Empowering Chats with Susan Burrell

Rising Higher

Ep #213 - Rising Higher - An Interview with Leanne Jamison & Katie Myers, hosts of the Sit Crooked, Talk Straight Podcast

I am here to welcome the hosts of the Sit Crooked, Talk Straight, podcast, Leanne Jamison and Katie Myers. They are both doing empowerment work with women in amazing and different ways. I was recently interviewed by these two incredible women on their podcast, and we had such a great connection peppered with some lively conversation that I just had to have them on Empowering Chats.

The focus of Leanne and Katie’s podcast is women. They touch on real topics by real women who are looking for real change. They are both licensed therapists. Both of them are all about being their best version and empowering other women to align with their personal power.

Leanne says it’s time to “Step up to the plate and break generational patterns.” She is all about guiding women to get out of their own way in order to tap into their power.

The goal of their podcast is to enlighten women so they can rise higher and go further.

It’s about teaching women to honor all parts of themselves by not handing over their self-worth to others.

It’s also about not giving their inner critic all the power and learning to have self-compassion and love.

We touched on many topics, including working with other women in groups, learning to set boundaries and ultimately recognizing our own gifts and shining our light out into the world.

To listen to their podcast, Sit Crooked, Talk Straight, visit: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sit-crooked-talk-straight

To learn more about Leanne Jamison visit: www.ezliving.space

To learn more about Katie Myers visit: www.releasewithkatie.com

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website: susanburrell.com

BE Expansive!

Ep #212 - BE Expansive! A Solo Show with Susan Burrell.

Here we are in 2023. I’ve had a slow start to this year and I am happy to finally be emerging into 2023. When I was a kid 2023, seemed so far in the future and it felt very "futuristic" – I always wondered if “the future” would play out as it did in the animated series, The Jetsons – okay so now I am dating myself. Or how about Star Trek? How many of you remember Star Trek?

We are now in the midst of shifts and transitional changes, globally and personally. Last year the theme for Empowering Chats with Susan Burrell was “RE-Emergence.” And I remember thinking. Isn’t that great? As we come out of the pandemic – how are we going to reemerge? How are we going to re-establish ourselves and reemerge?

And now looking back I realize that for me 2022 was about taking a deeper dive. One I had to take before I could fully reemerge. I first had to do some more internal investigating – which entailed the letting go of things and people that had harmed me throughout my lifetime. 2022 was more of a getting to know myself better.

Getting to know Susan. Susan getting to know Susan. Susan getting to know and accept her inner child. Susan getting to know and release residual anger from her divorce. Susan getting to let go of her son as he entered into marriage to an amazing woman who I adore. And thank goodness she adores me, too, as she is my assistant Bianca. And the wedding was filled with joy and loving happiness.

And I realized that 2022 was really about me learning how to be myself again – in a new way – and learning how to let go and let things happen the way they are supposed to. And learning what is my business and what is not my business.

My actual reemergence happened at the wedding of my son to Bianca in October of 2022.

And so, as I thought of my theme for 2023 the word / phrase that dropped in for me was BE Expansive. The idea of expansive pushes beyond reemergence and opens up your heart and your mind to experiences that will expand you from the inside out. Immersing yourself in all things beautiful.

We, as Humanity, have been called into these collective experiences. There is a learning curve here and I feel we are being asked to open our hearts to these experiences and rise above all of it so that humanity can move beyond this space and WE can become better as a human race.

Only then can we truly nurture ourselves and connect to Mother Earth and connect heart to heart to each other in a loving, kind and compassionate way.

So, BE Expansive this year. Explore more of who you are. Be curious and take chances.

I invite you to explore ways you can expand your life in 2023.

If you wish to start a meditation practice or learn more about what it means to dive deep into your inner landscape then please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

I also invite you to experience my guided meditations at Insight Timer: InsightTimer.com/SusanBurrell

My videos on YouTube: youtube.com/@liveyourempoweredlife9518

My Facebook Page: facebook.com/susanburrellpage

Instagram: instagram.com/liveyourempoweredlife

Twitter:twitter.com/LYILSusan

Linked-In: linkedin.com/in/susanburrell

All of the above links can also be directly accessed through my website: susanburrell.com

The Season of Gratitude

Ep # 211 - The Season of Gratitude - A Solo Show with Susan Burrell

It’s been an amazing year. As I reflect back on 2022 I am reminded about our theme for this year of reemergence. And I gotta say I have personally been on a journey of reemergence and rediscovery. And we have all collectively reemerged back into life. And so now I ask you to think about how that felt? To reemerge into your life? To reengage with friends, family members and with yourself? What changed as you reemerged?

For me personally old lessons and belief systems showed up. These belief systems had to be transmuted or destroyed in order for me to reemerge into this new way of living. A way of living that I think we are all in the midst of exploring.

When I started Empowering Chats a few years ago I made a commitment to dedicating the month of December to what me and my team call “The Month of Giving.”  I am a big proponent of giving to non-profits. There are some I give to monthly and others that I give to annually. I highly recommend that if you choose to give, know that your giving not only supports these non-profits and the amazing work they do, it also opens the avenue within you to receive more. As you give, I believe the law of circulation goes into effect. And here is how I believe it works: As you give out, you empty out and you open up to receive more – and the more open you are the more you can receive.

This has been my life experience – and it’s not just about letting go but about giving from your heart.

And so as we enter this month of giving and gratitude. I am going to list out those non-profits that me and my Team support. I encourage to visit their websites and see what they are all about. 

There are 8 non-profits listed below along with their website. Some of these you may have heard of and at least one is local to our hometown area of Ventura County. 

This first one is Planned Parenthood.  I personally have been involved in supporting them for a very long time. After Roe v. Wade got over- turned, they have been under attack. And I wish to do away with the myth that all Planned Parenthood does is perform abortions. That simply is not true. They provide education to teens and adults about how to have safe sex, what to do if you think you have a sexually transmitted disease and all the facts you need to know regarding sexual health. But that’s not all, they also provide information on birth control, health and wellness, screening for cancer, adoption services, the list goes on. They have a wealth of information and resources to help people of all walks of life to get answers and find support.  I give to Planned Parenthood annually. To learn more please visit: plannedparenthood.org

Another non-profit that I support is the International Rescue Committee or IRC. I give to them monthly.  The IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, such as the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan. They help to restore health, safety, education and economic well-being to the people who have been devastated by conflict and disaster. And they are proud to also support a world where women and girls have an equal chance to succeed. I was turned on to this organization from a close friend who has been supporting them for more than 10 years. This organization works to make sure the money you donate goes directly to the people and the communities that need it the most. Please visit their website to learn more: Rescue.org

The next one I want to mention is called Canine Companions. They are a national organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained service dogs at no charge to the recipient. And they also have a huge program to support veterans. I learned about them last year when I interviewed Jason Morgan – who was one of the first veterans to receive support after he became paralyzed from the waist down during a narcotics mission in 1999 with the US and other Ecuadorian military units. If you have not listened to that show I encourage you to follow the link and take a listen now. Jason has been a spokesperson for Canine Companions for many years now and I highly recommend you check them out. They help individuals to live a better life and also help with PTSD. To listen to the interview I did in 2021 with jason Morgan please visit: EmpoweringChatsWithSusanBurrell.podbean.com/e/jason-morgan/

To learn more about Canine Companions visit: Canine.org

Akita Angels is another non-profit my Team supports. This organization rescues Akita dogs and other large breed dogs that have been abandoned. Akita Angels is dedicated to saving the lives of these large breed dominant and/or high-risk dogs by providing unlimited, no-cost support in the areas of education, intervention, advocacy, and rescue. For animal lovers this organization is one that truly lives up to its mission statement. Please visit their website to learn more: AkitaAngels.org

Next on the list is the World Wildlife Organization. Many of you may have heard of them. However you may not know that they do so much more than what appears on their name. Besides working to save endangered wildlife they also do work to save our fragile environment and educate the world about protecting our ecosystems. Their mission statement reads as follows: World Wildlife Fund carefully manages resources to maximize your support of our work—saving endangered wildlife, protecting fragile ecosystems, tackling the climate crisis, and finding practical and beneficial ways for both people and nature to thrive. Please visit their website to learn more: WorldWildLife.org

And now I move onto the International OCD Foundation. This is an organization that supports people with OCD - which stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This organization provides resources, support and education for those that suffer from this disorder which can be emotionally debilitating. Someone with OCD lives their lives constantly wanting to organize or set up their environment in unrealistic ways that can be a drain on their well-being and that of their families. To learn more please visit: iocdf.org

And now onto Nate’s Place. This is a local non-profit that started here in Ventura County. It is named after Nathan (Nate) Rhoades who was killed at the young age of 21 in a terrible car accident. After having beat drug addiction at the young age of 14 Nate dedicated his life to wellness and living a drug free life. At the time of his death his parents donated Nate's organs so others so they could live. And they started Nate's Place, A Wellness and Recovery Center. They offer aftercare services for clients who have recently been discharged from residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and/or for individuals who are looking to support their recovery and mental health with healthy recreational activities and peer support. To learn more please visit their website: NatesPlaceWellnessCenter.org

And finally the last organization I will mention here is Made for Freedom. I interviewed the founder of this organization earlier this year, her name is Dawn Manske and what she does is work with survivors of exploitation. Her organization is not considered a non-profit because she actually helps survivors to carve out a living for themselves by selling their products on her website. The products sold go directly to supporting the survivors that have been resuced from a life of marginalization or abuse. 

To listen to the Empowering Chat I had with Dawn please go to: EmpoweringChatsWithSusanBurrell.podbean.com/DawnManske

To learn more about Made for Freedom please visit: MadeForFreedom.com

Look Inside & Ask Questions

Ep #210 - Look Inside & Ask Questions. An Interview with author Catherine Shainberg

In this Empowering Chat I welcome author, Catherine Shainberg. Her latest book, The Kabbalah of Light dives into the fabric of the world of dreaming. Catherine describes the Kabbalah as a means to receive. She says it is a vast subject. She intentionally teaches the original Kabbalah which is about the inner gazing. According to Catherine it is available to all people to access.

She states that it begins by asking questions. When questions are asked of the subconscious answers are revealed. Generally, the subconscious will respond in images and sensations allowing for the feelings in the body to become awake. She helps her students learn what these images mean.

In the processing of doing this practice, Catherine believes individuals can “hear” and learn from their inner voice.

She talks about how we are like vessels and if we can open ourselves up the light will flow through us – but it has to be triggered and many times it is triggered at night by our dreams – the answers can come through when we are aligned. When we ask, we can be shown a direction.

Nightmares can also guide us and generally show up when something is out of alignment and not working correctly in our lives. It can be extremely valuable to take the time to investigate to “see” what it is we are supposed to know. It is about learning about how to tap into the sub-conscious.

Catherine goes on to say, as Einstein said, we are both matter and light. And through the tool of breathing we can release, open up, and receive the divine. And if we can get back to light, we can heal ourselves.

Catherine runs a school called, The School of Images that she founded in 1982. Today it is a New York-based institute and global network of study centers that guides students to use the power of dream images and imagination for transformational purposes. The school is grounded in the ancient Kabbalah of Light, and integrates ancient wisdom and teachings with modern Western knowledge and techniques to catalyze creative manifestation at all levels and areas of life.

To learn more about Catherine and The School of Images or to purchase her book please visit her website: TheSchoolOfImages.org

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: SusanBurrell.com

Creating Communities of Change

Ep #209 - Creating Communities of Change - An Interview with Ame-Lia Tamburrini host of the Circle of Change Podcast and Founder of Hum Consulting.

I am honored to welcome Ame-Lia Tamburrini to Empowering Chats. She is a spark of light. We met a few months ago when I was on her podcast, Circle of Change.

Circles are a big thing for me and I found out for Ame-Lia as well. I believe circles represent all the people in the world who want to connect and are connecting. Ame-Lia’s podcast is appropriately named, Circle of Change and she is all about connecting with kindness.

The circle concept is very important to Ame-Lia. During this conversation she shared about the many decades she spent sitting in community all across the world listening to stories. And many of those conversations took place in circle settings. And what she noticed is that sitting in a circle listening to stories Is different from sitting in rows and listening to someone tell a story from a podium.  The energy is powered differently. Ame-Lia feels, as do I, that stories shared in circle root us to each other and to our ancestral roots.

Ame-Lia resonates with this concept and actively applies it to the work she does. In her podcast she works to create the essence of circle by taking the principles of kindness to remind her listeners that we all are interconnected and we all have wisdom. Ame-Lia and I both agree that the principles of kindness and love is what is needed now to heal our world.

Now is the time for that change.

And it all begins with awareness. Awareness to shift from a place of negativity to one of love and kindness. And Ame-Lia begins by reminding people to get back in touch with their bodies to access that awareness.  It is easy to become negative or detached from our surroundings when we become fearful. Ame-Lia encourages her listeners to pause and make a conscious effort to notice what is occurring in their bodies and then respond with kindness to themselves first and then being gentle with self. This is where it all begins.

The telling of story is powerful and gives the teller of the story the power to let go of what no longer serves and to take hold of what is working in their lives.

It is particularly powerful when those stories are shared in circle. It reminds us that we are not alone and we are all interconnected.

To learn more about Ame-Lia Tamburrini and Hum Consulting visit: HumConsulting.ca

To listen to Ame-Lia's Podcast Circle of Change visit: HumConsulting.ca/podcast

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: SusanBurrell.com

The Authentic Self

Ep #208 - The Authentic Self - An Interview with Author Iman Oubou

I can’t wait for this conversation. This episode of Empowering Chats welcomes author, Iman Oubou – her book, The Glass Ledge, is all about how to break through self-sabotage and embrace your power to create your success.

Her book is so full of information and it includes exercises for readers to do in order to get clear as they explore their inner landscape. I think it is such an empowering book. Iman and I had a thoughtful, engrossing conversation about her book and why she feels called to help women.

So I asked her, why The Glass Ledge title? We all know about the glass ceiling, but why the glass ledge?

Iman explains that the glass ledge is an expression she came up with to refer to how women self-sabotage themselves. She goes on to say that her goal is to give women the tools they need to balance on the glass ledge and not go tumbling over the edge. When women trip over the glass ledge (me included, I experienced this myself) we lose control or we find ourselves moving off our path. And when that happens, according to Iman, many of us revert to the old patterns of anxiety, panic, fear and hopelessness.

The balancing occurs, Iman believes, when you begin to break free of those patterns and learn to rely on your self-assurance, confidence and conviction. That is really in a nutshell how it works. Her goal in writing The Glass Ledge, was to remove the external factors that many of us use to point to as a way to justify why we are not accessing our dreams or goals in life.

According to Iman, it’s better to shift our goals to our internal battles. She points out that we can’t control exterior barriers but we can focus on the self-imposed barriers we put on ourselves and allow change to occur from that vantage point.

Iman and I both agree that it starts with self-awareness, whether it’s for women or men it is important to have self-awareness. The Glass Ledge is written in a way that forces you to ask yourself the hard questions and be honest with yourself in order to begin to shift and become self-aware in order to overcome those barriers.

Iman is also the founder of SWAAY, an all-in-one publishing platform for women, to champion the voices of female change-makers through the power of storytelling.

To learn more about Iman Oubou visit: swaay.com

To purchase her book: The Glass Ledge visit: amazon.com

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: SusanBurrell.com

Dream Big

Ep #207 - Dream Big - A Solo Episode with host Susan Burrell

We are now in the month of November and the theme for this month is “Enlighten.” And as I began to record this episode another word popped up that is now also part of this show, and that word is “Envision.”

And so, this show will focus on both of those themes. I always like to look up the definition of the words I choose to focus on – it helps me to see more of what lies within the word. To enlighten means to give intellectual or spiritual light to – in other words, to shed light on. And to Envision means, to imagine or visualize a future possibility.

This episode explores how we can seek or look inside ourselves in order to become enlightened. I believe we can only reach an enlightened state by opening up our hearts and listening to what needs to be heard. I feel we are not meant to seek answers outside of ourselves but rather go within to listen to our own wisdom. When we do that we become enlightened beings and that is when others sync up with us.

Learning to listen from within, not with our heads but with our hearts, is how we can access our inner-knowing and grow from that space.

Envision is also part of this show. And may well be the theme for Empowering Chats for 2023. As we come close to ending this year and approaching the next, I ask you to begin to take time to dabble in your vision – in what you would like to see for yourself in 2023. 

Can you Dream Big?

Can you begin to Envision and Shed Light on what 2023 can Become for You?

I truly believe that envisioning comes from that centered space within your heart, within yourself and it is accessible to all of us.

I invite you to take a listen to this show where I share with you my personal tools that are available on my website and through my book, Live An Empowered Life to help you get to your special place and envision what is next for you.

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com

To Purchase my book: Live An Empowered Life! A 30-Day Journey Book, visit: susanburrell.com/book

Love & Keeping It Fun!

Ep #206 - In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lyz De Boer to discuss what it means to lead with love, as well as the key qualities that new leaders must express and embody to succeed.

I am excited to introduce my guest, Dr. Lyz DeBoer for this episode of Empowering Chats with Susan Burrell. She and I speak the same language and we had such a great time connecting on this chat.

We synched up because we are both in alignment with love.  Dr. Lyz, as she is so lovingly referred to by her friends and colleagues, is a hopeful romantic who empowers her clients to reach for love, with the fun factor always present. She is a love and relationship specialist and owner of Visionistas By Design Wellness Boutique. We talked about several things, including working with people and how to lead with love. In this transitional period of time we are all experiencing, I think it’s important that we have leaders that lead with love.

I think we all need to lead with love in our lives, in our relationships, with our partners, with our children and with family members. It is everywhere and Dr. Lyz’s work as a guide, leads people in learning how to heal, learn and grow.

The Team at Dr. Lyz’s wellness boutique came up with a set of core values for their company with Love at the center.

Dr. Lyz and I talked about the importance of opening yourself up with curiosity not judgement. And how this can be a fun process. This is not something to be afraid of but rather to be embraced with curiosity and love. It’s a conscious choice. We also talked about how it is okay to have the hateful, angry feelings and the importance of acknowledging them. And then recognizing that there is no need to take action based on those hateful feelings. It is always better to respond with love. That’s why we both agreed that it’s important to slow down, to breathe and to take a moment to pause before responding in a negative or destructive way.  The simplest action is to stop, breathe and ground in love.

It not only lifts you up but it lifts up those in your circle.

To learn more about Dr. Lyz DeBoer please visit her website: drlyz.com

To listen to her podcast, Empowered by Design visit: drlyz.com/empowered-by-design-podcast

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website: susanburrell.com

 

Are You Enough?

Ep # 205 - Are You Enough? An Interview with Author, Carrie Severson

The title of the book from my next guest grabbed me in such a way that I absolutely knew I had to have her on Empowering Chats with Susan Burrell. And so, with that I welcome Carrie Severson. She is the CEO of the hybrid book publishing company, Unapologetic Voice House and author of, Unapologetically Enough: Reshaping Success and Self-Love.

I started this chat by asking Carrie why she chose this title for her book. And from here Carrie shared her story of hating the word, “enough” – in fact hating it to the point of turning it into a 4-letter word and then banning it from her vocabulary. For many years Carrie felt like she was never enough. Never enough for herself, for her family, for her friends, etc., etc.

After she wrote this book and was contemplating a title, her editor suggested, “Unapologetically Enough.” Carrie had a melt-down. She did not want this as her title and fought it. She still had a lot of negative reactions to the word “enough” and did not want this word to grace her book cover. Carrie said that after she had a good cry and accepted that perhaps this should be the title, she began to research the word, “enough.” And what she found when she went to the dictionary was the word, “abundant,” used in the definition to describe “enough.” And so she came to realize how powerful and positive the word, “enough” was, and is.

In Carrie’s words, she feels it fits women for where we are as a collective right now. I agreed with her expressing how so many are speaking up, standing up and saying enough. Both by saying, “I am enough” and “Enough! No more.” It is showing up everywhere.

Carrie’s journey both in life and in writing this book came first from a sense of fear that she wasn’t enough. And she allowed her fear to lead the way in her life.

Her story takes a dramatic turn when she comes to the realization that she was always enough. And she takes fear out of the equation. Not that fear doesn’t sometimes play a part in our lives. In Carrie’s case she recognized that it took that initial fear to wake her up so she could see this was not the way to self-love. It took a lot of work and a lot of self-reflection.

I am personally so grateful for Carrie and others like her for being so brave and sharing their story. Many women, myself included, have walked this path and we know there are others like us whom we can learn from. This makes me not only grateful but immensely proud to join this circle of empowered women.

The real truth for women can and will surface as the old paradigm shifts from a patriarchal dominance to one that embraces the divine feminine and we all accept our own “enough-ness.”

To purchase Carrie’s book please visit:

amazon.com/Unapologetically-Enough-Reshaping-Success-Self-Love

To learn more about Carrie Severson please visit her website at: unapologeticallyenough.com

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website at: susanburrell.com

Communion With Your Soul

Ep # 204 - Communion With Your Soul - An interview with author, Dr. Rima Bonario

I am so energetically amped about this episode with my amazing guest, Rima Bonario who has written a book called The Seven Queendoms.

As I dived into this empowering chat with Rima, I felt called to open this episode with the following poem which is nestled within the pages of her book.  So here goes. This is so powerful, so much so, that it made me cry as I recited it.

“I ask you sisters; will you die dispossessed of your body? Will you abdicate the throne of your heart? Will you hide from the wisdom of your soul? No Lovely, you will not. You will rise. You will find and reclaim your wild, wise, sexy, smart, sovereign self. Take the hand of your sisters and rise. We will not cut ourselves into a thousand pieces to try and take up less room or fit in the space we have been told is ours. This is our life. This is our castle and it longs for our Queen to come home. To awaken. To sit down. To be here now. To lead and to love. Heed the call sisters, come home to your heart. Come live in your skin. Come dance with your soul. Be truly, deeply, madly home. For you have waited long enough.”

I had to grab for tissues as I finished reciting this piece.  I have been profoundly affected by these words, as this is a journey I have personally been on. Cutting myself into a thousand pieces so I could fit into the box. I think this passage describes so many women.

Why Queendoms? I asked Rima as we stepped into this chat. According to Rima it comes down to the concept of Sovereignty. It is the notion that we have absolute authority over ourselves. That we are free from external influence and that we are able to be in a state of self-governance. And the truth is many of us are not in that space.

This poem speaks to the journey many of us have been on. It speaks to us to reclaim our truth. We have the right to exist. To take up space. To be in communion with our soul. And that means we sometimes fly in the face of what the world tells us we “should” be doing.

It is about being the Queen of our own lives.

I feel this is the divine right time for us to be having this conversation with Rima as it falls on the heels of The Queen of England’s death. The call is to sit on the Throne within our, your Soul. To take the hand of your inner Queen.

It’s about accessing the feminine form of power. It’s not about fitting into the masculine mold that society expects of us but rather to allow the inner feminine power that we as women hold internally to shine and then to lead from that space.

Rima’s book speaks to the feminine quality we all hold. It is not a book to be read passively. It requires action on your part – and by taking part in the exercises in the book is how you begin to get in touch with your inner Queen.

Another powerful poem that appears in the book (and spoke to me as well) goes as follows:

“Oh sisters. Stand firm upon the earth. Open your feet and breathe. Open your heart and feel. Meet your soul and remember. It is time to remember. It’s time to come home. You are whole and holy, now and forever. The time has come to be seen. We are ready. You are ready. Be Bold. Be Free. Be Wild. Be You. Find your sisters and join hands for today we wake together. Today we wake. Together.”

To learn more about Dr. Rima Bonario and the work she does please visit her website: RimaBonario.com

To purchase her book, The Seven Queendoms visit: amazon.com/Seven-Queendoms-Embodying-Feminine-Sovereignty

To learn more about how I show up in the world please visit my website: SusanBurrell.com