Beautiful Shifts

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

Women’s History Month & Women We Look Up To

Women's History Month Bonus! Today we talk about the line up of awesome women and topics we have coming up this month and some thoughts on Women's History Month. Then we take turns sharing about a few women we each look up to and why. It was so fun to get to discuss this topic and these women and their influences on history, society, and in our lives. 
 
Thanks for listening! Happy Women's History Month! 
 
Connect with us on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and Facebook for photos and info on upcoming guests, quotes and reels from interviews, and other fun podcast content!  
 
 

Elise Jones: Choosing joy while living with heart failure, emotional health and resilience, and living by the mantra ”share your heart”

Elise was diagnosed with atrial septal defect in 2009, had open heart surgery in 2016, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2021. She also had lung resection surgery this past November. As she shares her story we learn that although her ongoing heart health difficulties have brought about many ups and downs and physical and emotional challenges, Elise has chosen to focus on joy, gratitude, and doing the things she loves. We discuss learning to trust yourself and listen to your intuition when it comes to health and other areas of life, building friendships and serving others through disaster, and how beautiful things can manifest from hard things. We also get to hear how Elise and her family fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams of hiking to the base camp of Mount Everest in 2017!
 
Elise is a married mother of two daughters in college. She is a yoga therapist, yoga alliance teacher and trainer, certified in several genres in yoga and fitness, and has been teaching fitness classes for 19 years. She's also a roller skating fitness certified instructor and teaches it in different locations around Utah (so fun!). She is the founder of Utah Yoga and Wellness where she hosts wellness retreats, and is a semi-retired river guide.
 
Elise is a delightful and inspiring person and is truly living by her mantra "share your heart." Thank you so much to Elise for being on our podcast, we absolutely loved talking and connecting and can't wait to go to one of her skating classes!
 
Find Elise on Instagram @elisejonesyoga where she shares about emotional health and resilience, choosing joy, and is such an uplifting account to follow.
Learn about her wellness retreats at utahyogaandwellness.com and on Instagram @utahyogaandwellness

Mason Sawyer & Sam Josie: Best friends through unimaginable loss of wife, son, daughter, brother & nephew in car accident & rare dwarfism condition share 10Ninety Rule, stoicism & more

On July 25, 2021, Mason's family was involved in a fatal car accident that took the lives of his wife Kortni, son Riggins, daughter Franki, brother Race, and nephew Rider. Mason is now solely focused on raising his son, Blue, who survived the car accident, and his mission to help teach others the 10/90 Principle. 
 
Sam has a rare form of Dwarfism called Ellis-Van-Crevled Syndrome that affects bone growth and development and causes various abnormalities. Sam stopped growing at age 17 and stands at 5'1. With over 17 surgeries on various bones in his body, Sam has had to learn to adapt to his situation, rise above the negativity, and find ways to succeed. 
 
Mason and Sam have been friends since high school and join us today to share more about their stories and life transitions including starting their podcast The 10Ninety Rule, the concept of stoicism, and their mission to share lessons learned by using the 10/90 Principle - that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent what you make of it. 
 
These two are amazing, great guys all around and listening to their stories you will laugh, cry, and do it all over again. Thank you so much, Mason and Sam, for coming on our podcast - we enjoyed every minute talking with you and are honored you shared your stories with us. 
 
Find Mason and Sam and their podcast 10Ninety Rule on Instagram @10ninetyrule and on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Tonia Tewell: Holding out HELP for those coming out of polygamist cultures

Tonia Tewell, founder of Holding out HELP - a non-profit helping people out of polygamy/religious extremist sects - shares her story of growing up in an unstable home, which led to being taken in by her school principal and his wife at age 12, offering Tonia and her siblings safety and unconditional love for the first time. Later in life Tonia moved to the Salt Lake City, Utah area with her husband, began having children, and soon after was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She resolved that if she survived she would serve those coming from broken backgrounds who needed help and unconditional love, just as she had as a young girl.
 
The cancer went into remission and in 2007 Tonia's passion for those who come from a polygamist background grew after taking in a family from the local AUB/Allred polygamist community. In 2008, she launched a non-profit organization called Holding out H.E.L.P. (Helping, Encouraging and Loving Polygamists). Her desire is to encourage and give hope to those who chose to leave polygamist cultures providing them resources, support and love. In her free time Tonia loves the outdoors, bible study, dates with her daughters and crime shows. 
 
Tonia's story of overcoming difficult life situations, providing help to the most vulnerable, and paying forward kindness and love. A big thank you to Tonia for sharing her story with us! We loved talking with her and know you will love her too! 
 
Find Holding out HELP online at http://holdingouthelp.org where you can learn more about the services they provide to those coming out of polygamist sects and how you can get involved and help. Also, sign up to attend their upcoming Silent Auction & Benefit Dinner on March 10 in Draper which includes live music, guest speakers, and meeting the cast of Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey. 
 
Find/follow Holding out HELP on Instagram @holdingouthelp
And on Holding out HELP on Facebook 

Janet Mumford: Surviving a skydiving accident, learning patience and resilience through adversity, and life lessons on rebuilding and getting through hard things

Janet shares her story of how her life almost came to a halt one day that will forever be defined as life before and after her skydiving accident, in the fall of 2020. Experiencing debilitating injuries, her natural determination combined with lessons she had learned prior to the accident through therapy and working on mental health and inner strength helped greatly in her path to healing. She shares many takeaways that can be applied to getting through hard things in life and learning from setbacks, such as how growth comes in small steps, finding something to hold onto, trusting ourselves, and how our human minds and bodies are truly amazing.
 
Janet is a 43 year old mom of two adult kids, full time dental hygienist and a part time online health and fitness coach. She explains that learning patience and resilience through adversity while trying to gain back what you once had is a challenge, but those exact things motivated her as she rebuilt and grew more than she ever thought possible. 
 
Thanks so much to Janet for sharing her story with us and being an amazing example of strength and resilience. It's inspiring to hear and see all she has overcome and to see where she is today! 
 
Find Janet on Instagram @janetmumford23 where you can see more of her amazing recovery and reach out to her about her health & fitness coach/certified nutritionist business. 
You can also find her on Facebook - Janet Mumford
 
Thank you for listening! You can follow Beautiful Shifts on Instagram @beautifulshifts_podcast and on Facebook.