sings to you? What strikes an internal chord? Or go to that place of stillness and what are you called to there?

Now, the second part of this coach with me is that from that place, if you find something that catches you, that speaks to you, that I have mentioned this before, I choose words and actually though I feel like they choose me. When you are then occupying that way of being and experiencing the world with intention, like through that filter, what are some of the predominant thoughts you think you might have?

Erica shared two of hers. And I think you can apply these to a variety of scenarios. And I love them myself. I think they can be two of the fundamental beliefs for creating an extraordinarily creative mindset and way of being. And those are, “Anything is possible. And I can handle anything.”

I cannot think of a person or scenario out there, I cannot think of a listener out there that I would not gift the ownership of the energy of those statements for. And if you’re hesitant, just try them out for a week and see what changes in a week. If you walk around as a person who embodies this energy, who comes from these core beliefs, anything is possible and I can handle anything.

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Art School Podcast. If you’ve enjoyed these episodes, if this podcast has been useful, meaningful, empowering to you, thank you for listening. And the best thing you can do to pay it forward is to share, share with a friend. If you haven’t done that yet, please, make today the day, the special day that you do so. Forward it to a friend. Forward an episode to a friend.

I’ve also heard some great feedback in recent weeks, which makes me think this was an awesome idea. Have I not suggested this before? If I haven’t, why not? And I will now. Thank you, listeners, for telling me about this.

But I’ve had several of you say that with the energy of possibility in the new year, you decided to get together, even virtually, and listen to certain episodes and then to do the coach with me together in crafting your goals and dreams for the next year or your vision for that ideal lifestyle going forward and that you picked out certain episodes as kind of a curriculum and a structure to do either mini – some of you had family gatherings, and so you did mini-in-house staycation retreats. And others of you shared that you improvised and did your own Zoom meetings and Zoom retreats after hearing me talk about virtual retreats that we held for the mastermind.

And I love that. There is such great power in numbers when you gather collectively to do this work and I love that you are taking the initiative and coming together in community. That just both chokes me up, moves me to no end, and also thrills me.

I love imagining what it must be like to be a fly on the wall in those sessions. And again, it excites me to think about the seeds of possibility that you’re planning and having these conversations which already begin to give your dreams and your goals a tone of reality and more substance than they would just have if they lived only on the pages of your own journal and in your own mind.

So, high fives and big hugs to those of you out there doing that. And thank you for sharing that idea with me. And for those of you listening who that excites you and that sounds juicy to you and you have a wonderful group of colleagues or allies or friends, I would love to hear from you if you decide to do the same.

And, when you want to take this work deeper and be immersed in an incredible community of powerhouse creative kindreds, join the Art School. We have just two more places open in the Art School Mastermind, and that is by application only. So, you can email us, support@leahcb.com to find out more about how to apply, or go to my website, www.leahbc.com and click on the link for the mastermind and find out more about how to apply there.

Also, the full 12-week Art School, which is included in the mastermind as well, by the way, but the full 12-week Art School also commences March 2^nd. We would love to have you be a part of this already amazing class that is shaping up.

I am gathering new material and diving deep into my own thought and creative process in February so that for those that are reenrolling, it will be a brand new and better than ever experience. And for those of you who are yet to experience Art School, it’s going to knock your socks off, I can guarantee.

So, if you’d like to learn more about either of those, you can again visit my website or email support@leahcb.com with any questions or set up an exploratory call with my team.

But if you have already decided that 2021 for you is absolutely the year when you step into the energy of, “Anything is possible for me and I can handle anything,” then the Art School is the best place to be. Not only will you astonish yourself with what you can create and how you can transform in 12 weeks. But it’s so much fun and a life-affirming, life-giving experience. We would love to have you join us.

So, to close today, I sat in my own stillness and my own contemplative thought with what closing idea or remark to leave with you for the day. And what came to mind, likely because of my beautiful guest Erica, who as I have mentioned is an extraordinary coach and also just innately at her core a healer.

So, what came to mind was healer heal thyself. And I know that Erica shared about the importance of walking her talk and that that was the guidance that she had received herself. And I also think this came to mind because I do receive a lot of questions from those of you who occupy a few different spaces.

Maybe you’re an artist and you’re also a coach. Or just generally, you are pursuing a calling in one area and perhaps now also being called to be a mentor, a teacher, a coach, or a healer in some fashion or another. So, no matter who it is and where they are on their journey, because I also just had this conversation this last week with a client who is well into their 70s and highly educated, an extraordinary human being, has created so much in their lifetime and is considering moving into, let’s say, a mentoring position, and was wondering if they were qualified enough and if they needed to go and have additional certification.

So, what I want to say is that imposter syndrome is something that comes up no matter who you are and no matter at what level. What I also want to say is, it doesn’t need to defeat you. It doesn’t need to be this circular thing of, “Well, once I get to one stage then I will be qualified to help another.” Do what you can with where you are, with who you are, with what you have. And also, be awake to that internal guide that says, “Here now is your healing.”

I can tell you from my own personal experience, and I believe this is what Erica was also sharing in her story today, that work that you do to overcome challenges in your own life, to do your own internal healing, to do your own, quote unquote, in the self-development world we call it your own inner work. That will absolutely be what then is most necessary to the students, the clients, the patients that are drawn to you, that are led to you later on.

So, begin where you are. Know that imposter syndrome is just another one of those human experiences of doubt that come up. But go to that still place and trust that greater force within you, trust that quiet place that knows you to be an artist that must create, to be a healer that must heal, a teacher that must teach, a leader that must lead, and that in walking that also too, it will be a healing journey for you. I know it has been for me.

I want to thank Erica again so much for being such a wonderful guest and just a gift to my own life and in the Art School community these past few years. You can find out more about her work at The Awakening Tide and we will also have all of her information about how to get in touch with her and where she can be found on the socials in the show notes. And to all of you listening, thank you as well for being a part of my journey and I look forward to the day when I get to meet with you, either via Zoom or face to face. In the meantime, have a beautiful week and I will talk to you next time.