Beautiful Shifts

Terry Olsen: Prevailing over the landslide of loss - Son’s accidental overdose leads to running CHANGES, supporting parents & families in crisis

In the summer of 2014, Terry's life was forever changed when her only son Dane passed away from an accidental drug overdose. Terry shares about Dane's serious injury that led to him being prescribed pain meds, and how this led to his eventual addiction. We hear Terry's perspective as a parent trying to help her adult child through addiction, giving him love and support, and what she has learned through her experiences. 
 
After months of grief Terry began looking for ways her family's story could make a positive difference for others facing similar challenges. It has become her commitment to raise awareness and be a part of the solution to the current "opidemic" in our country while helping families in crisis. In 2017 Terry began leading the Utah chapter of CHANGES, a parent support group/network, and is grateful for the tools and support it gives families. 
 
Terry is a wife, mother of a blended family of three daughters, one son (Dane), and a grandmother. She is has enjoyed a successful career as an interior designer which has been a passion throughout her life. She also serves on the board of The Sobriety Foundation and WOW Women of Worth. 
 
Thank you so much, Terry, for sharing your touching story with us, for helping us learn more about this topic that affects so many, and for all the amazing work you are doing to help families affected by addiction. 
 
Find CHANGES online at cpsn.org (CHANGES Parent Support Network). 
Find Terry on Facebook Terry Ann Olsen and her blog/Facebook page Much love from Dane's mom in Utah. 
Contact Terry at changesutah@gmail.com .

Natalie Castro: Growing up with autistic sister and learning to understand her, developing lifelong passion to help and advocate for those with autism

Natalies shares about growing up with her autistic sister, Angie. When she was young, Natalie experienced sadness and frustration not being able to understand and connect with Angie until one day a speech therapist changed everything. From there Natalie became passionate about learning all she could about autism and helping Angie and others. Natalies shares where this led, how she has helped over a hundred families, and advocates for others. 
 
Natalie is an autism sibling and co-guardian, TEDx Speaker, and advocate. She specializes in creating autism-friendly homes through real estate and design in the Salt Lake City area. Natalie helps families understand their loved one's developmental needs, why the adaptations help with the family's connection, and how to create a supportive daily lifestyle as a team. Her mission is to create an autism-friendly community with her sister, Angie, being the inspiration behind every creation. 
 
Angie currently works at an autism and behavioral intervention clinic supporting clients. One of Angie's favorite things to do is read a story to the children there during circle time.
 
Thank you so much, Natalie, for taking the time to share your story with us! We learned so much and are grateful for all you are doing and are inspired by both you and Angie. 
 
Find/follow Natalie on Instagram @natalie.e.castro and Natalie Castro on Facebook where you can contact her for real estate, design and coaching needs, watch her TEDx talk, and follow for helpful content on autism from a sibling and guardian's perspective. 
 
Thank you for listening! 

Nelson Lee: Overcoming anxiety and OCD and helping others improve mental health through intentional living

Today Nelson joins us to share about how he overcame a decade-long struggle with anxiety and OCD by learning to embrace uncertainty and live a life centered on values rather than fear. Nelson is passionate about all he has learned and has dedicated himself to helping others heal through obtaining a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree, which he completes this fall. 
 
In our conversation today we discuss thought patterns, the stories we tell ourselves, the role of shame, how our brains and nervous systems are involved, and how anxiety and OCD can show up in relationships. We also discuss solutions such as mindfulness and creating a healthy relationship with ourselves.
 
Nelson has a way of explaining concepts in a logical way that is enlightening and engaging. We really enjoyed this conversation and learned a lot, and think Nelson would be an amazing therapist and coach! Thanks so much to Nelson for taking the time to be on our podcast and for sharing his story and insights with us! 
 
Find Nelson on Instagram @buildingbrainwaves where he gives tips on improving mental health and OCD/anxiety recovery. You can contact him there about his mental health coaching and therapy services/practices. 
 
Thanks for listening! 

Nicolle Cure: Artist living with sudden onset of chronic vestibular pain and illness, creating art for healing, connection and to bring hope

In 2017, Nicolle lost hearing in her right ear overnight and began her journey of living and coping with Meniere's disease, hearing loss, tinnitus, migraines, and many more symptoms that come with inner ear/vestibular disorders. Nicolle shares the struggles of living with an invisible disorder and how she was inspired to use her art and voice to spread awareness about hearing loss and vestibular health conditions. 
 
Nicolle also shares how she moved to Miami from Barranquilla, Columbia, with her family when she was 17. Later she graduated from the University of Florida in Advertising which has been her full-time profession since, while always continuing to pursue her passion for painting. 
 
Nicolle's artistic work explores the relationship between sound and life. She shares how her partner, a musician and music producer, has been an incredible support and helped inspire her to illustrate and 'capture' sound visually with her art. Her delicate yet energetic pieces irradiate serenity and joy, bringing a sense of calm to the viewer. 
 
Nicolle is a lovely person inside and out and we loved getting to hear her story, and are in awe of her talent and inspired by all she's doing! Thank you so much Nicolle for being on the podcast and sharing with us!
 
Connect with Nicolle on Instagram @nicollecure_art to see her beautiful paintings and behind-the-scenes creative processes. 
 
Visit Nicolle's website to view her latest works www.nicollecure.com. 
 
Thank you for listening!
 
Find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast.
 
 

Janessa & Nick Whatcott: Creating the NIXONSTRONG Foundation in honor of son Nixon, giving back to children with cancer and their families

Today Janessa and Nick are on the podcast sharing about their son Nixon and his battle with cancer, and about the NIXONSTRONG Foundation they founded with Nixon to provide help for children with cancer and their families. They share about Nixon's diagnosis and his story, how the foundation came about and its purpose, Nixon's amazing example, and insights they've gained along the way. 
 
They share examples of children and families the foundation has helped and about the upcoming annual baseball tournament fundraiser NIXONSTRONG is hosting in June, which is where the majority of the funds for the foundation come from. See how you can donate and get involved at nixonstrongfoundation.org. 
 
Find and follow NIXONSTRONG on Instagram @nixonstrong where they post updates about the foundation and children they are helping.
 
Thank you so much to Nick and Janessa for sharing their touching story. We loved talking with them and learning more about Nixon's beautiful life and his legacy.
 

Jorge Font: Becoming paraplegic and continuing waterskiing passion earning world championships, becoming a husband and father, and moving through life with gratitude, hope and love

Jorge grew up in Mexico City and as a teen became a competitive waterskier breaking several national and Latin-American records for trick skiing. At 19 years old he was in a waterskiing accident and became paraplegic. Following the accident, he continued his love for waterskiing and has become a nine-time world champion in tricks and six-time world champion in slalom competing as a disabled waterskier. In this conversation Jorge shares these experiences and about the challenges, mental and physical, of his new normal, how he views this new way of living as an adventure, and his deep love and gratitude for his family, life and humanity. 
 
Jorge shares about meeting his future wife during college and becoming a father, and what that means to him. We get to discuss the importance of inclusion and accommodations for those with disabilities and how this provides value for everyone in society. 
 
Jorge is a wonderful human all around with so many meaningful life perspectives and left us feeling inspired and uplifted. Thank you so much to Jorge for taking the time with us, we are so grateful for your example and for sharing your story with us!
 
Jorge has given a successful TedX talk titled Life in Earthquake Mode found here and has written a book called Ensanchar la vida (translates to Expanded Life) found here on Amazon.
Connect with Jorge on Instagram @jorgefontr
 
More about Jorge
Jorge has a degree in Business Administration from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and High Education and a Master in Human Development from the Universidad Iberoamericana. Jorge works as the Director of Institutional Philosophy at the Telethon Foundation and Director of Meaning and Human Development in Nice. He is an associate member of the board of trustees at the Tec de Monterrey Campus in Cuernavaca. He has worked as a consultant for Human Processes and a speaker in conferences on human development for more than 30 years in countries all around the world.
 
Thank you so much for listening!
 
You can find and follow Beautiful Shifts on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast. 

Jessica Frew: Having a husband come out, navigating divorce, remarriage, and co-parenting while intentionally creating a new and beautiful family dymanic

Jessica shares how she discovered early in her first marriage that her husband, Steve, was gay, changing the trajectory of her life. She gives us a glimpse into how the following 15 years have unfolded, leading to a loving, inclusive and supportive family dynamic that Jessica, Steve, and Jessica's current husband, Matt, have worked intentionally to create. We also talk about how to be an ally to LBGTQ+ individuals and Jessica shares some steps in that direction we can all take. 
 
Jessica has a successful podcast called "Husband in Law" that she records with both Matt and Steve. Together they are sharing their stories of love, marriage, coming out, divorce, remarriage and co-parenting to help others know they are not alone. She owns The BOLD Logic, a company devoted to helping people figure out the "What NOW?!" after betrayal or having a partner come out. Jessica is a firm believer that by knowing and understanding what it is you really want in life you can BOLDly create a life you love, no matter what your circumstances.
 
We absolutely loved talking with Jessica and know you will love hearing her story and her wisdom as much as we did! She is such a great example of so many things from successful co-parenting to being a support and ally to others. Thank you so much to Jessica for coming on our podcast, we enjoyed every minute of it! 
 
Find Jessica on Instagram @heyjessicafrew and online at theboldlogic.com where Jessica has a free guide to "Trust Your Gut After Betrayal", info on her BOLDly You retreats, links to listen to the Husband in Law podcast, links to schedule a free healing call with her, and more. 
 
Thank you so much for listening! Find and follow Beautiful Shifts for updates and info on upcoming episodes and guests on Facebook and on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast. 

Women’s Month Special - Teri Harman: Understanding the Sacred Feminine and claiming your value as a woman, why feminism isn’t scary, and building your own wings

Today Teri discusses with us what she describes as her most meaningful life transition: a feminist awakening including a deep dive into the mindset of the sacred feminine. We discuss what the sacred feminine means, what feminism actually is and why it isn't scary, ecofeminism, the healing and mending that happens with nature, tuning into our intuition and true selves, modeling understanding and open communication with our children, and much more. Teri also shares a few words and meanings from her beautifully written and crafted latest book "Words Instead of Wings: Language to Understand and Embrace the Sacred Feminine" which uses forty-five words to explore the power of being a woman.
 
Teri is an author of fiction and nonfiction, and ecofeminist, and a nature photographer. She's also a yoga and meditation teacher with twenty years experience. Her work focuses on helping women reclaim their wild souls through words, movement, and connection with nature. 
 
Thank you Teri, we loved having you on and learning more about the sacred feminine. It was such an interesting and enjoyable conversation! We're so glad we could have this topic/episode as our last for March for Women's History Month! 
 
Find Teri on Instagram @teriharman and online at www.teriharman.com. 

Brittney Herman: Sexual Assault Survivor, Attorney, Miss Ohio Volunteer and Founder of We Will Organization discusses how we can prevent sexual assault through sexual education

Brittney shares that when she was in high school she was the victim of sexual assault, and how she didn't realize what happened was sexual assault and dealt with the trauma of that event in silence for years. Years later when she was in law school she did a widespread research project on the link between sexual education and rates of sexual assault, and the correlation between the two was shockingly strong. Her research shows that we can prevent sexual assault through sexual education. Her study was published and has been read by over 3,000 individuals. 
 
In this conversation we discuss her experiences, her research project and its implications, the issue of sexual assault, and the work she is doing with her non-profit. It's an interesting and enlightening conversation for parents of children of all ages and adults as well. 
 
Brittney is a tax attorney working with nonprofit organizations, runs We Will, speaks publicly and has authored a children's book about consent called Do You Want A Cookie. Brittney also serves as Miss Ohio Volunteer, a state title in the Miss Volunteer America program which focuses on encouraging women to be their best selves and serve their communities. She will compete for the title of Miss Volunteer America in June. In her time off, she enjoys serving in church, playing her flute in professional orchestras, coaching high school swimming, bodybuilding, and spending time with her cute dog, Wilford. 
 
Thank you, Brittney, for being on the podcast and the conversation, we learned so much and are grateful for the important work you are doing!
 
Find We Will online at wewillorg.com and download a free pdf of Brittney's children's book about consent Do You Want a Cookie under Educational Resources there.
 
Find & follow We Will on Instagram @we.will.organization
Find & follow Brittney on Instagram @brittney_herman
 
Thank you so much for listening! 
 
Find & follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook under Beautiful Shifts. 

Marsha Mark-Baird: Olympic athlete shares about growing up in the Caribbean, moving to the US for college athletics to competing in the Olympics, raising a family and being a school LCSW

Marsha shares about being raised in a small town in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean where she grew up playing sports. After a lot of success in athletics she moved to the US to attend college and started competing in the heptathlon, a track and field event including hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin and 800-meter run. On scholarship competing for BYU she placed ninth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships. Next came the Olympics! We get to hear about the road to the Olympics and her experience competing in the Summer 2000 Games in Sydney and the 2004 Games in Athens. 
 
We get to hear how Marsha met her husband Greg, and how now they now have three teenage sons. Marsha has worked as a school social worker in Provo, Utah since 2000, which she loves, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has also been a track coach since 2000.
 
It was a pleasure talking with Marsha and hearing about her many interesting and exciting life transitions. Marsha has a zest for life that is refreshing and contagious and it was so fun to hear more of her story. Thank you, Marsha, for taking the time to chat with us! 
 
***Since this interview, Marsha competed in her first Nationals meet as a Master's athlete and placed 1st/Gold in the Pentathlon, open Long Jump, and the 60 Meter Hurdle. Congratulations, Marsha! 
 
Find Marsha on Instagram @runmarsharun